I’m having a hard time believing that the new year is here!

On this third New Year’s Day since I started A Slob Comes Clean, I’ve decided not to make any big proclamations.  I’m just going to keep chugging along, trying to maintain the order I’ve achieved so far in my deslobification process, and working to gain more traction through decluttering.

Because the decluttering . . . never . . . ends . . .

But I have made a few plans.  Plans are good.  Resolutions are made to be broken, and even goals are just ambiguous enough for me to not feel all-that-guilty when I accidentally-on-purpose forget about them.

I know it’s really just a matter of different words meaning the same thing, but here’s how I see it.  Saying I’m going to get in shape this year doesn’t really mean anything.  Putting on my sports bra first thing in the morning so I can stop by the gym after I drop off the kids at school?  That means something.

Anyway, I’m going to share a few plans I have in different areas of my life.

My Home:

Even though I have been consistently decluttering for more than two years now, I still have a lot more to do.  And I still get the post-holiday itch to GET IT ALL OUT OF MY HOUSE!  While I would love to focus completely on decluttering for two whole weeks at the expense of everything else in my life, I know that I’m going to be right back on my way-too-busy schedule starting tomorrow.  So, to keep from getting discouraged, I’m just going to keep going.  Keep finding moments here, and hours there, to declutter and organize and such.

I’m hearing many bloggers talk about having a “word” for 2012.  I like this idea.  Last year, I thought about the word “minimalist“.  That’s a nice word, but I just don’t think it’s dramatic enough for me.  It sounds like someone who smiles demurely and responds calmly.

Not me.

Soooo, my word is “Extreme”.  Fits me much better, don’t you think?  Even though I’m trying to be realistic and pace my decluttering, I still want it to be extreme.  Here’s the thing.  Last year, the projects I did that had lasting impact were the extreme ones. The ones where I ruthlessly purged EVERYthing that wasn’t absolutely necessary.  Those spaces stayed fairly organized, even when life got crazy and I accidentally-on-purpose ignored them for (sometimes long) periods of time.

The two spaces I “plan” to declutter to the extreme?  My master bedroom and our office/gameroom/guest room.

My health:

I bought brown rice yesterday.

I’m going to try brown rice in our Chicken Fried Rice that we love so much.  It’s a small step that will hopefully lead to more steps.  I’m tired of failing at big plans to get healthier, so I’m just focusing on small things.

And the sports bra.  I’ll do that tomorrow, too.

My schedule:

I am over-committed this year.  Honestly, I’m  horrified to think how over-committed I could be if I had said yes to all of the things I was asked to do.  While I do have to make it through to May before I can really change anything schedule-wise, I need to guard my time and use it wisely.

The blog:

And . . . here’s the stuff I’m really excited about!

Mostly, I’m going to keep blogging as I have been, reporting every day on my own successes, struggles and strategies. But I do have some fun things planned.

Starting (hopefully) this week, I’m going to do a series about How to Get Rid of Stuff. If there’s anything I feel like an expert about, it’s that.  Mostly because I have faaarrrrr more experience than most, due to all the stuff I have. For a slob, not knowing the best way to get rid of things can be paralyzing.  I’ll share how to decide if it’s worth your time to sell something on ebay, and many other ways to get stuff out of your house so you can start living in it.

Tomorrow (hopefully), I’ll post another Sneeze Page, this time with links to all of my checklists. But . . . I am also working furiously to put all of those checklists into e-book form.  They’ll all still be available to print through Google Docs like they’ve always been (and they’ll be easier to find because of the sneeze page), but if someone really wanted them all together in an easy download . . . that will be available for purchase.

Part of my reason for wanting a little experience with e-books is . . . . I’m writing one.  Like, a real one.  All new content, if not new concepts.  My goal is to release it at the end of January.  I’ve been asked many times to write a deslobification manual, and I’ve resisted. But about a month ago, an idea of how to do it in a way that fits my style and my mission hit me.  I’m really excited about it, if  a little overwhelmed at my self-imposed deadline.

 

I’d love to hear what you’re planning for 2012!  Please also let me know in the comments if there is something you’d like to see here at A Slob Comes Clean.