I know that I have written about procrastination causing delays in the decluttering process but that is not the only role that procrastination plays when it comes to clutter. In many cases procrastination actually causes the clutter in the first place.

What starts out as a good intention can soon turn into a failure to carry out a particular task that leaves in its wake a pile of clutter. For example…

• The hem on your daughter’s dress has fallen and you put it aside to restitch but 2 months later it is still lying in an ever growing pile of other good intentions next to your sewing machine. Now the dress is not only still in a state of disrepair but it no longer fits your growing child.  Result – one dress that is now clutter.
• You bought that new novel that everyone was talking about but lets face it you are a doing person – not one for sitting around reading. Six months later the book in still on the shelf unread. Result – Bookcase clutter.
• You decided try a new hobby/sport and it seemed like a good idea at the time. You bought all the gear required to give it a go but alas you still haven’t taken that class you meant to take to get you started or made one step towards joining a team . Result – hobby supply/sporting equipment clutter.
• The monthly bills came in but why should you let those companies make interest on your money – better to wait until the due date to pay them right? Not if they just get lost in a pile of clutter on your desk you kept putting off tidying  up. Now the due date has passed and you are have to pay a late fee. Result – money down the drain and a bad credit history.
• You bought a new laptop but kept the old one with intentions of selling it on eBay to recoup some on the money you spent. Where is that old laptop now? Still cluttering up the desk while you procrastinate about a starting price and finding the box for it in the garage. Result – Desk top clutter, less dollars in your pocket and another empty box littering up the garage.
• Putting things off until you have more time, are more relaxed, feel up to it, are fitter, happier, healthier, the kids are grown…are some of the endless procrastination excuses that lead to clutter.

I think you can see where I am going with this. The solution is to make time immediately to deal with those small tasks around the home instead of putting them off until it is too late. You may be surprised at how little time it actually takes. And limit your financial commitment (eg. buying equipment and supplies) prior to learning the skills involved in starting a new hobby/sport etc. You may find that you don’t have the skills or patience for it after all or are just not as enamoured with the idea once you’ve tried it. Otherwise before you know it you are surrounded by unfinished tasks, unread books, magazines, sales catalogues, expensive tools, hobby supplies, sporting equipment…

Take some time out to identify some of this type of clutter in your home and deal with it immediately. I am sure you will be relieved to eliminate the guilt that comes hand in hand with it.

Item 355 of 365 less things

What used to be a pile of unused craft supplies is now a set of monogrammed birthday cards for the male members of my family. It will take twelve months for them to disappear altogether but I have saved several dollars by not having to buy cards, nibbled away at my abundance of craft supply clutter and had some crafting fun all in one effort.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Craft – I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t making something.
2. Getting lost in what you are doing – Especially if it is something you didn’t want to do and the next thing you know it it is done.
3. Free access to things better than shopping – parks, the library, beeches, walking trails…
   
4. Dinner is over the kitchen is tidy and I can sit back and relax for the evening.
5. Imagination
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

I wanted to take this opportunity today to wish all my readers here at 365 Less Things a wonderful holiday season. Whatever the holiday is for you I hope it is full of joy, love and peace.

I wanted to send my wishes today because things can get a little crazy in the last week leading up to our celebrations no matter how simplified we may have made them. I would prefer to think you are spending your holidays enjoying your family and friends and taking as much time as possible amid the craziness to relax and reflect on what the season means to you.

I will still be posting everyday but I am trying very hard to set them up in advance so that I too can relax and enjoy whatever the next week brings. As part of my plan to simplify the lead up to Christmas and a couple of days to recuperate I am going to keep my posts short and simple.  From Day 357 to Day 361 I will be posting a passage of 100 words or less on a key principle of keeping decluttering simple.  So if you feel you need a little declutter fix or a break from the festivities for a moment these short little posts won’t take up too much of your precious time. They will be book-ended on Wednesdays by two of Cindy’s wonderful weekly posts. So enjoy!

I will be taking a peek to read and respond to any comments that might be left for me so if you feel inclined please do so. A blogger has to have her little fix every now and again too.

So once again

I wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season

Item 354 of 365 less things

I have two of these stable tables that I got cheap at a garage sale years ago. I only ever use one of the them so this one can go in the donation box.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. How little tragedy there has been in my life – For some people bad things happen all the time. I have been very lucky so far.
2. Knowing people love me and having someone to love.
3. When someone gives you a smile that reaches into the depths of their eyes – Ooh, it makes me smile just to think about it.
   
