Being Decluttered Makes Life Easier

/

If you read my last post you know that I am going through a health crisis. Since I have spent the last six years as a Flybaby, (Flylady.net) I have been decluttering my home. I now realize how grateful I am to have reached the point of being organized with minimum clutter around.

The past six weeks have played havoc with my mental and physical health leaving routines by the wayside. Since I have reduced my incoming paper clutter what does come in is manageable. The majority of my bills are paid electronically so the few paper bills have been easy to handle on time. With facing a lot of future medical bills my finances are now under control and that will make it easier later.

The biggest advantage I have seen has been in my home. Although I haven’t kept up regular routines of cleaning, the house has still not gotten out of control. Yes, the dust gets thick enough to write your name in it and the beige carpet sometimes is sprouting a layer of black hair (black dog). But I get to them when I can. Without the clutter the dirt isn’t as noticeable. When the toilet bowl starts showing that distinct water line I take a couple of minutes and clean it.

It’s the organization of my home that has kept the clutter build-up at bay. The books, magazines, papers, trash, etc. have been manageable because I have limited the incoming traffic of them. The groceries have a place to go and are put away immediately. Since I don’t have a lot of clothes (only what I will wear and fits) I am forced to keep the laundry up. Either I wear dirty clothes (not good for the mental or physical health) or wash them and put them away. Smaller loads are easier to take care of without getting overwhelmed.

So whenever there is a disruption in your routines due to vacation, back to school, holiday season, home remodeling, health crisis (yours or a loved one), etc. if you have less clutter around it will make your life so much easier to manage. Just think if it is easier during a routine disruption how easy it will be during the regular times.

Time to evict the clutter and take back your home.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Being Decluttered Makes Life Easier Read More »

Decluttering From a New Perspective

/ / 2 Comments

You may have noticed that I haven’t blogged or sent out a tip newsletter for the past several weeks. It’s not because I have given up on building this blog or my website. I haven’t. Sometimes life takes an unexpected detour and it takes time to adjust.

I have been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be undergoing surgery tomorrow. After that I will have a round of chemotherapy followed by radiation. I’m telling you this because the next 9-10 months of my life will be in upheaval. The doctor calls it a temporary inconvenience. The last time I had a 9 month temporary inconvenience was when I was pregnant with my youngest son. He turns 23 in August. That “inconvenience” had a good end result. With some luck, at the end of this one I will have a clean bill of health and a rebirth of my spirit.

I plan on continuing this blog and my newsletters during this time. I cannot promise that the “Decluttering Tip Newsletter” will come out weekly or the “Organize By The Month News” will be out by the first of the month, but I will do my best. I also plan on writing articles for my website plus e-books on different areas of decluttering and organization.

I have spent the last 25 years reading, researching, and practicing many ideas and systems to keep control of the clutter. It doesn’t come natural for me so it is an ongoing process. It started when I found a book in the store called; “Sidetracked Home Executives” by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. I was a new mother and full time employee back in the early eighties and chaos was beginning to take over my home. Their system helped me keep some control over the growing clutter that came with a growing family. The one downside to their system is that I didn’t have a built in buddy like they did. My sisters, mother, mother-in-law, and most friends were either born organized or didn’t want to admit they had a problem. I had to go it alone.

Six years ago I found Flylady and a whole world of SHE’s. I wasn’t alone anymore! With lots of new friends (flybabies), both locally and online, I found the support needed to motivate me to dig even deeper to release the “hard to let go of” clutter. With most of the clutter gone I have been able to pursue my passion of writing and share my knowledge and experience with others.

Since my home is in good shape (not perfect) it has been a lot easier to keep it under control as I deal with the emotional part of my health crisis. However, with this new detour in my life I am finding a new perspective on what is clutter. Many things I thought were important to keep don’t seem so important right now. At the end of my newsletters I sign off with the statement; “To a lighter load along the way.” That has taken on a even deeper meaning. Life is precious, very few “things” are.

