It kind of bugs me to have excess stuff. I guess you could even say it overwhelms me. I don’t know if it’s from guilt or a need to be organised. But when I see a dress discarded at the back of my wardrobe, or an old Christmas card from a loved one in a draw or a pair of flippers and a tennis racket in the garage and a basket of tangled necklaces on my dresser, I feel a bit suffocated. Seeing these things day in and day out but not using them, but not being able to let them go, is becoming claustrophobic.

You know the saying: “You don’t own things, they own you”? Well I never got it, it seemed a bit stupid. But then one day I bought a car.

Not long after that I was lying on the couch at my grandparents house, staring up at the wall of books I had always admired. When it hit me that all these books in a decade would be old. Not vintage or special edition old. Just old and dusty and mostly unloved. At that time I had a growing collection, a little library of self reflection, which I carted with me on each move.

Now I have a library card. That was the beginning.

I hope this 100 days is the end.

I’m back from my short trip visiting a friend. What was intended as much fun turned into a lot of work of the organising sort.

After a very stressful time my friend just moved into her new appartmente. She felt down, tired and a little ill for some time now but called me up last week to arrange my trip. Now last Thursday she called again telling me that she got herself a puppy! Oh my!

Don’t get me wrong June, that’s the name of the puppy, is a sweet baby, white swiss shepherd. She either sleeps, nibbles on everything, eats or sh.. – you get it.

So I drove down to see my sleep-deprived-house-training-a- 9-weeks-old-puppy-just-moved-into-a-new-appartmente-friend and ended up with two rooms of unpacked cartons, an appartement that has to been cleaned for at least a month and two very moody personalities (friend and puppy of course *g*=.

I would not call my trip spending quality time with a friend but I know I could make a difference for her as she got to sleep while I watched June and we cleaned her kitchen (yes, like a true FlyBaby I started there *g*), dining area, living area and part of the new guest room. We sorted things to the attic and cellar and got rid of the junk.

Call me delusional but I strongly believe that the experience of my last weeks with the FlyLaday-system helped me to stay focused (one carton after the other) and not to lose my drive these past two days plus I’m sure I would have felt more stiff from moving the boxes and cleaning and sorting without my regular cleaning and uncluttering sessions at home.

Does Decluttering Make Sense in Hard Economic Times? is the question asked by onsimplicity.net. I confess I had not yet considered to stop my uncluttering because of the present state of economy.

I don’t take the situation lightly though I do still have a job that could change any day especially as my company is downsizing which includes job cuts but I just feel so much better without the stuff I already got rid of, that I won’t go back.

The author makes the following statements which I agree completely with:

1. Now is not then, goods are more available than in the 1930s and second-hand-stuff as well as cheap products for daily life are readily available and
2. Getting rid of stuff makes me feel freer and act freer. Just imagine you might have to move or downsize in a very short time frame. Do you think it’s easier with the minimum of stuff or with 4 times as much as you actually need?

Great for containing magazines

Today, being organized is also like a decorating tool. We have so many beautiful containers and baskets available to us that really add to the feel of our decor. But I caution you. Each container or basket must have a purpose. Do not buy any containers until you have truly sorted through all the contents of the area you are organizing.  

magazines, dvd's etc.

Remember sorting consists of tossing, donating, belongs somewhere else and keep. Only then will you know exactly what size and type of container you need. There are many bargains out there so it doesn’t have to cost alot. Have fun. Don’t just reach for the plastic containers. There are rattan, leather, fabric, my head starts turning every which way when I get in those aisles at Marshalls, Home Goods, TJ Max and more. It’s alot of fun to decorate and organize at the same time.

Great bathroom storage adds to your decor

Again, shop with caution and only after you have sorted. Promise me you will not buy a container without a purpose in mind first. Otherwise what happens? You end up with a lot of containers that have junk in because you just threw things in there without a purpose. Many times on a consult I can ask clients, what is the purpose of this container and they will say “I can’t tell you – I don’t know”. They have no idea what is even in there. Or you will end up with a pile of containers collecting dust because they weren’t the right size or shape container. The biggest reason that happens is because the sorting process wasn’t done and there is no true purpose.

Now go get started and enjoy decorating and organizing your environment! I’d love to hear from you on how it changes the way you feel when you walk into that room.

