Habits ~ A guest post by Wendy F

I was fortunate to meet up and become friends with Colleen after starting reading her blog.   She has ‘enlightened ‘ me greatly and we laugh a lot. I will try and keep it simple, this is just my take on a bit of my declutter journey.

HABITS

The Habits I have changed over the last few years and the new ones I have embraced in my declutter journey.
No Junk Mail.
A simple sign that attached to my mailbox avoids my house being filled with free newspapers and catalogues from every store in town.
Result ~ massive clutter saver and removes any temptation to go and purchase items in catalogue.
I have extended this to my electronic mail box. Un subscribing from so many things like Cruise Lines, Ikea, Political blogs, Airlines, Blogs of any description and store newsletters. It takes a minute to check my email and I save on downloading potential time wasting junk mail and using up data that I pay for.

Not hitting the Like or Subscribe Button
Result ~ less reading of emails or posts.

Reducing the Number of Bath Towels
With five adults (plus their friends)in the house, the amount of towels to be washed exploded. The towel cupboard was always empty and the pile to be washed was huge. So I reduced the number of towels down to 15, I removed the extra large towels and only have similar size and thickness towels to make washing and drying easy. Giving everyone their own color or pattern towels works well.
Result ~ No large pile of towels to wash. Everyone is now aware that there is a limited supply of towels and they are responsible to wash their own.

Making my bed when I get up of a morning
Result ~ room looks tidy immediately.

Setting the trip meter on the car 
I can usually tell how many miles/kilometres I get on a tank of fuel. I Always fill the car up and reset the meter. I do this because I have a iffy fuel gauge and have been caught running out of fuel. I always fill the car up which saves time. Putting $60 of fuel in once a fortnight is simpler than $20 every few days ( or so it seems)
Result ~ I no longer have to carry a fuel can in car in case I run out of fuel.

Setting an alarm on my phone at the same each month or week helps remind me to do odd jobs around the house. I have terrible memory and usually think of doing things at the wrong time.

Putting things on a hooks
Never underestimate the usefulness of hooks. Behind the door in the bedroom for the clothes that don’t need washing but not going back in the wardrobe.
Behind the door in the bathroom for clothes.
In the kitchen for your bag and keys.
Hooks for the house/car keys. One placed in a convenient place in the kitchen saves time for you and anyone else that needs to use the key.  I have a cousin who refuses to use the hook set I gifted her and she still spends forever searching for her car keys.

Using a lanyard
I keep my house and car keys on a lanyard. I especially like this when I go grocery shopping. The car key is hanging around my neck and is easily used to unlock the car. A lanyard makes it easier to place keys on the hook as well.

Reducing my use of Loyalty Cards
I once had a wallet full of cards for collecting loyalty points. I used a hole punch and put a hole in the corner of them and had them on my car keys for easy access. Then I ended up discarding the rarely used ones and now I only use an actual discount card which is in my wallet. Loyalty statements and emails from these companies are just junk mail for me. Investigate wether the points you earn traveling can be combined with other family members or other cards.
When a credit card is paid off , close it. They have annual fees and are a temptation. I closed a store card five years ago , just before Christmas last year, they sent me a statement ??? showing I had credit on my card. Obviously to induce me to contact them and reinstate my account.

In summary the things that make my habits workable -Hooks, reminders on my phone, less towels, less junk/email/mail, no loyalty cards, a lanyard for my keys and setting the trip meter in my car.
What habits have you embraced?
Cheers.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a spare thing-a-me-jig that you have been keeping just in case.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Comments (44)

Mini Mission Monday ~ For too long

mini-logoMini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week we are going to do some reluctant decluttering. That is, to declutter some things that you don’t really want or use but you keep avoiding letting go off for one reason or another. Don’t allow them to waste space in your home any longer.

Monday – Declutter an unwanted gift that you have been keeping out of obligation.

Tuesday – Declutter a spare thing-a-me-jig that you have been keeping just in case.

Wednesday – Declutter an item of clothing that no longer fits but you have kept just in case you return to that size.

Thursday – Declutter something you have kept just because you have the room for it but don’t love it or use it.

Friday – Declutter something you have set aside to sell but haven’t gotten around to it. Either sell it now or give it away.

Saturday – Declutter a portion of your hobby supplies that you haven’t utilised on a project but have owned for a long time.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Comments (8)

Mini Mission Monday ~ Temptation

mini-logoMini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This weeks mini missions are all about bringing your attention to items that have a tendency to unnecessarily build up, be decluttered and build up again. I made that sound like this happens without our being responsible for it but we all know that we are. We succumb to the temptation to replace perfectly serviceable items with something new whether we need it or not. Lets see how many of these items you can find to declutter in your home. But more than that, become aware that you are doing this and consider a change in this behaviour from here on.