4. Christmas pudding – with lashings of custard and cream. Mmmmmmm I can’t wait until Christmas day. Mine is almost cooked then it can develop extra flavour over the next six days and should be delicious by lunch time on Saturday.
5. Art – We are going to go to the local gallery when the pudding is done cooking.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Polish Apple Pancake Recipe

A simple healthy recipe with very few ingredients that requires very little effort

1 cup plain flour
1 tblspn sugar
½ tspn salt
1 egg
1 tblspn vegetable oil
1 cup skim milk
4 medium green apples peeled & thinly sliced
icing sugar

1. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt. (I use a whisk to aerate these dry ingredients)
2. In another bowl using the same whisk lightly beat eggs, milk and oil.
3. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
4. Fold in apples.
5. Pour batter by half cupfuls onto a greased griddle on medium heat and spread to form a 5 inch circle.
6. Turn when bubbles begin to form on top.
7. Cook until the second side is golden brown and apples are tender.
8. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

These portions will make about 8 pancakes. I usually only mix up half this amount for my hubby and I

Note:- these are a delicious breakfast alternative. It is a very basic recipe that can be spiced up with a little cinnamon for added flavour. In fact you could be very imaginative as to what you could add to make them interesting.

Enjoy

Item of 365 less things

Yes! The storage containers are flying out the door at this stage of my declutter mission. They are one thing I am not going to keep “just in case”. There will be no case where I will be needing them.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Another nice cool overcast day.
2. Finally getting my Christmas shopping out of the way – Yes it took me until a week before Christmas to get the ONE gift I had to buy. Maybe I am taking this Minimal Christmas thing too far.
3. Finding time to do a little crafting.
4. Take-out for dinner – Mmmmmmmm curry!
5. Clothes airers – I prefer to hang our clothes inside rather than have them fading out in the sun or wasting electricity using the dryer.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

I have been spending a bit more time in my craft room lately but at the same time I flit here and there doing other things. I must confess I have not spent the sort of time I should have tidying up after myself as I went. As a result my tool drawer in my craft room was looking like this when I needed something out of it today…

…Needless to say I spent longer looking for what I needed that it really should have taken. The drawer didn’t need decluttering it just needed a good tidy up. So I pulled all the items out of the drawer…

…I had a good look at what was there and indeed there was only one item that required decluttering. The rest either needed to be put back in their proper place elsewhere in my craft area or just rearranged back into their rightful place in the drawer. And here is the result…

… I think you would have to agree that this looks a whole lot more user friendly that the before shot. It took ten minutes tops to get this drawer back to the way it should be and it was well worth the effort. Now when I need something it will be effortless to find.

The beauty of a decluttered home is that once it holds only the things you use it is a lot easier to put things right even if they do get a little out of hand. Simply because there is a place for everything and enough room for every thing it fit in it’s place.

Item 352 of 365 less things

This is the one item that I not longer have a use for among the item in my tool drawer. I have put it in the charity box.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. The cool air seeping into the house after I open the door first thing in the morning – Remember it is Summer here in the great Land Down Under.
2. The little twinge that gets me up and doing something useful.
3. How little effort it takes to clean out a drawer – I did three today. they didn’t need decluttering they just needed tidying.
4. Realising a mistake before you go too far with it – Nothing drastic here just trying to reorganise something and I could see my plan wasn’t going to work before I wasted too much time on it.
5. A nice evening walk with my guys – They may have been ganging up on me and trying to push me into the odd bush or two and walking off the other way when I wasn’t looked but it was fun anyway.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

This weeks favourite five comments that I wanted to share with you in case you missed them.

Susan S on Day 342 – I’d love to have a Buy Nothing Christmas, but we’ll have a Buy Not a Lot Christmas… Read more

Cindy on Day 343 – A friend who is a organizing professional received a gift of magazine and catalog decluttering… Read more This is a great gift idea especially if you live in the US because it has become big business to sell peoples details in order to send out junk mail. A decluttered mail box who wouldn’t want that.

Annabelle on Day 347 – Ok, now I also want to know, will you share your polish apple pancake recipe???… Read More This one really doesn’t have any important information to share but I got such a kick out of it that I wanted add it to the five for this week.

