Organizing One Room At A Time !

Clutter, clutter, clutter!  Who doesn't have clutter?  A messy drawer, a pile of shoes, a over stuffed closet, a pile of papers or  to much fabric/crafting materials!  I have plenty of the above and going into April 2014, it's time to take control of the clutter!  

I have way to much stuff and it's time to purge.  Spring cleaning is a great time to start! April 1st, 2014, is a great time to start organizing a room, a closet, or a drawer.  This is No April Fools joke!!!!  Whatever room you decide to start with let  today be the day! 

Before you start, I have a new method of organizing and I'm excited to share it!  It might seem a little crazy but I do think it'll work.

I counted how many rooms I have in my home, adding the back/front yard and garage in the count. They are part of the house.  Although my husband does maintain both the front and back yard, I enjoy gardening and spending time outside.  These areas  always need some girly touches like new planted flowers! 

Say you have 5 bedrooms, 2 bath, the kitchen, the living room , the family room, laundry room, garage, front and backyard.  That gives me 14 separate sections.   Yes, it's a big challenge but you really do need to  start somewhere and someday on this crazy desire of organizing!  

If you want to have your house put together in a year and you have more sections then 12, you will have to combine a few rooms together.  For example, I know I can get both bathrooms done plus the laundry room organized within the same month. That cuts the 14 sections down to 11 sections or months.  Being my husband takes care of the yard work, I know that it will only take me one month to do what I need to do to both the front and back yard.  I can start working on my gardening! I might even be able to start on another room within that month. So now its 10 sections to complete! You can take a couple of months off to enjoy the holidays!  Or one month for the holidays and one month during the summer.

Remember to look at what months just are out of the question to organize.  Maybe you travel and are out of town on certain months.  You can either combine rooms or just carry the organizing on to the new year.  Just make it work for you without going crazy!  So it takes you 15 months to get the house in order, who cares has long as it's getting done.  You might have great intentions to get done in a year but life happens and sometimes you just need to let it happen!  No need to stress about it.

If you want you can get your calendar out and think about what months you want to do certain rooms!  Then start marking your calendar.  November/December are busy month.  Summer  time is not a busy month for me.   So pick easy rooms to clean and organize for those months that you know will be crazy busy!  

Remember some things you have no control over.  I have no control on what happens on my husbands side of the bed.  Yes, I can pick up his socks and put away his shoes, but he doesn't want me to, so I don't.  Well, okay now and then I do, but more often then I do, he does his own picking up.

Now there are a few rules you must follow:


1.  Only do one section at a time.

2.  One room at a time.

3.  Include the family in this new venue, when possible!

4.  Allow free days.  Reality is you won't be able to tackle
     something each day!  Life is unpredictable!
     
     I work full time and some days I'm simply to tired to tackle
     anything.


5.  Make your three piles:

                         DONATE - (You must give this pile 
                         away before starting a new room)

                         SELL - (Have a yard sale, sell on eBay, 
                         Etsy, or your Community FB page)

                         KEEP - (This pile must be put away
                         in it's new home before you start a
                         new room)

What room will you start first?????

                            He Has Made Everything Beautiful In Its Time.  
                                                     Ecclesiastes 3:11 

I Can Do All Things

During this crazy month of December, I kept thinking, there has to be a better way to  accomplish all of life's craziness (at least all of my craziness), to get organized and encourage myself to really express myself to others. I'm totally new to blogging and I do feel overwhelmed and wonder if I can bring that same awesomeness to my blog that I see in other blogs.

I can do all things through Christ who strengths me  (Philippians 4:13). Right, right! This verse in the bible, doesn't mean I don't have to put any effort into the things that come along my way.  Instead, it's because of Him, I can. Drawing near to Him and on His strength to carry me through!   I must draw on God's strength to care me through the messes I make and the trouble I get myself into! His word encourages me to think ahead and plug along.  Inch by inch, inchworming through the fog, the clutter in my head, and avoid becoming overwhelmed.  Break it down one step at a time.  

I want to do it all, but I can't.  At least, not at the same time. I must be focused on the goal and it's crazy different for all of us.  Here it goes.  Just a few ideas swimming in my head for the new year. A list of my goals and how I can accomplish these goals:

                 1.  Build my blog
                      a.  Join a few blogger communities
                      b. Study other sites

                  2.  Be better organized
                       a.  Get a calendar and use it
                       b.  Schedule a day and time to blog
                       c.  Purchase a note pad and write down ideas
                       d.  Make a list of things you need to accomplish

                  3.  Remove the clutter
                       a.  Get rid of the old to bring in the new
                            1.  I received a new blanket for Christmas, I will get rid of one
                            2.  Go through each room and toss out, sell or donate items
                       b.  Remove or add activities that help you reach your goals
                            1.  Spend less time on the phone
                            2.  I need to use what I have and not shop for more
                       c.  Break it down
                            1.  Work on one area at a time
                                   
                    4.  Be who you are
                         a.  Don't over think it
                              1.  Make it yours and own it
                              2.  Not everyone will like your ideas, but that's okay, I like it
                   
                    5.  You will fail but you will also succeed
                          a.  Write a down a verse , a saying, that encourages you
                          b.  Call a friend you can talk to and who has positive energy
                          c.  Play some high beat music and dance to it (it makes me feel better)
                          d.  Remember how blessed you are
                                 

I hope this has encouraged someone else to continue on their journey, what ever it may be.  I want to improve and grown in all areas of my life.   I know that things don't always work as planned, but we can put in the effort and inchworm our way through.

•