Look around.
What could you grab right now and recycle, donate or toss that you wouldn’t even miss?

One ugly item from your closet?
Two of the six wooden spoons in the kitchen crock?
The three month old magazine still in its shrink wrap?
Four dvds that you didn’t like the first time you watched them?
Five of the mugs crowding the shelf?
Six of the short, erase-less pencils crammed in the cup on the desk?
Seven of the pens in there with them?
Eight…..

You get the idea.
People think that they have to devote hours to decluttering
in order to make a difference in their situation.
Ha!  Not true.
There are lots of quick “little bites” you can take that
will have an impact.
And get you thinking about How Many is Enough?

Having less clutter is an ongoing process.
Learning to look at what you have and why,
and making choices every day about what is important,
what you want to keep and what you’re willing to let go of.

If what you want really is a simpler life-
what choices can you make right now
to support that vision?

No, clutter doesn’t sneak in while you’re sleeping or appear when no one is home and the house is quiet.

You bring in home in your purse, in bags, and with the day’s mail.

Having a less cluttered and more organized home starts before the front door.
It starts with awareness.  
It begins when you pay attention to  the possessions you already have.
The situation changes when you establish routines and habits that
support putting things away in a specific place, buying less, and 
making conscious choices about who and what is important in your life.

The One In, One Out Rule (for each item that comes into your home, an item needs to go),
helps keep the pantry from becoming stuffed again, the jeans drawer from exploding, and
squeezing the car out of the garage.

Five of something isn’t fives times as good as one.
It’s one, five times over.
And it is four more to find room for, clean and maintain.

By getting in the habit at the store (or garage sale, or free giveaway) of asking yourself
“Where will this live?” 
“What will it replace?”  
“How many do I need?”
you will be able to be more mindful of what you’re choosing
to let into your house
and into your life.

You only have so much time, money and energy:
How do you want to be spending it?

Your choices equal your life.

Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness.
If we have habits that work for us, we’re much more likely to be happy,
healthy, productive, and creative. Gretchen Rubin

Put your keys in the same place every day.
Sort your mail before you set it down.
Put your dirty dish into the dishwasher.
Hang up your coat.
Ask for help when you need it.
Say Thank You.

Much of our daily life is habitual actions (and reactions).
Try being a bit more mindful of what you do and how you do it.

Consider that even one small change in a routine 
could alter the way your life works, looks and feels.

Change is a result of conscious choices.
Pay attention.
Your life is a direct result of your choices.

ps.  Yes, I am a big fan of Gretchen’s.
Her ideas inspire, amuse, challenge and
remind me to lead a more thoughtful and happy life.

Many people I work with have a box, or two, or five of VHS tapes or maybe boxes of  slides of family birthdays or events, adventures or travel.
And most often no longer have the equipment to view the media.

They know there are services available to transfer the images to a useable format,
they just never quite get around to doing it.

Here’s a bit of a financial incentive.  
This month Costco is offering a $5 coupon on the service, with a limit of five.  
True, you probably have way more than five, but as I like to say “Little bites”.

Five dvds take up far less room than five tapes or boxes of slides or old home movie reels.

If they are important enough for you to save,
then take the time and effort make them accessible.

Not a Costco member?
Walgreens,  Digmypics.com and Scanmyphotos.com 
offer the same services.

With the images transferred to dvd you could skip a Netflix
and reconnect with moments from your family’s past.

And the new dvds could be a perfect gift…..

Amazing how such a small word, if, can loom so large for people during the decluttering process.
Usually in the form of “What if I need it again?”

Some people have stories of letting something go, then days or weeks later needing that item again.
(Of course no one has stories about all the things they gave away, recycled or trashed and never thought about again…..)  

IF an item does leave your home and you find yourself needing it again what are your options?
  1.  You could find something else you own to use in its place.  Clever repurposing is always a choice.
  2.  You could borrow the item.
  3.  You could perhaps rent the item.
  4.  You could find a used version.
  5.  You could buy a replacement.
      “But, but I already spent good money on the one I gave away.”  Yes you did.  And the moment you purchased it that money was gone.  Keeping it wouldn’t have gotten your money back.  And the new one you’re buying probably cost less and does more than the one you used to have.

What if is Justin Case’s way of getting you to store his things in your house. 
Do you really have enough room to store things for someone who doesn’t even exist?

Remember that your donations of useable items frees up space in your life
(physical, mental and emotional), 
creates jobs for people in your community,
and allows people who really need and have a used for something right now the chance to acquire it.

