A friend of mine was reading this book . . . and so I had to too! LOL! I absolutely LOVE anything that has to do with organizing, purging excess stuff, etc. and so clutter rehab? Yes please. I know that sounds a little strange but that's me. You would actually probably never know from looking at my house though. Sigh . . . it's a work in progress.
Anyway, this book is kind of fun. It's so easy to read because each page lists one of the 101 tips with a brief description of the idea. So it's not overwhelming - a nice quick read. A lot of the ideas were things I have done even in the last year or so but some were new. A lot of it was motivating and I felt inspired to keep on working on it. Here is a list of a few of my favourites:
#8 – Have a daily walkabout
I love this one because if it’s done on a regular basis, it shouldn't be a big deal. The idea is that you and the kids just walk around the
house for just ten minutes every day putting away things that are out of place.
I usually just go around the house and pick
up toys and other things lying around and place them at each child’s spot at
the table. And then the idea is that
they have to put them away. But a
walkabout is probably a better idea.
#18 – Have a donation station
I always have a box going in our storage room to throw stuff
in when I want to get rid of it. Great
idea.
#23 – Use hooks for kids’ coats instead of hangers
Just started doing this last year. I was so frustrated by coats not being hung
up or falling off the hangers because let’s face it, it’s hard to hang stuff on
hangers. Hooks are much easier and each of
the kids are responsible for their own coat.
#26 – Start every week with a menu plan
We've done this in the past but we weren't very faithful at
it. We started again in the middle of
January and we’re rockin’ it! I love not having to think about what’s for
supper. It used to be that at 3:00 or
4:00 pm, I’d be trying to figure out a plan for dinner and it was stressful. We do a two week menu plan with a huge
grocery shop at the beginning. It gets tight at the end
of the two weeks but we've been sticking to it and it’s great. Helps with the budget too.
#45 – Schedule regular toy “clean-outs”
I've done this once or twice with the kids but should do it
more often. The kids have to be in the
right frame of mind though. Sometimes I
just get in a “I want to get rid of ALL the toys” kind of mood and that’s not
helpful either.
#46 – Toss your junk mail right away
Yep – I do this. I
often show the kids how much of our mail goes directly into the recycling bin. It’s ridiculous how much paper junk comes
through the door. I feel like it’s less
now that we’re homeschooling and the kids aren't bringing so much paper home
from school but it’s the mail that’s crazy.
#53 – Cut the knick knacks out
I've tried . . . still needs some work.
#63 – Keep projects in process under control
Ha! Hopefully when
2013 is done, I’ll have things a little more under control. Yikes!
#68 – Have a handy library basket
Oh boy . . . I try this, I really do. But it seems like library books end up all
over the house. It’s hard when four kids
are taking books out and they want to read them in various areas around the
house. Have to get better at this
one.
#76 – Create a binder and online library for recipes
Yep – I finally did this about a year or so ago. I have a binder with the plastic page covers from
the dollar store. That way if I take a
recipe out to use, I can wipe it off if I happen to spill on it. This website also helps to keep recipes.
#86 – Stop sorting your laundry
Okay, this may have been the best thing I read in this book. I have secretly been doing this for a few
years . . . just washing all the clothes together without sorting. Whites with colours. It works and saves time and there’s no
difference (shhhh . . . don’t tell my mom!)
I was just so happy to read in a published book that it was okay not to
sort laundry! LOL!
#91 – Cut the clutter in your bedroom and create the
sanctuary you deserve
This one is a challenge for me. Our bedroom ends up being a dumping
ground. I guess it’s because it’s the
room where the door is always closed and our guests don’t go into. I know I should work on that . . . maybe it
gets easier as the kids get older??
#92 – Invite company over as motivation
Ha! This made me
laugh. It’s really quite true. You know you just HAVE to clean if people are
coming over. And the other thing is that
if you have less clutter, it’s easier to do a quick tidy if you have last
minute company.
3 comments:
I am in serious clutter rehab right now! :) I love #92! Company is my best motivator! (shh! I may have just stashed everything away when friends came over before...but I am a new person!)
We call our walkabout a TMT, ten minute tidy. Scheduling it for everyday and not just when I want to tear my hair out sounds like a great plan. TMT almost sounds fun....almost. LOL
So many great ideas! I learned a lot of good tips here.
A few I use are:
- 3 item pick-up. When I don't know where to begin when it comes to tidying I pick up and put away 3 things each time I walk into a room. It takes seconds but quickly makes a big difference.
- Touch it once. If I pick something up it needs to go to it's final place, not just a pile. I'm not very good at this one but it would work if I used it! :o)
- Stop the junk mail! One of the best things I did was put a bright yellow note in my mailbox a couple of years ago asking that no junk mail or flyers be left in my mailbox. Voila...lots less mail! Also, when i receive some of the stuff I don't want I rip it up and put it into the paper recycling bin in the garage before it ever enters the door of my house.
Hope these help! Now...to instill some of your tips!
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