Diane Konrath – professional organizer & decorator

diane@organized-transformations.com

Did you hear that?! Surly you must have heard that! That was the load falling off my mind! lol

Today I finished sorting papers I had lying around for 6 years. I kid you not saying I had unopened letters from 2003. I moved into my appartment in 2001 and my home leasing contract had never seen the inside of any folder. Ack.

Anyway, today on Wednesday, I did my first desk day. All papers I found during the last two weeks I sorted into my Wednesday file and put them today where they belonged. As I was sitting on the floor of my living room, sorting, filing and seeing the rest of my once huge HUGE mountain of paper I decided to do it right away – to just get rid of it! Yep!

I did it.

It took me 45 minutes. From now on I only have my weekly Desk-Day-Wednesday. I’m so looking forward to it.

Huh, I’m back from Berlin and enjoyed it very much but I was VERY tired yesterday and simply lazy. After opening my door I realised another incentive of being uncluttered – it’s sooooooooo nice to come into a home that’s clean and sorted.

Anyway, I felt lazy did nothing of what I planed yesterday BUT today I took up Kelly’s mission plus I changed the sheets and put on one load of laundry immediately. I feel good.

I also feel shocked.

Shocked, because, while putting away the dry laundry that I hung up before I left, I realised that I still had some clothes on my heater. I mean that was the whole issue that actually started my “journey”.

I had sorted through part of my closet already and I had empty space in it though I know that there are still things in it I can get rid of. And here perfectionism is rearing its ugly head!

Subconsciously I didn’t want to put my clothes into my closet before having uncluttered EVERYTHING!

OH MY!

It’s like the FlyLady describes that we don’t want to put our clean plates into a dirty cupboard.

I cannot believe I fell into this trap. Anyway, I realised it and put away the clothes immediately + I ironed my whole tops for this week so that I am prepared in the morning!

I feel good.

that popped up just now…

I was thinking, that I need to really unclutter my world. Physically and in my head.
I mean, the question is just how?!

I just feel like by talking to my therapist I only reveal more clutter and staple it on top of last week’s file without really having had the chance to look at that again… 24 hours is not enough time for one day. Seriously. Or 7 days a week… it does not work. Not for me…

1. Assess and identify where your biggest frustrations come from.
2. List your different areas for organization needs and schedule organization times on your calendar.
3. Be realistic about your stamina or the stamina of any helping hands you recruited.
4. Make sure that everyone in your house is aware of your plans or takes part in scheduling.
5. If you tend to be the “lone ranger” organizer in your family give everyone an informational tour of any new arrangement and express your desire to keep it that way.
6. Establish an organization routine that everyone can uphold easily. Re-assess after a few weeks and make changes accordingly. Remember, it takes 21 days to change a habit.
7. Ask your children if they could use your help in organizing their rooms and their time.
   Help them make priorities as to what is important to them. Sharing what is important to oneself can save everyone from feelings of frustrations.
8. Break your larger projects down into manageable sessions.
9. Hire an organizer if you feel overwhelmed.
10. Reward yourself and your helpers after completing your milestones (a project can have several milestones).
11. You don’t need to tackle the whole kitchen or bath, for example, in one day. You can do a cabinet or drawer a day, or a week, or even a month.
12. If you keep a junk drawer, schedule it’s days to be gone through and reorganized.
13. If the filing system is one of your greatest priorities, download the Records Retention Guidelines from my website (www.cureforspace.com).
    • You may just need new folders for the new year. Keep your most used files waist high in drawers, so that they are easy to access.
    • Keep the file drawer “loose.” Avoid cramming folders, it adds to frustrations that might keep you from filing your papers.
    • Labelling clearly and arranging according to your preferences also reduces frustration when filing. Ideally, use 2 levels of categorizing if filing is not your favorite thing to do.
    • Even though you might be the keeper of the files, always keep it clear to everyone else where any particular paper resides.

Yesterday I continued working on my control journal and added The Zones. I rearranged everything so that it actually fits my appartement.

After standing up this morning I looked around my kitchen, which is the zone for next week and considered cleaning my microwave and do you know what? I saw that something was standing on it. I mean, basically I know that there is something up there I just usually don’t realise it because it’s above eye level.

I took a closer look and wow(!) I think I have not used anything up there since I moved into my appartement 7 years ago. Anyway while waiting for my coffee to finish brewing I took a new trash bag and got rid of everything up there. While tackling my zones in the coming weeks I definitely have to keep my eyes open for clutter that I missed the 1st round.

