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Ask FlyLady!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Tackling clutter...
Dear FlyLady,
You mention tackling room(s) by 15 min. each time (ie. second week of month I think). I have all of my clutter in rooms you join up together for only 15 min. (pantry, laundry and office all have clutter to sort through.......). how can I seperate each area while not getting overwhelmed?! Thank you.
Pinky K
Dear Friend,
The second week is Zone 2; the Kitchen. Zone 3 we combine rooms; the main bathroom and another room in your house. It could be your office, laundry room, craft room or one of your children's rooms. You do not have to do them all at once. It took me nine months to get rid of all my clutter. It is an ongoing process of keeping my clutter at bay.
Focus on one room at a time. Just 15 minutes a day will make all the difference in the world and in your home and your attitude. Don't look at the whole picture! This year our motto is Progress NOT perfection. Get rid of your clutter every single day. Make it part of your routine. Make it fun and it will get done.
You can't organize clutter! You can only get rid of it!
- FlyLady
Monday, January 5, 2009
Amount of junk...
Dear FlyLady,
I'm a graduate student and over the past year and a half have moved apartments 3 times. Each time I do I get frustrated with the amount of junk I have. Part of my resolution for the new year is fling some of this unnecessary clutter from my life, so the next time I move it won't be so difficult.
My question to you though is - what do I do with this stuff?! A lot of it can be thrown out; half used bottles of hair products, old pens and ratty notebooks, etc. But a lot of it could use a good home. I know where I can take clothing, but do you have any suggestions for places that might need other things - like craft items, school supplies, books? As much as I want to unclutter myself I don't want these perfectly fine items going to waste, and since things like yard sales are not possible when living in apartments, I'm not sure what to do!
Thank you!
Stuck While Decluttering FlyBaby
Dear Friend,
We are never going to find the peace we are searching for unless we release the clutter that is clogging up our pathways to peace.
Your home is not a landfill. You have to get rid of your clutter. You can join a local FreeCycle group. There is one in every area. http://www.freecycle.org/
Don't worry so much about getting stuff into the right hands but getting it out of your home.
Here are three ways to declutter:
The 27-Fling Boogie
We do this assignment as fast as we can. Take a garbage bag and walk through your home and throw away 27 items. Do not stop until you have collected all 27 items. Then close the garbage bag and pitch it. DO NOT LOOK IN IT!!! Just do it.
Next, take an empty box and go through your home collecting 27 items to give away. Suze Orman taught me this in her book, The Courage to be Rich. This will change the energy in your home and bring about good feelings. Every time I do this I feel better and my home is becoming decluttered in the process. As soon as you finish filling the box, take it to the car. You are less tempted to rescue the items.
Rule of thumb: if you have two of any item and you only need one, get rid of the least desirable.
I also sing a wonderful song as I am doing this fun job: "Please Release Me, Let Me Go" as sung from the stuff's point of view.
The Hot Spot Fire Drill
Here is a problem that we all have and continue to struggle with - Hot Spots. What is a hot spot?
A hot spot is an area, when left unattended will gradually take over. My favorite analogy is of a hot spot in a forest fire, if left alone, it will eventually get out of hand and burn up the whole forest. This is what happens in our homes. If left unattended, the hot spot will grow and take over the whole room as well as making the house look awful. When you walk into a room, this is the first thing you see.
CLUTTER ATTRACTS CLUTTER!
Do you have areas like this that continue to grow if left alone? Does the rest of the family see this as a place to put things when they do not want to put them where they belong? It is our job to nip this in the bud! Get rid of that pile, find the surface underneath and stop this Hot Spot from becoming a raging clutter inferno! Watch for the Hot Spot fire drill reminder - then try it - it works!
The 5 Minute Room Rescue
This is a reminder to spend just 5 minutes clearing a path in your worst room. You know this area of your home: the place you would never allow anyone to see. Just 5 minutes a day for the next 27 days and you will have a place that you can be proud to take anyone!
- FlyLady
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