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I am having one of those days when everything is just.too.much for me. It started with a glance at the calendar. One week never seemed so short in my life.
I need to reorganize everything in my house while living with two little tornadoes that are ALWAYS with me.
I took this little facebook quiz and I am not surprised in the slightest by the results. It’s a quiz that determines which half of your brain is dominant and by what percentage. I am right brained. I thrive in chaos, creativity, intuition, fantasy, images, and curiosity. No surprise there. 🙂
This week I have been overwhelmed by all the work I need to do before Christmas, let alone all the loose ends I am trying to tie up at work before my last day. I stopped to write this post and do a couple of other things to make this enormous task more manageable.
Made a plan
I plan all the time. I have lists and goals for everything…except organizing and clearing clutter. Since I was feeling the weight of time pressing on my shoulders, I decided to stop before I freak out even more and make a list of the “must do’s” in Evernote. Now, I can see the steps and visualize my progress. Also by prioritizing the tasks, I can focus on the jobs weighing heaviest on me.
Took a step back
It’s been a whirlwind week. I got most of my shopping done during “Parent’s Night Out.” I finished one monumental task on my list (the kids room) and am continuing to make progress on the a few of the others.
When things get hectic it is worth taking an hour to relieve the pressure. Thinking through this process (and writing it down here) allowed me to stop going through clutter — and breathe. I also took my hour break to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies with the kids. The stress doesn’t just affect me, after all.
Re-evaluated the “why”
The pressure to finish this project is completely self-imposed. I want to spend as much quality time with my other half and my family during the Christmas break. I want my husband to be able to relax and enjoy being home. I don’t want him to feel like he has to organize, because he will feel compelled to do it so he can think.
I will also be working from home and going back to school soon and will need to have an area that is tidy so that I can be productive.
Decided to keep going until it is DONE!
I took my break to show my blog and my readers some love and now must return to the craziness that is my closet. The good news is that I am not going to need all those “work clothes” anymore and can space bag them or donate them!
Once it is finished, I can schedule an hour or two a day to pick up clutter and do daily chores to keep it manageable all the time!
There is a lining to this cloud and a rainbow waiting for me at the end of this project. I will be able to sit back, relax, and read without a pile of laundry waiting for me.
Do any of you have tips to clear clutter and organize your home? Please leave them in the comments! I am organizationally challenged. I could use all the help I can get. My hoarding, “prepping” tendencies, make getting rid of stuff a traumatic experience for me! My heart hurts when I trash something that I might be able to find a need for one day in the murky future. Okay, I’m going back to my closet. (Really, send me some tips. I need them.)
Rabia @TheLiebers says
I am definitely NOT the person to give advice on this topic, but it seems you have a good handle on everything! My goal is to do 30 minutes of housework a night. What gets done, gets done; and what doesn’t, doesn’t. I just don’t have time (or space in my brain) to worry about more than that! That said, I am planning on getting a lot of stuff done during my two week Christmas break. Hopefully I can get the kids into helping me!!
Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted…It’s My Blog-i-versary! I’ll Party if I Want To {Giveaway}
Kim Miller says
I’m a big time “donator.” It may take me longer to get through the job that way, but it also makes it easier to part with things. One of the things I do is break a job into manageable parts. If its going through a closet, I just choose one. I sort between throwaway (usually not much in there) giveaway, and “think about it.” In the giveaway pile, I sort to organize where everything will go (I try to pick the charity that needs/would appreciate the item most) If I cant figure that out, it goes into a separate pile for the church down the street who sorts and donates to other organizations, or has a rummage sale with the “odd” items. Knowing that this stuff is going to do good makes it easier to part with.
If its an item that I am waffling on, I put it (or them) in a box in the garage for a week or two. If I find myself looking for the item, or wishing I had it, I put it back in its place. If I don’t…(and of course, this does relate to season, Im not putting a ski jacket in the box in July!) then it goes away. Using this method, I have not needed to replace or rebuy and items that I impulsively gave away…plus I satisfied my give away/removal anxiety.
Kim Miller recently posted…Another Day, Another Hospital
Herchel says
Great advice, Kim! I donate most of my things that I no longer need. I am going to try the box in the garage for a week. If I don’t think about it of need it, those items will go too.