I am not going to mention clothing or shoes in this list because that would be the most obvious choice for this category. However give some thought to your habits in this area and consider what you might do to improve on your initial choices that might help help avert this happening in the future.

Monday – Declutter a decor item that has been stashed away out of sight. ~ Do you find yourself refreshing your decor with an endless parade of decorator items. I would suggest displaying meaningful/sentimental items rather than hiding them away in a closet somewhere. You will be less inclined to dismiss and replace them so easily.

Tuesday – Declutter any pet toys that are overabundant in your home.  ~ Do you buy a new toy to amuse you pet with on a regular basis when their old toys are still in reasonable condition. Slowly they build up and then you find yourself throwing away the oldest or less loved items whether they are worn out or not. Think of the money you could save.

Wednesday – Declutter excess bath towels and in future only replace them when they wear out ~ Judging from many of the linen closets I encounter, during visiting friends and relatives, I would say the people generally replace towels on a far too regular basis. Not because they are no longer capable of the task of drying but simply because they are considered decor items that are to be replaced when tired of.

Thursday – Declutter any kitchen utensils or gadgets that you don’t use often enough to warrant keeping. ~ Who isn’t on the lookout for something that can make our workload lighter. When it comes to the home the kitchen is a major source of this focus. The problem is that many of the gadgets on the market don’t live up to their promise to lighten that load. The utensils drawer ends up with three different styles of peelers, can openers, potato mashers etc and the shelves are packed with all manner of electric gadgets. I must say that some credit has to be given to anyone who still believes on home cooking rather than caving into buying, not always healthy, prepared meals, but be sceptical about the usefulness or such gadgets.

Friday – Declutter any stationery items that are overstocked in your home. Especially if they were purchased for their novelty factor. Cute pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks, thumb tacks, paperclips etc. ~ You may think this is an odd thing to suggest but you might be surprised at how often inexpensive items such as these are purchased when they aren’t needed.

Saturday – Declutter any children’s toys that are neglected, broken or perhaps never were enjoyed.~ Children don’t need more and more toys they need to be left to use their imaginations with a smaller selection. And they aren’t a substitute for quality time spent with parents and friends. If you find it necessary to allocate a room in your home just to store toys then you most likely have too many.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

 

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

Comments (6)

House Chores – Do a little see a big difference ~ by Andréia

One of the things I have discovered with decluttering is that house chores are not all that hard and don’t take that much time. You might laugh and say I am lying and a couple of years ago I would think that myself, but it is not so.

First of all we always have to consider, with house chores, the amount of stuff that we have to a) put away; and b) clean on shelves. That is the key. If you have 3 full wardrobes of clothing your laundry day (or days) will be nightmarish. If you pair down your clothing and that of your family there is a lot less to use, but there is also a lot less to clean.

In the kitchen I have also found that rule to be true. I used to have so many plates that our family could eat for 2/3 weeks without doing the dishes. Of course that is not hygienic nor it is advisable, but with too much of something it gets hard to keep a clean sink, for instance, because the excess in cutlery, china, glasses, cups will end up out of place and cluttering up the sink (even if they are washed) or on your table. As I have a small kitchen, any clutter screams out at me because it robs me of precious space.

As I have two small children I had struggled a lot with toys. Toys in the spare room, toys in the living room, toys everywhere. Sometimes I had the urge of just walking away from the toys… However the toy mess was my fault. The kids had no proper place to store the toys, no system. You see, even young children will learn to use a simple system. Set an easy place for them to store their stuff. A box under the bed, a shelf on the lowest part of the closet or wardrobe accessible to them and make it easy for them to take the toys out and put them away. If one system does not work, try another. Don’t fret about small stuff, get one or 2 boxes and sort by general type of toy. As long as it put away, don’t concern yourself with details (like arranging minuscule lego pieces into order – it is not going to happen!), just get it organized. Set an example and they will follow (not everyday – it is not perfect, but for the most part). My room is always tidy, my shoes are in place and I don’t have stuff strewn on the floor, so they follow my lead. 

I learned that sometimes we see good ideas on TV shows and sometimes we don’t. About 7 years ago I saw a Peter Walsh show where he suggested a box for shoes under the bed. I bought the box, but it did not work for me. I am visual and I like things easy and it was hard to remember what shoes I had and to put them away at the end of the day. Now I have an open closet, I can see all my shoes I paired them down a lot and put them away as soon as I get home.

