Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

clutter busting

Declutter Your Kitchen Pantry

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Do you know what you have in your pantry? Are all expiration dates current? Is it full of processed foods? To get yourself organized for healthy eating and to focus of whole versus processed foods which I will speak about it my next post take inventory of your pantry.

If this wasn’t part of your earlier organizing, do it now. Either right now or schedule 15 – 20 minutes this week and
o Toss those foods that are expired.
o Donate those foods that are fresh but you have not used in six months to a local food bank.
o Store like things together.
o Make a menu from the items remaining and challenge yourself to live out of your pantry for a week.
o Plan a grocery list to include staples that you use regularly and don’t buy multiples if you don’t use them quickly.

Schedule this activity to happen every couple of months and your pantry will stay clutter-free and you may even save on your grocery bill.

Secrets of an Organized Kitchen

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Because the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house it is easy to understand why it attracts clutter.

I agree with a recent article in Woman’s Day magazine (April 1, 2010) by Melinda Dodd entitled Kitchen Confidential- secrets of a super-organized space that if you have a place for everything you can obtain a sense of order that will stick.

Here are five simple tips as outlined in the article that you can use:

1. Move big appliances that are rarely used to the basement or other storage area.
2. Take a couple of hours and pull the items out of the cabinets in order to purge and sort.
3. Only then shop for storage items that fit what you have left and think outside the box about function.
4. Set up stations or store it where you use it.
5. Once you have order celebrate your clean surfaces with a vase of fresh flowers.

Once everything has a place it is easier to keep clutter a bay.

The Decluttering Cure: Conquering Chaos

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The Oxford English Dictionary defines Chaos as: Utter confusion. Behavior so unpredictable as to appear random; formless matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the universe.

The unplanned life can create chaos. Chaos comes in many forms but UNPREDICTABILITY and CONFUSION are the key factors in all its variables.

Answer these questions to see if you’ve entered a state of CHAOS. [Read more…] about The Decluttering Cure: Conquering Chaos

Habits of Highly Organized People

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The March 2010 issue of O- The Oprah Magazine included a large section devoted to organization. That must mean that spring is in the air. Actually most magazines have a standard organization or declutter article these days.

Part of the article in this magazine  included “The 10 Habits of Highly Organized People” which I thought was spot on. When we think of someone who is highly organized we think of them as being disciplined or a perfectionist. What they really have developed is a simple set of rules or a system that works for them.

The article shared those 10 tips. I have highlighted a few here:

o Walk away from bargains. Do you really need so many bottles of shampoo?
o Separate emotions from your stuff. Do you really need the dried out flowers to remember your 10 year anniversary?
o Schedule regular decluttering sessions. Whether its 15 minutes each week or an afternoon every other month schedule maintenance time.

Developing a set of rules about your stuff can help you get and stay organized.

Clutter Busting: For the Holidays

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With the holidays fast approaching are you looking forward to them in anticipation or dread? Do you look around the house and wonder how you are ever going to do all the stuff you need to do for your family to have a great holiday season and for you not to be stressed out?

It comes down to attitude and action. Over the next few weeks I will address a variety of topics designed for clutter busting for the holidays.

Are you a pack rat? Do you procrastinate? Are you sentimental about your stuff? Do you not have time?

Clutter busting for the holidays really starts with your mental clutter.

As a first step to clutter busting for the holidays visualize the holiday you want this year. Do you want a large family party or a quiet time at home? Do you want to deck the halls, the stairs, every room and the exterior of the house or is a tree enough?

Once you understand what you want, you can start to look at your beliefs about the holidays and determine which ones still serve you and which you need to discard… or which are mental clutter.

Once you have a clear picture of the holiday you desire, you can then move toward the holidays with anticipation and not fear. This will also set the foundation for the plans and actions that will move you toward a stress free holiday.