Planning

If At First You Don’t Succeed

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It’s a new month. It’s a new week, if you count Monday as day one. January is gone but February is here! If you didn’t get done what you wanted to last month, oh well. Don’t get down on yourself. Start fresh this month with working towards your goals whether it’s decluttering your home, organizing papers, or building routines.

“It’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how many times you get back up.” ~Anon

I like the quote above because it tells me that if I didn’t get done what I wanted to last month then all I have to do is to give it another try. Of course the quote below by W.C. Fields makes me laugh about sometimes being bull headed and not quitting something when I should.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. Then quit. No sense being a damn fool about it.” — W.C. Fields (1879-1946).

Life is like that – sometimes you got to just keep trying till you succeed and sometimes it’s time to quit and try a different direction.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Decluttering “Mind Games”

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Yesterday a large moving van went up my street. Every time I see someone moving I think about what it would be like to pack up all my belongings and move to a new home. I’ve lived in this house for over 17 years so it’s been a long time since I went through the moving process.

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It always amazes me to see how much trash the person moving has put out for their last pick-up. Why did they wait until they moved to get rid of the broken bookcase or toys? Why do we hold onto things thinking we will fix or need them in our old homes but not in our new home?

Moving gets us in a frame of mind that helps us let go of the clutter. It’s a new start in a new home. We don’t want to bring the clutter with us.

We can use this frame of mind to help us get rid of the clutter in our current home even if we don’t have any plans to move. This is what I call “Decluttering Mind Games”.

We can approach our decluttering with the idea that we are moving soon. When we pretend we are moving we can get in the right frame of mind to let go of the emotional and sometimes irrational reasons we hold onto things.

Look at each item and ask yourself: Is it worth paying money to move this item to a new home? If not, then why am I keeping it?

If it’s not worth moving and you don’t have a legitimate reason to keep it, then let it go. Don’t wait until you really are moving. Too much clutter at that time will only make the move more stressful.

Another mind game to help you declutter is pretending a fire or disaster destroyed all your belongings. I wrote an article called: “How To Decluttering Using A Household Inventory List”. In the article you will learn how to declutter with the “potential disaster” frame of mind plus create an inventory list for insurance purposes. A win-win situation.

Do you play “mind games” to help you get rid of clutter? Please let me know what games you play in the comment section. Thanks.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Creating New Habits

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Have you moved forward on your New Year’s resolution to declutter and organize your home? It is said that very few people follow through with their resolutions. That’s probably because they don’t have a plan in place or even know where to start.

The first place to start is to recognize and acknowledge the bad habits that got you in this mess to begin with. Clutter and disorganization doesn’t happen overnight and all by itself. It happens over time due to bad habits on your part.

So if the root of the problem is bad habits then the solution would be to have good habits instead. Studies show that the best way to get rid of a bad habit is to substitute a good habit in it’s place.

An example of a bad habit that contributes to the clutter in your home would be bringing in the mail and dumping it on the kitchen counter to “go through it later”. Later may come in a couple of days or longer. By then the pile is toppling over and in the way. Now you feel overwhelmed by the pile and don’t know when you’ll find time to deal with it. In your mind it will take forever so you put it off for a few more days when you may have more time. This bad habit creates a vicious cycle.

Now a good habit to substitute for the bad one would be to deal with the mail on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean you will take care of paying the bills that day or reading the magazine before cooking dinner. What you want to do is set up a plan to organize the mail as soon as you bring it in the house.

You’ll want a file folder or basket on your desk for bills and items that need action taken right away. You’ll want another folder or basket for items that don’t need immediate action and can wait a few days for you to look at. You’ll also want a place to keep the reading material, maybe a basket by your favorite chair.

As soon as the mail comes in take a couple of minutes to separate it into piles according to the categories above. Have a fourth pile for trash that needs shredding. All other junk mail can be recycled or thrown away immediately. Take another minute or two to put the piles into their proper folders or baskets.

Do this 2-5 minute routine everyday and before long you will have substituted a good habit for the bad one. No more piles of mail cluttering up the counter!

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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National Get Organized Month

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January is “National Get Organized Month” according to NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). Starting out the new year by getting organized is a great idea. It will set up the rest of the year to be a more productive, fun, and happy year.

The hard part is taking the responsibility to get the whole family into the idea and get their help. Do you feel like you carry the whole weight of running the household?

We all live in the house so can’t everybody help by doing their part? Sometimes all we want is for somebody in the house to offer their help without us begging them for it. Other times we wonder if anybody in the house has a clue how much work we do to keep the house clean. But as usual nobody helps or even has a clue.

If the above paragraph sounds like your home, this is the year to change things. You’ll have to set the example and at some point the rest of the family will follow. You might want to have them read the following story. No one seems to be sure of the exact origin so the author is listed as “Unknown”. Many families will find themselves in this story.

“This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Simplify Your Holiday – Tip #10

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Are you traveling this holiday season? If you are here are a few tips to help your trip be more organized and fun.

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  • Double check the weather of your destination a week before you leave. You may need to adjust what kind and how much clothing you pack. The weather is unpredictable in many areas this time of year.
  • If you are traveling by plane and taking gifts with you don’t gift wrap them until you arrive at your destination. Security check points may need to see inside the boxes or containers. You can bring wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, and a very small scissors (blades shorter than 4 inches). For more information on what can and cannot be taken on a plane, check out the TSA website.
  • Just because you are traveling by car doesn’t mean you have to over pack it. You will want to leave room for any gifts you receive.
  • Make a Travel Planner and write down everything you want to pack and any other information you may need while you are away. Check out this article for more details on creating your own Travel Planner.

Have a fun, safe, and organized trip by planning ahead.

If you have any tips to share on traveling at this time of year please write them in the comment section. Thanks.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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