Cathryn on Day 348 – I love my bed time routine it is the most important routine of my day… Read more

Jo on Day 349 – A few years ago when our closets and cupboards and other storage spaces were starting to groan at the seams… Read more

5 Blogs posts I have enjoyed this week. Some for the first time that I discovered through my new twitter account.

The 7th Rock – Pondering-purges

No Impact Man – Thoughts-on-communicating-on-climate-my-remarks-at-climate-negotiations-communication-conference

Becoming Minimalist – What-if-ice-cream-cost-you-your-vision

Marc and Angel – 28-dignified-ways-to-impress-everyone-around-you

The change blog – 8 little ways to change the world for the better

Item 351 of 365 less things

Time has not been kind to this old box so it is looking a little shabby. I kept the item from inside but have sent the box to the recycling bin.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Sleeping right through until the alarm – And what’s even better is my alarm is when my husband kisses me when he is leaving for work. Win Win!
2. Finding more space in my lounge room – I removed a concertina standing photo frame and just that one move made the room look bigger. I am considering it a trail separation from the frame.
3. 9am A chance of rain – Even though I have to walk somewhere today it is nice to see a cloudy sky for a change. There was thunder when I woke up and I love a good thunder storm.
4. Cereal – I agree with Jerry Seinfeld it isn’t just a breakfast food but can be enjoyed any time.
5. 4pm Rain at last – and it is bucketing down with a little hail, lightning and thunder thrown in. Yay!
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Today as inspiration to do a little decluttering I am going to challenge you to take part in ten declutter mini missions. I have been including these missions on my new Twitter account and added some extras for fun. I will check back with you next Thursday to see how you went. So get cracking and be sure to send me some feedback on your progress.

1. Take a look in your closet and find 5 items you no longer use/wear (shoes, clothes, bags, belts…).
2. Find 1 item that someone gave you that you no longer want but are keeping just because it was given to you.
3. Find 2 items in your home that once had sentimental value but are now just taking up space.
4. Sit on your sofa and look around and see if you can see 1 thing you no longer want.
5. Take a look in your pantry and take out 2 out-of-date items.
6. Find 5 things in your utensil drawer that you never use.
7. Take a look in your bathroom cabinet and remove 2 items you no longer use.
8. Have a search through your first aid kit/cabinet and remove any out-of-date items.
9. Go through your sock draw and take out any holey socks that you keep avoiding to wear.
10. Have a look in your bookcase and remove 1 book you know you will be unlikely to read again.

Give away, throw away or sell all the items you have found during your mini missions and you will be at least 22 items closer to a decluttered home.  If you can’t find as many items as I have stated that is even better because you must already be well on your way to being fully decluttered.

Item of 365 less things

This sleeping bag was taking up a big chunk of space in the closet and it hasn’t been used for at least 3 years.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. The house cleaning went smoothly – So smoothly that I did a little decluttering and reorganising of our walk in wardrobe as well.
2. A cool breeze on a hot day.
3. Having another good laugh with Liam – He knows of some very funny web sites.
4. That first cup of coffee in the morning – It never fails to please.
5. Christmas decorations – I may not be putting any up this year but I can enjoy others that I see.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

I used to be an editor, which invariably involves reading and rereading the same material. As far as I can tell, the process I used was similar to what most editors use. First I would read through the material, changing any obvious mistakes, but my larger goal was simply to familiarize myself with the material. Next, I would read it through looking for content discrepancies and sentences, or even whole paragraphs, that should be moved around or removed. The next time through, I would search out formatting errors, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. Last, I would print the document and read it on paper, giving it a final check. If I found more than one or two mistakes, I would print it again, and keep at it until I found no errors.

Decluttering is no different than editing. You begin by getting rid of the really obvious stuff – a huge, uncomfortable, and ugly chair that you’ve always hated, the big mixer you don’t like, the vacuum cleaner your honey said he would fix but never did. But you have to keep going round and round to find everything that should be winnowed. Perhaps we become more ruthless the more we declutter, but perhaps it’s just that when the really obvious things are gone, you can now truly see what else might also be unnecessary.

Recently, I was struggling with a kitchen closet. It holds my small appliances, Dan’s “secret” stash of chips and hot sauce, any extra cases of soda or beer, the step stool, a broom and dust pan, a dust mop and microfiber covers, a mop, and a large plastic bag for plastic recycling. (I don’t accept plastic bags at the store but still accumulate bread wrappers, shrink wrap, etc.)