If the item is really trash or needs to be recycled, make that decision.
Move things along and out of your house.

Choose to believe that you have a rich and abundant life.
That if you need something, you will be able to get it.
After all; you’re smart, creative, resourceful, and have access to cash.

Your home.
Your life.
Your choices.

We all have full lives.
How full, and of what; we get to decide.

Being thoughtful about what we purchase,
what stories we tell in our minds,
who we make time for,
which activities we spend our money and energy engaged in,
and how much space (physical, mental and emotional) we devote
to our own well being and happiness 
directly impacts how full our lives feel.

Choosing to buy fewer things of better quality,
spending moments each day in gratitude,
giving away items we no longer need, use or care about,
and  keeping the mechanics of daily living as simple and easy as possible;
allows our lives to be full but not overwhelming.

Let go of ‘stuff’ and hold on to those objects, relationships,
routines and rituals that fill your heart and reflect what you
love and value.

Sponsored by the DEA, this Saturday, September 27th, is National Take Back Day.
Designed to provide a safe way for people to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, 
local collection sites can be located through this DEA link.

The page also provides information about proper disposal of other medicines.

As they say, cold and flu season are fast approaching.  
This would be the perfect time to go through your medicine cabinet;
check expiration dates, collect half full pill bottles, and clear out the
unnecessary  and redundant.

Here’s to a Happy Healthy Fall for all of us.
And a little more room in the bathroom cabinet!

You know how I like to go on and on about putting like with like?

This week I’d like to suggest (which is kind of like nagging but nicer)
you have some of that fun in your clothes closet.
We’re not talking a giant purge/sort here, I’m merely offering you the opportunity to get a visual of what you have in there.
If you happen to let some items go (cheap hangers, wrong sizes, ugly color, bad gift, worn out, what were you thinking) that will just be a bonus.

What I’d like you to do is move pieces around so that  like items are all hanging together.
All the short sleeve shirts together.
All your long sleeve shirts in one group.
All your long pants side by side.
All the suits lined up as a section.
You get the drift.

What sections you have will depend on the different types of clothing
you have hanging in your closet.

Within the groups hang like colors next to one another.
I know, it seems a bit OCD, but trust me, we’re going for a visual here.

The purpose of this little exercise is to show you, literally,
how many of which kinds of clothing you own.
How many pairs of black jeans.
How many white shirts.
How many long sleeve tee shirts.
How many SWAG polo shirts….

Now the options of what you can do with this information.

You could stop right here in the process.
The benefit would be now when you’re getting dressed you can easily see 
what you have of each category without digging, rummaging, guessing.

Or you could make some decisions about how many is enough.
Which of the clothes do you really wear?
Or what looks fabulous on you?
Which items are a reflection of the life you live now?
And what clothes does your current job require?

This visual will also give you valuable information about the kind
and types of clothes that you frequently buy.  
Which colors do you gravitate towards?
What style dominates?
Which are your ‘go to’ choices?

If you’re up to it, do some weeding out, tossing, donating
and saying good by.
That’s valuable real estate in there, make the best use of it.

Getting a visual of what you own, how many you have,
and keeping like with like simplifies your life.
Whether it’s in your clothes closet, your pantry or
office supplies.

See your way to a less cluttered life.

“Habits allow us to put a behavior on automatic, so we don’t have to think about it
or make decisions related to it anymore.
In this way, habits can free us from the things we don’t want to think about.” Gretchen Rubin

Always put your keys in the same place.
Deal with the mail every day.
Pay your bills on Monday evening.
Don’t put things down, put them away.
Fold the laundry when it comes out of the dryer.
Hang up your clothes, don’t toss them on the chair.
Ask for what you need.
Be grateful for what you have.

Small simple actions become routine
and the routine becomes a habit.

Let the habits of decluttering
give you less to think about.

And ditch the rest.

Decide which clothes you really wear and you feel fabulous wearing.
Give the rest away.

Decide which hobbies you love. 
Let go of the supplies and equipment for all the others.

Decide which letters, artwork, gifts and memorabilia truly are sentimental.
Be willing to say good bye to the items that aren’t.

Decide which relationships are good for your head and heart.
Spend your time nurturing those.

Letting go can be a challenge.
Don’t let ‘I should’ and ‘what if’ keep you stuck in clutter and disorganization.

You’re the adult.
Make conscious choices that support the life you really want to be living.