While scrolling through one of my favourite blogs I read regularly I stumbled about

A Secret to Happiness? Don’t Get Organized.

My first thought was “WHAT?” How can anyone say that! Organisation is good! But reading on it all makes so much more sense and explains exactly what I’m experiencing right now:

When you’re facing a desk swamped in papers, or a closet bursting with clothes, or counter-tops littered with piles of random objects, don’t say to yourself, “I need to get organized.” Your first instinct should be to get rid of stuff. If you don’t keep it, you don’t have to organize it.

So I just can say: Let’s not organize! *g*

Today I worked in my entrance area. I have two lines of sideboards. On the left I have a lot of family photos standing around. I also have a box where I gather change and the keys etc.

Anyway it always looked a little “full”. Today I bought 4 black frames that go well with the black frame of the picture that is hanging above the sideboards already. I choose 4 pictures from my many ones and hung them up .. up .. up .. away! It looks so much better now. I love it!

The side-effect is that I have an easy to clean surface and my memorabilia from London and Paris are clear to see.

I’m still fluttering through the Beginner BabySteps. I’m with number 18 right now:

Read FlyLady’s 11 Commandments.

Uups, ok I did not know that she has 11 of them but here we go:

FlyLady’s Eleven Commandments

1. Keep your sink clean and shiny.
2. Get dressed every morning, even if you don’t feel like it. Don’t forget your lace-up shoes.
3. Do your morning and before bedtime routine everyday.
4. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by the computer.
5. Pick up after yourself. If you get it out, put it away.
6. Don’t try to do two projects at once. ONE JOB AT A TIME.
7. Don’t pull out more than you can put back in one hour.
8. Do something for yourself everyday, maybe every morning and night.
9. Work as fast as you can to get the job done. This will give you more time to play later.
10. Don’t forget to laugh everyday. Pamper yourself, you deserve it.
11. Smile even when you don’t feel like it. It is contagious. Make your mind up to be happy and you will be.

Instead of following the today’s FlyLaday assignment I continued filing my documents.

Basically I like the assignments but first of all I have not much trash (tissues under the sofa pillows etc.) in my living room.  Mainly because I removed my paper can from the living room and since then it looks nicer and I really do carry everything I wanna throw away into the kitchen. I would not have believed that I could keep up with that but since my living room looks nice now I have the need to keep it like that.

The second reason why I did file today is that my mum called and I could do my filing while speaking with her on the phone. So I was practical and sociable…

Being a religious user of Evernote, I’m always excited to find new ways to use it.  Considering how our garage is now a blackhole of forgotten items (in bins), this is a great idea!

I already use Evernote for note-taking and receipt keeping, so storage inventory fits nicely into my world. For those of you unfamiliar with Evernote, here’s a little overview from Lifehacker.

via The Evernote Blog

Ok, I also need to share this article from smallnotebook.org called Janet Jackson’s guide to decluttering.

It’s not only true but also funny. The song definately needs be added to my playlist for doing house work! I don’t have one yet but I like doing things while listening to music and this just fits *g*.

So, how to decide what to “let go” and what to keep? Ask your stuff:

“What have you done for me lately?”

Do you use it? Do you whole heartedly love it? No?! Get rid of it.

Today I stumbled about the article 12 Reasons to unclutter your space by Denise Schipani.

It’s always good to be reminded why we do something so I decided to add a category for “incentives” to my blog. This way I’ll never forget why I’m doing this and can get a spirit boost whenever I need it.

Denise lists the following benefits for uncluttering our homes. I added my comments right away.

Surprise! Save Money

1. Streamline Bill Paying – I pay immediately, no prob
2. Use, Don’t Lose, Gift Cards – uups
3. Organize Your Kitchen – doing that right now with FlyLady
4. Return Unwanted Stuff – good advise, though I have that under control

Surprise! Be More Efficient

5. Tidy Your Computer – did that and keep it clean now
6. Clean Up Your E-mail Act – very good point! I delete mails constantly otherwise I get panicked
7. Start Filing – arg, I hate filing, I work with paper all day long, anyway that’s good advise and until I have my documents finally in order I file 5 minutes a day, after that I’ll add a filing day to my week.
8. Book It – I have not yet done that, but this advise about important numbers and dates is part of the FlyLady Control Journal anyway, so I’ll come around to it.