There’s enough room in the closet for all of these things, but it’s not working. The brooms and mop tend to fall out on me, and the appliances are more jumbled than I would like.

First I looked at the big picture. Was there anything in here that simply did not belong? Yes, the extra batteries that my husband had stored on an upper shelf. Then I thought about each of the small appliances. Any that could go? Yes, an ice cream ball, a box of rock salt, an ice shaver, and 3 bottles of snow cone syrup. I took those out and tidied up what was left. That helped with the organization, but the mops and brooms were still in the way. I left them there to think about.

Today I realized that although the idea of storing them in this closet is a good one, the space and ease of access is not good. I’m going to put a couple of hooks on the back wall of the laundry room and move them. Even though I don’t have the hooks, I went ahead and moved the brooms and mop, so I can confirm that this really will be a benefit. Then,  in a couple of days, I will stand back from the kitchen closet, look again, and ask, is there anything else in here that needs editing?

Item 349 of 365 less things

This tool caddy was a lot less useful than I expected it to be and I haven’t used it for a long while so out it goes.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Scones – They are so nice with jam and cream and so easy to make. There is a batch in the oven right now and I am going to have one soon with a cup of coffee while they are still piping hot.
   
2. Laughter – You know the tears rolling down your cheeks kind. Liam and I are looking at some funny web sites and trying to relate what we are seeing and we are having trouble with talking between the laughter. Check out failblog.
3. When I receive a cute Christmas card that has a great design I can reproduce myself next year.
4. Good design – I have a coffee grinder whose grinding bowl comes off so it can be easily be washed. If that isn’t smart enough – The designer had the foresight to make drain holes where the mechanism is on the underside so that when it goes in the dishwasher the water drains out. Brilliant!
5. Actually having my blog post ready to publish before dinner.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

How many times have you heard or said “But I’m no a morning person”? You know the story “not being a morning person” is a great excuse for continually having a messy bedroom. As a result of “not being a morning person”  the bedroom turns into a disaster zone in the attempt to get ready for work each day. Needless to say when the “not a morning person” finally gets around to cleaning up the mess the very next day it’s back to square one again.

As for not being a morning person:-

• This is just a state of mind which can be reversed if you just let it go. The only reason a person isn’t a morning person is because they have convinced themselves they aren’t.
• Getting a good night sleep is key to being a morning person. I would probably not want to get up in the morning either if I stayed up after midnight every night. This can be fixed by changing night habits. Start going to bed about 15 minutes earlier each night until a more suitable bed time is reached.
• Unless you have a job that changes shift all the time it should be relatively simple to attempt to set a routine in place that better suits your daily requirements.

Simplify your morning routine

• Set out your clothes for the next day before you go to bed at night. That way you aren’t wasting precious time rummaging through your closet and hurling clothes all over the place in a panic. You will cause yourself a lot of extra ironing if you leave your clothes crumpled on the floor.
• Set out all the accessories to match the clothing selection you have made above – shoes, jewellery, belt etc.
• If you are a woman have your make-up neatly arranged so everything is easy to find. Put things back in their proper place so it is easy to find what you need the next day. It takes no longer to do this than to put it in the wrong place. After a short time you will be so familiar as to where the right place is you won’t even have to think about it.
• Have your shower the night before if climate allows so there is one less thing to do in the morning.
• If you take 15 minutes or more to do your hair consider a new easier-to-maintain hairstyle.
• If you take your own meal to work make sure you get it ready the night before.

Set your alarm a little earlier if all else fails and you are still finding yourself running late.

Important: You should always leave time for breakfast in your morning routine it is the most important meal of the day.

Item 348 of 365 less things

Hubby just keeps finding more computer bits to get rid off. These parts sold for $10 on ebay.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. 6:30am cup of coffee – enough said.
2. Seeing outside the box – I love being able to adapt something to suit my purposes.
3. Steve has is stitches out and Liam looks like spending very little time at the brain injury clinic.
4. Evening walking – It’s actually too hot and sunny to walk at 7 o’clock in the morning at the moment. At 7:30pm I don’t need sunscreen and the temperature is much more pleasant.
5. Annabelle and her cute comment today – It gave me a little laugh and like my mum I love to laugh.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

There are three key elements to decluttering

1. Purging your home of items that are unused
2. Being selective with future purchases so you do not end up recluttering you home.
3. Staying ahead of the clutter by removing items as they become redundant.

