De-Cluttering and Paring Down

[Honeylioness]

There are literally thousands of new "Organizational Experts" and millions of words in columns out there today - and not all of them will even come close to agreeing on what is the "right" way to lighten your "stuff" load, the need for more storage, or even whether you should try.

Now, having said all that - I am going to post some general guidelines - both from myself and from others - in this section that might speak to you and get you off the mark start making your home feel more organized and less "cluttery".

[Honeylioness]

Hold Space

[Honeylioness]

Posted on Saturday, 12.26.09


Getting the clutter out
BY TERESA MEARS
[e-mail]


As you look at your Christmas gifts -- the ones you wanted and the ones that made you wonder, ``What was she thinking?'' -- there is probably one thought on your mind: Where am I going to put this stuff? (If you celebrate Hanukkah, you are a few weeks ahead in this process.)

You are going to find places to put your valued new gifts by organizing what you have and getting rid of an equal amount of old stuff.

Because clutter costs. It costs you time looking for things you have but can't find and money buying things you don't need because you can't find the old ones.

You are going to get organized, once and for all. Or at least for once.

Step 1 in the Great Decluttering Extravaganza: Put like things together.

That means putting all your shampoo in one place and all your sandals in another. If you have tomato sauce in your pantry and tomato sauce in a kitchen cabinet, get all that tomato sauce together. This simple step is one of the first rules of organizing.

I once moved in with someone who had so many unused bottles of shampoo scattered around her apartment that I didn't have to buy any for a year.

If you don't have a lot of storage space, getting all your like things together may require some time and effort, but persevere.

It is worth it.

Oh, and that ugly sweater you know you'll never wear? Put it in a box for charity immediately. You are ahead on Step 2.

Next week: Get ruthless.


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Posted on Saturday, 01.02.10


Getting organized means paring down
BY TERESA MEARS
[e-mail]


Did you take my advice last week and embark on Step 1 of the Great January Decluttering Extravaganza? If you did, you have put all your like things together. If you didn't, you still have time to catch up.

You may discover in the process that you just don't have enough storage space for some categories. No, you may not rush to the Container Store and buy a bunch of cute storage gear. That is not cheap.

What you must do first is sort ruthlessly through your things and decide which you don't really need. We spend a lot of money, as well as time organizing, reorganizing, dusting and moving stuff we never use.

Take a critical look at your clothes, tools and kitchen equipment. Which have you used in the past year? Which books and decorative objects bring you pleasure and which do you keep only because Aunt Martha gave them to you?

The traditional advice is to sort into three piles: stuff you know you will keep, stuff you know you will give away and stuff you're not sure about and will revisit later. Those categories are good, but add a fourth: stuff you think you can sell.

Be tough. If you have things you're not using now but think you may need in the future, weigh the cost of storage vs. the cost of buying new ones down the road. (Be grateful you don't have a basement and are forced to make the hard choices now.)

Once you have removed the things you don't want from their usual storage places, you may need to rethink your organizational scheme. Maybe the washcloths should go in the bathroom cabinet and your stockpile of canned beans in the linen closet.

If you are convinced you truly do not have enough shelving or storage containers, see what you can find on www.craigslist or at clearance sales. But your goal should be to pare down your stuff to fit into the storage space you have.


Next week: Sell your excess stuff for cash.

Teresa Mears is the publisher of five On the Cheap blogs including Miami Fl on the Cheap and Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap. She also blogs about savings for MSN Money's ``Smart Spending.'' You can follow her on Twitter @miamicheap.

[Honeylioness]

Cleanse Your Closet

Julie Morgenstern, the guru of putting lives in order, reveals her tips and tricks for getting your closet — and therefore your life — in order.



UNLEASH THE REAL YOU

If you're craving change, start with your closet. It holds the clues to your inner self — to all your selves. Who you are right now. Who you were. Who you dream of being. By shedding and getting it current, you're poised to change your whole life.

OPEN SPACES

Not long ago, I shed most of the clothes in my closet. I asked three questions of each garment: Do I love it? Is it flattering? Is it the image I want to project: receptive, strong, sexy? Before I knew it, my closet was 80 percent empty. There was a sense of movement in my new open space that was like ocean air drifting through. Everything felt light and fresh and clean. That night I slept better than I had in years.

THREE CLUES THAT YOU'RE READY TO SHED

You're gripped by the feeling that there's something more you want, but you don't know exactly what it is. It's a glimmer in your mind that's vaguely pulling you forward — a deep-seated wish, a buried dream rattling around inside.

What you want feels out of reach. You wonder if you'll be able to pull it off — or if you have what it takes or if you really deserve it.

You're feeling weighed down by something that's preventing you from moving forward.

