The Rule of Reciprocity by Maria Lin, Real Simple, Dec. 2011 issue About 40 years ago, Disabled American Veterans, a Kentucky-based nonprofit, had a bright idea: The charity decided to send potential donors free personalized address labels. After the labels arrived in mailboxes across the nation, contributors to the group nearly doubled - jumping from 18 percent to 35 percent of those solicited. Why was this marketing gimmick so successful (and copied by countless others)? Because of a phenomenon called the rule of reciprocity. The concept is simple enough: When people are given something Continue reading
Cost v Value
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Have you ever considered the cost of the things you buy and own in comparison to the value they actually realise for you. Which example below represents good value for money to you? You bought a new dress to go to an event and it cost you $100. Yes, you had plenty of other dresses you could wear but you wanted a new one. The dress has now been sitting in your closet for six months and you have only worn it on that one occasion. You bought a secondhand bicycle in order to cut down on using the car for short trips. You only paid $50 for it but use it all the time and the added bonus is Continue reading
My ten essential decluttering tips
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Start with the easy stuff then graduate emotionally into the things you may find harder to part with. The enthusiasm gained from purging the easy stuff should spur you on. Don't reclutter while you declutter. Learn from your clutter. Don't just get rid of it learn from you previous mistakes of acquiring stuff. If you don't take the time to analyse your mistakes in this area you will soon have a repeat performance and be back to square one. KISS ~ Keep it simple stupid. There is no need to disrupt your entire house during the process of decluttering. Just select one small area at a time Continue reading
Tricky situation
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I received a comment from one of my readers last week who found herself in a tricky situation in regards to decluttering a certain object. Read the comment below to understand the dilemma. I have edited it so that the artist involved wouldn't recognise it is about them if by some weird twist of fate they should happen to read it. I have a tricky one for you and your readers! A very good friend who comes to my house regularly created a painting AT MY REQUEST for my birthday. That was 4 years ago, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really love the painting then, and I like it less Continue reading
Mini Mission Monday
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Welcome to the first Mini Mission Monday at 365lessthings. Since I have already given you a list of mini missions to work on this week I have decided to give you one mission to think about while you are carrying our you those other tasks. Your mission is to find something in your house that you no longer really want/use but something is holding you back from getting rid of it. I am sure you all have something that will come to mind immediately. There are several reasons that cause us to keep avoiding these items... Something that you want to sell rather than give away but you haven't Continue reading
Day 361 Key # 5 to simple decluttering in 100 words or less
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Key # 5 Admire your handy work There is nothing like a healthy dose of gloating over what a good job you’re doing to inspire yourself to keep laboring on. Just stop every now and again and look around you and enjoy the difference you are making. Why not go back and take a quick peak in that closet or drawer you decluttered and re-organized yesterday to give you inspiration to get back on task today. I do it all the time it makes me feel good and encourages me to move on to the next step. Item 361 of 365 less things Computer software - no sooner do you load it on but then it is out of Continue reading
Day 331 Take 5
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I want you to take one minute now to do exactly as I say. Read the full set of instructions below and then act them out immediately before you forget... Stop what you are doing. Close your eyes. Take 5 slow deep breaths. Listen to the sounds around you. Stay in the moment for one minute. Open your eyes and read on. Slowly and deliberately. Lately my mind has been all over the place flitting from one thing to another hardly taking time out to savour the moment. A couple of times I found myself really concentrating on what I was doing and it was a very good feeling. I slowed Continue reading
Day 318 Simply Sunday – It’s a new day
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I love it that we get to start over each morning with a “new dayâ€. This statement formed part of a comment left by Suddenly Susan @ Freezerburned recently and it is a good attitude to live by. This creed can easily relate to our decluttering efforts especially when we are dissatisfied with a poor performance at any point. Instead of beating ourselves up about it we can just wake up and start afresh tomorrow with a better attitude and renewed vigour. Today Is A New Day! Today is a beautiful day because it’s a gift. Many people around the world did not receive Continue reading
Day 315 What Motivates You to Declutter?
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A guest post by Cindy Bogard What motivates you to declutter? Why are you doing it? I was thinking about this questions for myself and came up with these reasons, immediate and far-reaching. I want a clean house. I want to not feel ashamed or embarrassed, both of which I have felt in large measure in the past. I want to continue in my role of stay-at-home parent. Now while the parent part of that job is the most important, the cookin’ and cleanin’ come along with it. While my cooking’s good; my housekeeping makes me eligible for firing. I don’t want Continue reading