Surprise! Boost Your Mood

9. Severely Edit Souvenirs – I stopped buying souvenirs for myself with the exceptions of jewelry. Besides that I only make photos which I safe digitally.
10. Scan Letters – I receive mostly e-mails. Postcards I do scan and sort them into one box after a while.  I love watching them for a while though and use a small book stand on my desk, so no clutter there.
11. Jettison Old Intentions - lol, well I already gave away my treadmill-turned-towel-rag …
12. Get Rid of Giveaways – I completely agree with this. For my first decluttering sessions I only sorted clothes for give away. Clothes are picked up once a month by charity so that works well. The rest I did not sort or recycle. I simply threw it away. I confess I needed the first boost of victory to keep going. Now that I see the “light at the end of the tunnel” it’s much easier to consider spreading my belongings to people who I know would like them (e.g. all of my crayons were given to a colleague with two girls that like to paint).

An abridged version of Cure for Space’s Declutter 201:

1. Make a plan and try to stick to it the best you can, keeping in mind what is manageable
2. Make priorities (e.g., which area to tackle first).
3. Write down strategies and ideas to accomplish your goal. Create a separate to-do list for each major point to help you focus.
4. Designate where you would need or want to keep items.
5. Hire or solicit help.
6. Get rid of stuff as soon as possible, ideally that same day.
7. Try to be disciplined in carrying out your plan. Start with something small first and give yourself the satisfaction of crossing it of your list.
8. Sell or donate your unwanted items. See www.cureforspace.com/lettinggo for more information.

Happy organizing!

You may order a full version of this article for $15 from Cure for Space by contacting us at cureforspace@earthlink.net.

The definition of garage is, according to the “DK Oxford Illustrated Dictionary,” a building for the storage of a motor vehicle or vehicles.

People normally call us when their garage no longer adheres to the definition stated above. The buildings are often packed so tightly with “important stuff” that not only is it impossible to bring your car in, often times walking is extremely difficult or even dangerous.

What is this important stuff? It is not necessarily junk or trash as you may think, although some of this may be classified as What Was I Thinking. Our clients are sometimes collectors in need of guidance and storage solutions. We love to keep things that are, at least in our minds, going to be useful someday. How many of you still have concrete blocks from the old college dorm shelves that held an old stereo system that you also still have in a box stored in the so-called garage? Speaking of college, how many boxes of schoolbooks and notes are you hanging on to? Another space filler found in most sick garages involves holiday decorations. We have boxes and boxes of things that have been collected by us and for us. Sometimes we actually dig through our piles and use this stuff, but more often when we need lights we buy more and afterwards fill another box and label it Holiday Lights and stack it neatly within the mess vowing, I will do something about this clutter as soon as I have the time. One solution would be to schedule yourself regularly with a professional organizer, such as Cure for Space, and make room for your vehicles, help you decide what to keep and what to sell, donate. or give away. To help you get started download Declutter 101 from www.cureforspace.com.

Junk is often described as anything regarded as having little of no value. It is impossible for us to make that determination about someone else’s stuff, but junk is still junk. Broken and replaced appliances are junk and have no place in an already crowded garage. Another example would be all of the computer equipment you have ever owned and exchanged for the latest technology. We have at least three monitors in our garage at this writing. One other source of junk comes from our friends and relatives who see our garages as a great place to keep their stuff for which they have no room in their spaces. We get these things with a promise that it will only be temporary or “lasting meant to last only for a limited time”. This is almost always far more time than was intended. Homeowners love to collect paints and building supplies left over from their construction no matter how long ago the original building occurred. Chances are that if you have had these items in your way for over two years they are either bad or will not be utilized again. Get rid of these things properly.

We cannot throw all of this stuff out therefore the best solution seems to be off of the floor storage. You would be surprised at the room a few shelves and some well thought out culling will create. Only tools and supplies associated with the cars, house, and yard are required to be within easy reach the rest should be labeled and stored on shelves.

Always take a room-by-room approach.

Use at least five containers for items that need to leave the room or break them down into even more categories:

• Transit (somewhere else)
• Specific Room(s)

• Repairs
• Self
• Specific repair shop(s)

• Trash

• Recycling
• Charity
• Gifting
• Returns
• Selling

• Dilemma
• Person(s) who need to help decide

Clear you calendar for the time needed. Set limits.