SHED: WHAT IT MEANS

SHED is about far more than just throwing things out. It involves 4 steps:

* SEPARATE the treasures — identify the gems that are worth hanging on to.
* HEAVE the trash — eliminate what's weighing you down.
* EMBRACE your identity — connect to who you are without all your stuff.
* DRIVE yourself forward — explore the direction that connects to your genuine self.


DO YOU NEED TO ORGANIZE, OR SHED?

1. You organize to become more efficient. You SHED to get unstuck.

2. Organizing gives you access to what's most important to you. SHEDing is a process for discovering what's most important to you.

3. It's possible to get organized without getting rid of anything. It's impossible to SHED without letting things go.
DEFINING CLUTTER

A Zen parable tells of a wanderer on a lonely road who came upon a torrential river that had washed out the bridge. So he built a solid and heavy raft, which carried him safely across to the other bank. "This is a good raft," he thought. "If there's another river ahead, I can use it." And he carried it for the rest of his life. How often do we hang onto things that served us well at one point in our lives but are no longer relevant or useful? Clutter is something that no longer serves you.

DETECTING CLUTTER

Does your closet feel stagnant? Does it make you feel guilty or overwhelmed or burdened? Does it deplete your energy? It's cluttered.

YOU NEED A THEME

The reality is, no one lets go into a vacuum — no one lets go of anything without reaching for something else. But if you don't know what you're reaching for, you won't let go. The solution is to come up with a theme. Take the pressure off yourself. Stop trying to figure out exactly what you're going to do next. Instead, define what the next chapter in your life is going to feel like. What part of you do you want to express? Freedom? Creativity? Intimacy? Serenity? Balance? That's your theme. When you get the right word — the right theme — it mobilizes you to move forward. It gives you something exciting to create space for.

BEFORE YOU DIVE IN

If you do all your thinking on paper first, decluttering your closet can be incredibly fast and painless. Ask yourself: If all of this were to be gone tomorrow, what would I miss? Write your answers on a sticky note and post them on the wall. Keep referring to it while you sort and shed. The first half hour will be slowgoing until you get a rhythm going. Then it speeds up: It really takes only 3 to 4 hours, on average, to finish.

GET IN THE MOOD

You need energy and enthusiasm when you SHED. Weekends are a good time; late nights are not. Open the windows and get some fresh air in the room. Make yourself a refreshing drink. Play music that fuels you. Now, focus. You're going to be making a lot of decisions: You're getting ready to cleanse.

KNOW WHERE THINGS ARE GOING

Decide in advance who'll get your castoffs: a charity, a shelter for homeless women, Dress for Success, your sister. Have a box or shopping bag for each organization or person you're giving things to — and for what you'll toss.

DOES IT STAY, OR DOES IT GO?

When you're unsure of whether you're ready to part with something, ask yourself: What has more value to me? This object, or the cleared space?

ZONES

Arrange everything you're keeping in a way that makes it easy to find things and put them away. Organize your closet into zones. By garment type, by season, by occasion (work, casual, dressy).

IS IT A TREASURE?

Treasures are practical or sentimental items that are worth holding on to. A practical treasure is that perfect little black dress that works for you every time. Sentimental treasures are fair game — the threadbare cardigan you wore all through college, the vinyl handbag your grandmother gave you for your 13th birthday. Ask yourself: Is this the best and most important reminder of that time in my life, or person I knew, that I own?

WHEN YOU HIT THE WALL OF PANIC

About 75 percent of the way through decluttering your closet, WHAM! You'll suddenly be overwhelmed by all that open space: What am I going to fill the emptiness with? Who am I without my stuff? Your impulse will be to retrieve what you just tossed, or rush to fill the space with ANYTHING new. Don't. This is a true breakthrough moment: It's your chance to detach your identity from your things, and remind yourself that you are who you are, no matter what you own. The good news is that it doesn't last long. Once you get to the other side of the panic, you'll experience an extraordinary sense of calm, self-confidence, and freedom.

TOSS LIST FOR THE CLINGY

Clothes that don't fit, and will be out of style by the time you hope they fit again. Give them away!

Clothes that are stained, torn, or have lost their shape. Toss 'em!

Shoes that hurt your feet. If you've never worn them, give them away. Otherwise, throw them out!

Outdated handbags, belts, and scarves. Donate them!

THE POWER AND PLEASURE OF A BEAUTIFUL CLOSET

I can't tell you how important it is to house your clothes with dignity. Toss those flimsy wire hangers that get twisted and mangled. It's worth every penny to buy wood or padded hangers, quality hooks, and containers. Don't mix styles — plastic bins for T-shirts, baskets for handbags. Keep it unified and simple. You want everything to be so aesthetically pleasing that going into your closet every day is a joy.

For more, read Julie Morgenstern's new book, When Organizing Isn't Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life (published by Simon & Schuster and available at Barnes & Noble; barnesandnoble.com).