Today I want to talk about #3 on the list above. The key to staying decluttered is to make sure you remove any redundant item from your home as quickly as possible after it outgrows its usefulness.

Redundancy can include…

Physically growing out of an item

• Children are especially prone to this, some more so than others. I was fortunate to have small children so they tended to wear clothing out rather than growing out of them. So I usually got good value out of my clothing purchases. Children also grow out of their sporting equipment, car safety items, beds etc.
• Unfortunately, we adults can also suffer from this problem due to weight gain and loss. It can be very tempting to keep the clothes in hope or fear that we may fit into them again. Sometimes these items only serve to torment us rather than inspire us.

Mentally growing out of an item

• This may apply to children more than adults but not exclusively. As children age, they mentally outgrow toys, books, hobbies, school supplies and pursue new activities.
• Adult tastes can also mature as they gain experience or see new possibilities for their lives that can include books, hobbies, digital media, information technology or a new business opportunity.

Breakages, wear and tear

• There are very few items that we acquire that last a lifetime, so it stands to reason that items break and wear out over time. Unfortunately in this day and age many things are not made to be repaired. It can be hard to part with items that have served you well. It sits in the cupboard while you hope to find a way to make them useful again. Don’t wait, if you cannot fix or re-purpose it today then time rarely changes that fact, recycle what you can and discard the rest ASAP. Quite often there are handy folks out there that can re-purpose the parts so make every attempt to find the item a new home rather than send it to landfill.
• Single use items such as batteries, ink cartridges and pens can accumulate in office drawers. Most of these items can be recycled and there are often drop of points at your local stationary store for this purpose.
• How often does an item of damaged or shabby clothing, which instead of mending or discarding it, ends up back in your wardrobe. Deal with it immediately, is it repairable? Then place it in your sewing area or take it to a tailor. If it cannot be repaired, re-purpose the fabric (search Instructables for ideas) or use it as a rag.

Limited use

• Newspapers are the main culprit under this heading and accumulate quickly, don’t let this happen. Pass them on to someone else or recycle them as soon as you are done reading them.
• Magazines can be more useful in the long term as reference material but I think it is best to set limits. I have set my limit by not buying them any more but most folks aren’t prepared to go that far. I used to subscribe to several craft magazines that I mainly used as visual inspiration but I find just as much inspiration via the internet for free with no clutter.

Basically there is always going to be clutter maintenance no matter how well purged your house is at this moment. Things become redundant along the road of life. Keep up with these redundant items and you will not have to worry about returning to square one.

Item of 365 less things

Scooba didn’t live up to my expectations, too bad a person can’t work this out before wasting the money in the first place. Never mind, I sold it for $132.50 on eBay.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. My polish apple pancake recipe –I don’t make them all that often but we always enjoy them when I do.
2. A lovely night out – I went out the a friends granddaughter’s end of year dance recital last night and it was amazing. There is some real talent in that school.
3. Modern technology – It give me the ability to help people from the comfort of my sofa.
4. Butterflies – Aren’t they amazing looking creatures.
5. The willingness to learn – Live would be pretty stagnant without it.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Call me crazy but I have started to twitter 365lessthings. I may come to regret this or maybe even just neglect to tweet but I figured I would give it a go. I will be tweeting my daily post but also, little quotes that I find in my travels, my uneducated opinion on things and posts that I have read and I think are worth sharing. I will still have my favourite five Friday posts but this way I can share good posts more often.

So if you tweet please share the love and let folks know 365lessthings is out there trying to help folks with their decluttering needs.

Item 346 of 365 less things

Arcos Media Player

Another one of our eBay sales this one fetched $66. Better to have the cash in our pocket than have this item sitting around unused.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Life’s lessons –Good or bad they have their purpose we just have to figure what that is and in all cases it’s best to be positive.
2. Aging – It may have its disadvantages but the wisdom gained along the way is invaluable.
3. How much more talkative my son is since his accident.
4. Finding a good Thai restaurant locally.
5. Shared wisdom– I wouldn’t have found out about the Thai restaurant above if a friend hadn’t told me about it. Word of mouth is great advertising.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.