Always evaluate what you use and love and ask yourself:
Do I like it? Do I use it? Do I want it? Do I need it? Do I have room for it?
Always evaluate an item on where, when, why, and how often it is used.

Keep it if it…
…Generates love and good feelings.
…Helps you make a living.
…Simplifies your life.
…Will do something you need to get done.
…Has significant cash value.
…Gives you more than it takes.
…Will enrich or delight the coming generation.

Don’t keep it if it…
…Is broken.
…You always hated it.
…Is the wrong size, color, or style.
…Is more bother than worth using it.
…Would not affect you to ever see it again.
…Generates bad feelings.
…Has to be cleaned, stored, and/or insured but gives no enjoyment.
…Will shock, bore, or burden the coming generation.

You can also download a pdf page with this info on my website www.cureforspace.com.

It is a yearly event when I am back in Holland in Summer. I rummage through the five boxes that contain all my possessions looking for items unused and forgotten. Every year I find unnecessary things that I can get rid of. All I need is usually with me on my travels anyway. In Holland in storage I keep some bicycle parts, outdoor travel gear, some clothes and two guitars. One box is filled with memories embodied by photographs, published articles, small gifts of special people, my first Bowie album, lettres and other old-fashioned correspondence with friends. This way I keep my life light, flexible, and affordable.

Holland in Summer

I thought I’d write a little about inspiration today, because I find that it is the one thing — perhaps the only thing — that really renews me when I feel worn from the journey of life, or even from the tiny, dull day-to-day tasks that seem to fill our lives to the brim.  It’s inspiration that fills us up when we feel utterly empty and, well….uninspired.

Where does inspiration come from?  I’d love to hear from you on this topic in the comments section — because it’s so completely unique to each individual.

For me, the inspiration for my mantra of simple, good sense living comes from probably a lot places — my farm upbringing, my distaste for the cluttered house I grew up in, my attempts to be in control of things around me.  But I remember the first time I felt truly vindicated in the way I choose to run my (some may call obsessive, type-A, anal) uncluttered and simple life.  It was when I happened upon a blog called Unclutterer.com.  I don’t remember where I first heard about the blog — I wasn’t even the sort of person who ever read blogs — but once I found it, I was hooked.  Editor-in-Chief Erin Doland writes about ways to unclutter your closet, your garage, even the inside of your car.  What makes the blog so meaningful, however, is that she and her team also write about how to unclutter your mind, your time, and your life in general.  A place for everything and everything in its place.  I’d been living like this all my life — and imposing order on my living space since I first moved out of my parents house to go to college — but never before had I seen this way of life articulated and philosophized in such a way before (yup, it’s a word, folks – check tfd.com).

The posts are sometimes very practical (like how to organize your backpack or briefcase for back to school time) or very philosophical (like letting go of anger in your relationships — it is, after all, clutter), or sometimes even very humorous (check out “unitasker Wednesdays,” when writers make fun of crazy-specific products on the market that serve one very limited purpose, and one very limited purpose only).  Either way, I find the entries to be truly interesting and useful several times each week.  She also provides great links to other respectable, intelligent and interesting blogs.

So whether you are a neat freak or a clutter bug looking to change your habits, I invite you to check out unclutterer.com for not only your home and office organization needs, but for clearing out the junk from your relationships, thoughts and the rest of your life as well.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I look forward to sharing more sources of inspiration with you in future posts.  For now, please share your own sources of inspiration in the comments.

Today, as promised, it’s back to the decluttering. 

Ok, so now back to where we were.  I hope since I’ve been gone you didn’t give up on the notebooks. Especially the daily journaling.  My guess is, even though I haven’t been here to prompt you, you probably kept up with it.  Because it just feels good to get it all out every day.  And I HIGHLY recommend keeping up with the daily, or as close to daily as you can get, journaling.

Just a note here.  I know it’s been a while and for those of you who didn’t keep up with the journaling or maybe forgot where we were at (sorry, my fault!)    you can go back and read my previous post “T.M.I” , just click there or scroll down a few posts, to read the explanation of the notebooks.  I’ll wait a minute while you read….

Ok….ready?

