Un Clutter Your Life!

I can be a pack-rat sometimes. But, then I go through a clean-it-all-up stage and out it goes. Or .... more than likely, we move & I have to take a hard look at what I've accumulated!! Since I don't see any moves for us in the future, I need to begin to "un-clutter"! Here are some tips I've gotten (from Oprah magazine) that I thought everyone could probably use. They are from Andrew Mellow, a professional organizer (how do you ever get that job???)

Think of this scenario: If your house were burning and your family, pets, and purse were already out of harm's way, what else would you want to save? Probably not the blender that only works on one speed, the china you inherited but never use, or the photo in which you're not exactly looking your best. Which begs the question: If those things aren't worth taking, why are they in your home in the first place? There's no reason to be surrounded by things that don't work, that you don't need, or that you don't even like.

The Ground Rules

1. Everything you own should have value, either because it's functional or beautiful or you just love it. Remember the question of what you'd grab if your house were on fire; that's your baseline for determining an object's worth.

2. Every item needs a place where it "lives." Setting things down on the coffee table or kitchen counter creates piles and confusion. How many times have you had to search for your keys when you are ready to go somewhere? Where do your keys live? They live in a bowl or on a hook by the front door — but you never lose anything when you put it where it lives.

3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multi tasking is supposed to help you get more things done quickly, but when you try to do 19 things at once, everything ends up incomplete. You're trying to simplify your life, so simplify your approach to getting organized.

Tomorrow we'll look at un-cluttering the kitchen!!