Over the years, I’ve learned that cliches are cliches for a reason. (And no, I have no clue how to do the accent mark on cliche.)
When we had our first house, I looked out the kitchen window one morning at the lawn my husband had spent the entire prior day mowing. When I saw a three foot tall weed, it hit me. That’s what they mean when they say something or someone is “growing like a weed.”
Until I taught 7th graders, I didn’t know it was actually possible to feel your “blood boil.” It is.
So what cliche am I planning to take to heart this year?
A place for everything . . . and everything in its place.
This will be my mantra for 2010.
The picture above shows why. It’s a pile (really only about half the pile) of odds and ends. Things that don’t have “a place.” This is the pile that was left after cleaning the master. This pile was moved into my closet for a Christmas party, and then back out when I needed to get to gifts. This pile is a huge frustration to me.
The pile is not the last frontier either. I have huge amounts of decluttering left to do. I have a long way to go before it becomes natural for me to do my daily tasks. But I am learning that this cute and somewhat trite little phrase is the only way to go.
When our home was at its most chaotic (10 out the 10.5 years we’ve been married), this phrase was a running joke. In those frustrating moments of attempted organization in the midst of piles of stuff, I’d say, (sarcastically) “You know me, a place for everything, and everything in its place.” And then my husband and I would both throw back our heads and laugh.
But now I have hope. The masses of stuff are beginning to shrink. And as I’ve learned the importance of picking up daily, I’ve learned how much easier it is to clean the house when things actually have a place to be.
A normal person might be thinking that they need to find a spot for all of their Christmas loot. But remember, I’m not normal. I need to find places for years worth of stuff that has never had a true home. And if I can’t find it a home, it needs to go.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution for your home?
If you link up, link to your post rather than your home page. And please link back here within your post. I’d love to know what you are focusing on in 2010.
just wanted you to know that I do read you but we are on vocation so I write more on Monday.
I've been a lurker on your blog for a while and the cliche about "blood boiling" made me giggle – I too taught middle school (science) and hoo-boy. Anyway, I've enjoyed reading your blog and I look forward to reading more of it in the coming year! Happy 2010, maybe we all can "lighten our load"
there are many things at my house that have a home but many more that need one. I love when I go to where something is and find it there no time wasted looking for it !!!!!!
I love containers to hold things too and really I need to go through all the containers I have and see what I need and what is truly not needed anymore.
i just read a great idea on frugalvillage dot com and its to declutter 2010 things in 2010, which is 5.5 things a day i think..i'm on board for that…just thought it was a great idea..
I will get a post up later today or tomorrow– I do have decluttering goals for 2010, I just haven't had a chance to blog about them yet! 🙂
I hope you don't mind that I linked up even though all of my goals are not home related! I love your idea of having a place for everything. I have more than I'd like to admit that has nowhere to go. I am going to follow Celina's suggestion and go to frugalville and read up on decluttering 2010 things!
Blessings,
Sherry
Argh, I just realized I never did get this linked up! Not that it matters much now anyway, but here are my resolutions.
my 2010 goals are at http://thanks-and-praise.blogspot.com/2009/12/routine.html. it was a tough year so i am repeating most of them again this year. 🙂
I read this post 8 years after you posted it! Love you blog. Because of you, my house has been steadily getting better since Thanksgiving (because I had to clean it then for family). I love it when you post you problems with staying on track every day (I do too).
But the main reason for my comment is that I see you’ve figured out how to put in pictures AND spaces. 😉
I feel like I have found in you a spirit guide. It is April, and I still have Christmas presents sitting under my coffee table.
I have been reading your blog, from the beginning, for the last couple of weeks, and it makes so much sense to me.
Thank you. Really.
Thank you for commenting. And welcome!
Yes, I struggle with everything having a place. This house also doesn’t have much storage. It’s a rental so I also can’t really improve the storage. My house is usually messy with stuff that we can’t figure out where it belongs. I guess I need to follow the cliche and get rid of those things without a place. The struggle is real. Thank you for sharing your journey and thoughts. It’s been so helpful (10 years later)
Heather,
That is one (of MANY) things that I love about this blog. It really is timeless.
I didn’t begin reading it until several years after she started the blog, and have been reading it regularly (backwards, from the beginning) since then.
Yet, here I am, back at the beginning, (again!) because sometimes I just need to go back and read from the early years one more time (since *I* have not made the progress SHE has). Her (past) experiences will continue to help the rest of us, no matter HOW clean and cluttered her house is now, right? 8 )
And her podcasts are great, too! I wish you lots of luck.
Lisa