If you have read this far, I thank you. This blog will continue to focus on decluttering and organizing. So will my newsletters, articles, and e-books. I will be creating a new blog that will be a diary of my journey through breast cancer treatment. I will let you know when that is started for anyone who might be interested.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Decluttering From a New Perspective Read More »

July 4th Fun

/

July 4th is this weekend and there are many fun and safe ways to celebrate. If you didn’t receive my July newsletter then you can check it out on this blog. It’s located on the sidebar under Newsletters. I have included lots of links to sites that can give you ideas of how to celebrate this holiday with your children.

If you are having a barbeque with the traditional hot dog and baked beans then there are lots of recipes for you to try. Ice cream and/or watermelon for dessert are also summer time favorites.

If you are getting ready to send your children off to overnight camp then check out the best way to pack them up.

Planning a vacation this month? Then make sure you pack everything you need and not one thing more. Many airlines are charging for each piece of luggage now so you don’t want to take any extra suitcases if you don’t have to. Check out the July newsletter for ideas of what and how to pack light.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

P.S. Be sure to sign up for the for the weekly Decluttering Tips Newsletter and the monthly Organize Newsletter. One sign up for both newsletters. Sign up now so you don’t miss out on all the great tips and information!

July 4th Fun Read More »

Summer Reading-Simplicity

/

Summer is a good time to slow down and really think about how you can simplify your life. I took out a book by Elaine St. James, “Inner Simplicity” to read about ways to regain peace in my life. Her books are easy to read and get me thinking about how complicated our world has become and what we can do in our individual lives to slow it down.

“Doing too much and having too much get in the way of being able to enjoy the things we do want in our lives, and to simply be who we are.” By Elaine St. James

Check out her books or any book by your favorite author and take some time to slow down and read. Be inspired to declutter both the physical and mental things in your life that are “too much”.

06-30-2008-20-39-28-589_edited-3

“I am often reminded of the early mountain man who roamed freely throughout
the Rockies far before that area was settled. He was able to move unencumbered
along beautiful mountain trails where very few people had ever been able to go.
Years later in his life, he had obtained more possessions and wealth. While traveling through the area in a wagon, he was forced to take a desert road instead of his beloved mountain trail. As he gazed at the beautiful mountain peaks in the distance, he realized that his quest for a few material things had changed the course of his travels and the course of his life.” by Jim Stovall

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Summer Reading-Simplicity Read More »

Staying Organized When Chaos Reigns

/

Last week was one of those weeks where my plans were thrown out the window and I had to deal with some minor and not so minor emergencies.

First my dishwasher went out on Tuesday morning. The water inlet valve broke so there was water in the bottom of the dishwasher. I shut off the water from under the sink and scooped out the water from inside the dishwasher. I checked it later in the day and the water had filled in again. The shut-off valve under the sink had corroded and continued to let a little water through. The plumber couldn’t come out till the next day so I scooped water out of the dishwasher twice a day so it wouldn’t overflow onto the floor. Minor problem.

Wednesday morning the air conditioner went out. Being that St. Louis can get very hot and humid this time of year, this was a little bit more than a minor inconvenience. So I waited for the plumber to show up to stop the leak and started calling to set up some bids for the A/C replacement. Because the A/C was 20 years old and the furnace was 16 years old I was prepared for this to happen. I just didn’t plan for it the same week the dishwasher broke and my husband was out of town.

Then I had a health issue come up on Thursday evening that I have to deal with. As they say, when it rains, it pours.

Well I now have air conditioning. The plumber had a problem with installing the new dishwasher and will have to return with a part next week. Oh well, my hands work well as a dishwasher. At least it is comfortable in the house now.

As you can see I have been a little too busy to write any posts this week. We all have crazy things happen to us and have to prioritize what we do with our time. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when so many things go haywire at one time. But we have to stop, take a deep breath, and realize it will all work out.

As Annie sings in the play “Annie”; “The sun’ll some out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that the tomorrow there’ll be sun!” I always think of this song when things get me down. Here is a recording of the song.

I plan on getting my “Decluttering Tip Newsletter” out tonight and the July issue of “Organize By The Month News” by this coming Sunday. If you haven’t signed up for these newsletters then please do so now. (On the right sidebar) There are lots of links in the Organize newsletter for fun things to do on the Fourth of July. You won’t want to miss this issue.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

Staying Organized When Chaos Reigns Read More »