But first,  before you go to your list of “projects” I want you to take a blank piece of paper and make another list.  Make a list of 3 long-term goals…that would be what you want to accomplish or where you want to be in 1 year, 3 years and 5 years.  For example, a couple of 1-year goals could be that you want to have your home organized and simplified and you want to have an internet business started.  A  couple of 3-year goals could be that you want your internet business to be earning $5,000 a month and you want to move to a new city, house or add that room on to your existing home.  5- years goals might be that you want to have your mortgage paid off or at least all your credit cards and car, and your internet business earning you $10,000 a month.  There are no right or wrong answers to this.  There are no right or wrong goals.  Everyone’s goals are different.  But you need goals.  You need to start right now working towards those goals instead of just floundering through life on a day-to-day basis.

That’s where I found myself and I didn’t even realize it.  Just getting up every day and going to work, coming home, going to bed, getting up the next day and doing it all over again.  I would pay the bills when I had to, dust a little here, vaccuum a little there, get on the computer and do “more” research on starting an internet business, come up with some sort of idea and start writing something…then the next day I would come up with another idea and start researching that…there was no direction.  I had no specific goals.  Just a lot of random ideas that I spent time on one day and then left alone for maybe a week or more while I worked on something else.

You may be doing the same thing.  And I want you to stop now!  Take that piece of paper and write down preferably two 1-year goals, one or two 3-year goals and one or two 5-year goals.   Now take a look at that list you made on the last page of your journal.  Oh, and if you want, go ahead and tear it out.  Are there any of those items on your list that would help you accomplish, or make a step towards any of your goals?

Let’s start with the 1-year goals.  If one of your 1-year goals is to declutter and get your home more organized… congratulations.   Because I’ll tell you a little secret I found out.  Having your home decluttered and organized and simplified will make all the rest of your goals that much easier to reach.  It will not only free your space but it will free your mind.  I have some secrets to share with you about decluttering, how to do it, why do it, and some definite benefits of doing it but I’m going to make that available in a free download soon.  (It’s really way to much to post here!).  And right now I wanted to concentrate on the goal setting and accomplishing. 

Ok, so you’ve got your goals written down.  Now, as I said, go back to that list of projects or your “to do” list and transfer the items from your “to do” list under an appropriate goal heading.

Now, I understand that everyone has a daily “to do” list.  Items such as “”do the laundry”, “take Billy to soccer practice” are just a part of normal daily life.  I’m talking here about the big “to do” list.  Things such as “decluttering” your home, or “repainting the house”, or “starting a blog of your own”.  The idea is to spend some time each day on at least one item that will take you one step closer to accomplishing your 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year goals.  And if that seems like a lot for now concentrate on your 1-year goals. 

Get another notebook, a yearly planner book, the 5-subject notebook…something.  Write in big black letters on the front or on the first page the heading “One-Year Goals”, list the goals, then every day spend at least 30 minutes to an hour (or even 15 minutes if that’s all you’ve got) on something that will take you closer to accomplishing that goal.  If you carry a planner list the item you’re going to do right in there with “Take Billy to soccer practice”.  Make an appointment with yourself to spend 30 minutes writing a post for your blog, or researching the viabilities of a niche market you are contemplating for an internet business.  Whatever it is, just do it, then check it off!  The surprising thing you are going to find is that even if you are just working toward your 1-year goals you are ultimately working toward your 3 and 5-year goals!

Well, that’s all for today.  Or at least for this post!  But, I wanted to give you a heads up that I am working on, and almost finished, with a simple system that will help you declutter, get organized, daily work towards your goals, save money and hopefully earn some extra money, and in general just make your life a little less stress filled!

Last week we spend all week uncluttering our house. Returning from Brasil, my partner, brought a lot of Brasilian instruments and we had to create space. Already back in the Netherlands we saw the movie ‘Into the Wild’. This movie motivated us even more to get rid of things we hadn’t used for years. By the way I truly can recommend watching this movie. It will get your fingers itchy to do the things you really want to do.

Starting this cleaning operation I thought of all the documents I still had from my study Communication. Also, shoes and clothing I never wore and things lingering around with no purpose at all. The stuff were piling up and for many reasons I wanted to keep them, but in fact never looked at these items again. Well, it was indeed time for us to dive into history and make living in the presence spacious and light.

While I was going through my shoes I bumped up to my favourite blue/white Adidas sneakers. Yes, again I needed to force myself to decide what to do with these Adidas Soulmates. Looking at them, I thought about all the memories related to them. The streetdance classes I taught, the r&b and soul concerts I visited and not to mention summer festivals. Twelve long years they were my companion and now they had to make room for gourds (part of the capoeira instrument ‘Berimbau’) Allright then, a quick picture, and get on with sorting out all stuff.

