Decluttering - two little words you need to remember!

I was recently asked to give a 10 minute presentation on the subject of delcuttering.  Now I can talk about decluttering/organisation until the cows come home - but 10 minutes?  Well, that had to be quite concise!

Since I meet so many people who say they struggle to get started on a decluttering project, I thought it would be nice to give my audience "decluttering in a nutshell". 

What is the essence of effective decluttering?

I couldn't get it down to one word, I'm afraid.  Decluttering is basically a two-stage process - so, you get two words.

STEP 1:  Sort

STEP 2:  Store

I quite like the fact that there's a bit of an anagram thing going on here. 

If this leaves you thinking that less (explanation) is definitely not more, then I shall elaborate tomorrow.  Until then you've got something to ponder, at least.

Decluttering comes to Facebook!

I have to thank my joint venture partner, Clare Wildman for the initial idea that spawned 'Making Space for Christmas'.  Also for her calm support in the face of my technological challenges!

Our members were a small but select band, with one thing in common.  They all had issues around getting organised for Christmas, whether it be time, family, self-employment, lack of space or just the simple fact of too much to do in too little time.

Starting in November Clare and I had plenty of time to issue a series of documents addressing popular issues around the festive preparations.  We challenged tradition and long-held beliefs, we got people drawing pyramids and asking for help.  We even got people deciding that some things were best left undone.  In addition to helpful documents, our members were able to post their personal challenges on the wall and get a response from both Clare and myself.  It now seems that all our group arrived safe and sound, not to mention far less stressed than previous years.

We love a challenge - so, in answer to the question "what's next?", we've come up with a successor to 'Making Space for Christmas'.

'Make Space for You' will help you find mental space and literal space in your home.  The result will be a calmer more organised you - so what are you waiting for?  Check out my 'Make Space for You' page on Blogger.  What better way to start the new year?  Make a resolution to sign up!

Book addict discovers Kindle and de-clutters - true story!!

My guest blogger today is Antony Cahane.  I was put in touch with Antony by a friend who thought I might find his story interesting!

In Antony's own words:

"I am an avid collector of fantasy and sci-fi books. I got my first as a xmas present when I was 11 and it's been love at first page ever since. Over the years my collection had reached an impressive 450 books in total. I had 4 & 1/2 book cases full with many of the shelves double stacked. I would eagerly wait for the next book in the series to be published, rush out buy it and then snuggle down and often read them in less than a day. I kept almost every book I ever received and often re-read them over and over. The characters in the books were well loved friends who I would return to time and again. In all the years I would never have contemplated going without my books. I selected the house I purchased based on the amount of room I needed to have them all out on display. I had 2 book cases spare at that point and then promptly filled them up and started the double stacking again.

Yet today I am down to 1 book case, the rest of the books are boxed and ready to be sold. However I have not lost one single story due to the e-book. My wife is the one that got me to start this jouney after she got herself a Kindle one year. She gushed about it for so long, that I was persuaded to look at it. Just look at it mind (would never think of using one!). So I look, I realise it looks like a page and it does not hurt my eyes. Weeks later, after much badgering she forces me to read a book she purchsed for me with that long suffering line "Just try it!". So I did and I was shocked, I was whisked away to my land of fantasy and had no conception that I was reading from a different format. It was easy to flip the pages, saved my position and I was through my new new e-book in a day.

Trying the device made me start to think about all the space I had dedicated to my books. It was not until my wife purchased 2 CDs off ebay with 16,000 fantasy and sci-fi books on for a few pounds did I come around. She had my entire collection on those CDs and books I had never heard of. My collection was now just taking up space. That space is now used to exercise in and hopefully lead me to be a fitter happier person. I have all those wonderful stories, characters and memories AND my space back. It's a win/win!

For those on the fence, as my wife said "Just try it!" and make up your mind from there."

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So, provocative?  Maybe?  But as I always say, it's whatever works for you!

Are you ready for an organised Christmas?

OK, so it's a fact of life - shops install their Christmas displays in September, and before long well meaning friends will be asking if "you're ready for Christmas".   This always strikes me as a ridiculous question - let's face it - ready or not, Christmas will arrive, punctual as ever, on 25th December.

The question is, what would it take for you to be ready for Christmas?

Would you like to entertain friends and family in your home without worrying if you've got enough space?  Chances are that you do have enough space - it just needs to be rediscovered!



Consider all the food you usually buy for the festive season - does it all get eaten?  How and where do you store it? 

What about all those gifts you buy for loved ones?  Where do they get stored before the big day?  Can you remember where you've put them, and which gift was for each person? 

What about your spare room?  Wouldn't it be nice if you could have your nearest and dearest to stay for a night or two?  Or has your spare room been overtaken by clutter? 

For that matter, what's your dining room like?  Has the table disappeared under an assorted heap of paperwork and family projects?

Well, the good news is that I've got together with Clare Wildman, lifecoach to provide help and support as you make space for Christmas.  Join our Facebook group 'Making Space for Christmas', for access to hints, tips and encouragement all aimed at you enjoying your best ever Christmas.  We'll support you all the way up to 25th December - so you can make space for Christmas, as never before.  All this for just £10!  Go on - give it a try!

How decluttering one item - can be the beginning of something big!

So, you don't know where to start?  This is a common problem, and it kind of doesn't really matter.  But, if that doesn't help you start, here's something that will!

What if you realised that simply by decluttering one key item from your life, other items would follow along easily and (practically) painlessly?

This can be viewed as freeing up some kind of mental (and physical) log jam.  Remove one key item from the equation and the rest fall away like an unstable house of cards.  Maybe it's the change in your attitude that does it?  I confess, I'm not sure!

The other aspect is that removal of one thing may make another completely obsolete.  You may be aware that I've been following the blog "7 Items a Week", and have been inspired by Trista's dedication to her goal of removing 400 items from her home by the end of the year.  In a recent post, Trista decluttered a medium sized piece of luggage that she had never really used for travelling as it didn't suit her needs.  However, she had used it to store a collection of magazines.  A few weeks back she decluttered the magazines.  Now of course she doesn't need the bag they were stored in . . . . .

Is there anywhere you can apply this technique to your home?  It's almost a "Declutter one - get one free", kind of a process!

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