I'm determined to find a place for everything. It was my New Year's resolution for 2010. But with my tendency to be a little . . . well . . . excessive, this can have a downside. I'm a shover. When I find something in a random spot, I get excited if I automatically know where its home is. Taking it there makes me feel like Suzy … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2010
Daily Checklist – Regaining my Rhythm
Two days of physically checking tasks off of my list has produced the desired effect. My rhythm is coming back. I'd gotten out of the habit of making a point to check off the list, so I'd started forgetting (or ignoring) certain tasks, so when I did them, it felt off. I had to drag myself through the motions, resenting it all. But today, I'm happy … [Read more...]
Establishing Boundaries . . . Confining the Clutter . . . Whatever You Want to Call It
At a mom's group meeting several years ago I heard a speaker on home organization say that you should make a rule to remove one old thing every time you bring something new into your home. Everyone else nodded knowingly. I had absolutely no concept what she was talking about. I've finally figured out why I didn't get it. In my house at … [Read more...]
Menu Plan Monday
Last night, we had a church group meet in our home, and someone brought a fabulous cheesy chicken enchilada casserole. A normal person might think to herself, "I should really get this recipe." I thought to myself, "I should really use recipes more often." I tend to be "creative" at the expense of being delicious. I need to break out the … [Read more...]
Resisting My Daily Checklist
For Focus Check Friday, I declared that I was going to get back to my tangible Daily Checklist. You know, actually checking it off. Not just using my (completely unreliable) head. I resisted this today. The house looks nice. We had home-groups here last night, and things are picked up, cleared off and overall pretty good. I'm working on laundry, … [Read more...]
I’m Keepin’ my Mannequin!
Last fall, when I painted the office/game room, I moved a lot of the big stuff out into the garage. That "big stuff" included my mannequin. I loved the room so much, that once it was painted I never brought the mannequin back in. It has stayed in the garage, slowly being surrounded by the results of my decluttering efforts. I've mostly ignored it, … [Read more...]
Avoidance – That’s ONE of my Problems . . .
Last night was one of those. It was supposed to be our one night at home this week. Supposed to be . . . before I was reminded that there was a Cub Scout meeting. Supposed to be . . . before my 6yo's coach decided to have a t-ball practice, because you know, two games in a week (per child) isn't enough time for the boys to spend at the ball … [Read more...]
Daily Checklist – Back to the Chart
Ok, I'm ready.I just (literally) dug out the chart with my non-negotiable tasks on it. Now, I'm talking myself into getting up and making sure that I've really done all of these things before I start typing out my list. I'm great at thinking "Surely I did that." 8 minutes later - I'm back.Things I did before I started writing this … [Read more...]
Focus Check Friday – The Very First! Come Join In!
It's Focus Check Friday! Last week, I shared how the one thing that has made the biggest difference in cleaning up this mess has been . . . . focus. It's easy for me to have selective vision, ignoring the mess and only seeing the fun stuff. But then the mess gets so big that I can no longer pretend it isn't there. Keeping my focus on my home … [Read more...]