Taking pictures is a good way to have a great reminder of the stuff you had. But, tell me, how big is the chance that you will look through these pictures after you have taken them? Yes, while a part of mine is very dreamy and unrealistic, another part came up and surprise, surprise: it was the realistic part! To tell you the truth I didn’t take pictures of the next thing I threw away: all of my beloved projects I worked on while I was studying Communication. *tap on my shoulders* Yes, yes, thank you, thank you, I am able to say goodbye too.

This was thanks to my partner who encouraged a friend of mine to talk me psychologically out of keeping these documents. For your information: she is a psychologist. She said to me: Chungmei, if you really want to keep the documents, just keep them! Ahum..she got me thinking! Her remark had a surprisingly ‘provocative coaching’ effect on me. “No way, I am going to get rid of everything!”

my beloved Adidas Sneakers

A reminder that before you rush into reading this that you take a nice, deep, gorgeous breath so you can take it all in… (no cheating now …..There! Doesn’t that feel “bettah”? Get ready to be inspired. You will feel lighter after reading this, promise!

I have one of the most fantastic neighbors in the world! Victoria is a very kind, funny soul whois always there when you need her and knows when to give space too. She is one of my biggest ButterflyMoms fans. Even though she lives next door and we have this amazing bond, I have not seen her in what could be weeks! Two days ago I sent her an email. It read, “Just so you know. I really, really love and miss you! I think about you all the time. Just not enough hours in the day for all that I’m trying to cram in so I’m uncluttering my time.”

When I read it back it shocked me. The words “crammed” and “uncluttering my time” hit me. What kind of life am I living here? What example am I giving my children? Here I was thinking I have a grip on my life’s flow and BOOM, sudden awareness of how I am not aligned with my desired life.

Moments like this are what life is all about if you want to live a happy one! Just like in meditation the goal is to focus on finding your goal(in this case wanting a happy, meaningful life) and then letting go. When your mind starts to wander GENTLY (Do not judge your behavior) bring it back. “Life” is the same way. When your life starts to wander GENTLY bring it back. Tomorrow I will write more about this topic because it is incredibly important!

In the meantime take wonderful care of yourself! Your children are learning how to treat themselves by WATCHING how you treat yourself!

OK, the Landing Pad – “Wait, the WHAT?” you ask. Good question. The Landing Pad is that spot somewhere just inside the front door where you toss your keys, wallet, watch, cell phone, etc…when you come in. It can be as simple as the corner of the dining table, or as complex as a dedicated piece of furniture, like this:

This is used by only 2 people!

This is the actual landing pad at my house.

As you can see, landing pads can quickly get out of hand. Looking at this picture I realized something, The wallet, cell phone and sunglasses on the far right edge are mine…the rest isn’t. Excuse me, I need to go have a little talk with someone…

OK, on to the suggestions:

• Keep the landing pad for only those pocket items you take with you each and every time you leave the house. Wallet, watch (if you wear one), cell phone, sunglasses and keys should be about it.
• When you find yourself adding other things to that list, cameras, extra sets of keys (that should be in a drawer or cupboard somewhere), etc…it’s time to unclutter.
• IF your landing pad looks line the one pictured above…it’s time for an intervention!
• Seriously:
  • like my general purge tips, start by taking everything from the landing pad and move it to a table or the floor.
  • pick up each item in turn (and if you have your keys in your pocket, now’s the time to take them out and add them to the pile) and ask yourself if you take that item with you EVERY DAY.
  • IF the answer is NO, leave it on the floor for now, if the answer is YES, return that item to the landing pad area.
• Take the items remaining on the floor or table, and deal with them immediately. DO NOT put them in the corner of the table to be dealt with later. You will not return to deal with them, what you just did is clutter up your table.

Now, the next time you come in the front door, just see if you don’t have a general feeling of calm and order wash over you…

Side note:

If you don’t have a landing pad near the front door…now’s the time to institute one. Don’t rush out and buy a piece of furniture – although this one was a screaming deal – just look for a kitchen counter corner…or dining room banquet…or even a side table next to the couch…and put your items there. Try it out, if you don’t like it, move them to another location. You’ll soon find the best place for these things to live, keeping them out of the way, organized, and ready for your next midnight run to the corner store!

Just think…no more loosing your keys!

Now if you’ll excuse me…I need to go take care of my landing pad.