Tag Archive for: Edit and organize

7 Ways to Declutter Your Stuff and Your Life

/4 Comments/in , , /by

7 ways to declutter your stuff and life

 

If all the fa la la la la ended up with add to cart, January is the antidote to over consumption. Freshening up your space and clearing out are what everyone feels as the new year begins. Check out these 7 ways to declutter your stuff and life.

 

Always start small

Make it easy to start with a small start. That means setting a timer for 15 minutes and filling a donation bag. Go room to room to find easy to donate items that have been ready to go for a while. Or start in a small space like your make up drawer or top dresser drawer to sort, categorize and let go of what you have stuffed in there when you needed to clear a counter.

 

Go for the low hanging fruit

You have moved stuff all year long that has no place in your home. It is time for it to go out into the universe. Fill a bag with those things that has frustrated you all year long. Instantly you will feel the difference.

 

Go KonMari

Likely you did not know how many (fill in the blank) you had because these were all over. Marie Kondo suggests gathering all the items together and then organizing. Categorize items that have been spread out, evaluate how many you need and let go of your over abundance.

 

Host a paper purge

Maybe your paper and mail have been stuffed away for a while. Grab it and head to a big table to sort and purge. Create recycle, shred, and keep piles. Paper sorting may be your most hated activity so put on a happy playlist to keep you moving.

 

Overview your over-commitment

The holidays may have been a little too busy. Maybe you are overwhelmed by looking at your January calendar and all your over-commitment. January is a great time to winnow down and prioritize your time. Look over your volunteering and other commitments and determine which are meaningful and purposeful for you. Having less on your calendar and more white space gives you opportunity to think.

 

Join a challenge

Join an online decluttering challenge for connecting and accountability. Each day you are assigned an area to work on. There is lots of fun connecting to others who are also decluttering and lots of accountability to act on your intentions.

 

Systemize it

Make your decluttering last all year with a system to declutter. Whether that is a chart for each space in your home, an appointment with a certified professional organizer or coach, or a game with rewards, you are making your decluttering a part of your daily life with a system that reinforces letting go.

 

Check in each week for a new perspective on decluttering this January. Next up! Thinking about downsizing and how to be ready when the time comes!

 

 

Spring Organizing Office Edition

/2 Comments/in , , /by

 

Spring organizing office

 

Offices and office spaces continual to evolve as more of our work becomes digital.  There’s lot of digital decluttering to do as a result.  This Spring more your office forward to become more electronically  organized.

 

Edit first

All offices are busy and it’s a low priority to eliminate digital clutter.  Start a 15 minute daily edit of digital clutter.  Look first at email, then documents.  In multiple 15 minute time slots you can pare down what is not needed. Now assess your duplicate documents and drafts. You can add these to trash to clear space and clear up confusion of the final document.

 

Attend to your desk top

We’re talking computer desk top here!  Add documents into folders and eliminiate any extra icons. There’s clarity here now.  Add a beautiful and serene screen saver for you to see when you are disconnected.

 

Graphics organizing

If you are a social media maven, it’s your graphics that can also need refreshing.  Use a content driven organizing system.  Group your graphics and photos by topic in your pictures to easily access and use your items.

 

Unsubscribe to unwanted

You may have once wanted to learn about a topic, and now you are saturated with email subscriptions. Take 15 minutes to unsubscribe rather than delete your unwanted subscriptions.  Less incominng newsletters free up time.  If you don’t want to let go of these, or incoming coupons, create an additional email account to directly access this when wanted.

 

Update your passwords

We change our passwords, hoping to remember then each time.  Update your password keeper in order to easily log on.  Change passwords if it’s been a while for sensitive sites.  Now log in on all your devices so that you have access from your smart phone or tablet.

 

Control the cords

Technology advances quickly.  It’s time to recycle your older devices and cords. Gather these together with the cords to donate.  Label the remaining cords to know what goes together. Store the cords at point of use in a drawer if used frequently or in a box under a cabinet if not.

Now you and your office are ready for a productive Spring!

 

 

 

Still cluttered in there with paper?  Here’s where to get started!