I do a little everyday. My kids put away their toys, I don’t leave clothing lying around the house and the messiest we get here now is when I don’t do laundry for 3 days (with children laundry is everyday to keep on top of it). At its worst it takes me 3 hours to get the house in order. At its best, about 30 minutes. I am thankful that I have a housecleaner that comes once a week, but that is for bathrooms and heavier cleaning. However, if I could not have that luxury, my husband and I are pretty confident that we could take care of the house ourselves. And declutter a lot more to make it even easier.

Today’s Mini Mission

While watching something on commercial television jump up in the ad time and find something to declutter in your living room. Perhaps go grab a handful of DVDs, go through a coffee or side table drawer or perhaps you have a pile of magazines near your chair that you could sort through and find something to declutter.

 

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Comments (27)

Mini Mission Monday ~ A minute here a minute there.

mini-logoMini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week our mini mission theme is all about how little time need take to declutter one thing a day. In fact you could combine all of the following missions into your daily routine and not even notice the effort or time used to achieve quite a bit of decluttering. I will share with you six short waiting periods where you can find a few minutes to achieve some decluttering.

Monday – While waiting for the kettle to boil, the coffee to brew or between cooking steps, use that time to find something to declutter in the kitchen.

Tuesday – While brushing your teeth open your peruse your toiletries and/or make-up in your bathroom and declutter something that you no longer use or is out of date.

Wednesday – While watching something on commercial television jump up in the ad time and find something to declutter in your living room. Perhaps go grab a handful of DVDs, go through a coffee or side table drawer or perhaps you have a pile of magazines near your chair that you could sort through and find something to declutter.

Thursday -Grab a file of paper that needs sorting and take care of that while watching television. You could also use this time to sort printed photos.

Friday – If you are ready ahead of time to go out for work or leisure use that spare few minutes to sort through a drawer anywhere in your house.

Saturday - When you have been sitting for a long time at home, are bored with what you are doing or a just need a break form something you have been working on for a long period, get up and have a wonder around the house and find something to declutter. I do something similar all the time. Often when I am writing my blog posts and I am stuck, I get up and find things that are out of place and put them away. This way nothing is ever out of place for long and the rambling through the house is an opportunity to stretch my legs. 

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Comments (8)

Mini Mission Monday ~ Methods of disposal

mini-logoMini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This weeks missions are designed to give you a little practice at ways of getting rid of your stuff. You may already be an expert at all of them or perhaps you have tried one or two, however this week why not give them all a try. Half the fun will be digging out an appropriate items for each mission and the other half will be testing your success with the method.

Monday – Give something away to a friend, family member or work colleague.

Tuesday – Put something into the recycling bin.

Wednesday – Throw something, that is beyond useful to anyone, into the trash.

Thursday – Put something aside to donate to charity.

Friday – Put something out on the street, in your apartment foyer or in the staff room at work with a FREE sign on it. It is always fun to see how quickly this method works.

Saturday - Sell something by any method appropriate for you. On-line, to a friend, family member or work colleague, through an auction house, consignment store, local notice board, garage sale, flea market or any method possible.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Let your fingers do the walking. When there is something you need to shop for, phone ahead to make sure the store has what you are after rather than making a wasted trip. Every small amount of petroleum product saved is a good thing.

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

Comments (13)

Mini Mission Monday ~ Organisation

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

I don’t talk much about organisation here at 365 Less Things. That is because I have found that once the clutter is gone things naturally end up in their logical position. However sometimes there are areas of our homes that need constant maintenance or even rearranging and/or decluttering to stay efficiently functional. This weeks mission will reflect areas of my home that I find I have to keep an eye on so they don’t get out of hand. And of course a little decluttering in these areas will make the job easier. Sometimes the decluttering is 90% of the task.

Monday – Declutter and organise the messiest drawer in your home. My craft drawers are the ones the get messed up because of all the experimenting I do craft wise. I keep the catering to these experiments limited but never the less I sometimes have to decide what is working for me and what isn’t and declutter and rearrange in the appropriate drawers on a regular basis.

Tuesday – Declutter and rearrange the work bench and tool chest. Most homes have a place to store the home maintenance gear. And typical when catering to home maintenance, hardware comes in multiples and these can mound up or not get put away when a task is done. This area isn’t too messing in our home, even though we have been doing lots of little home tasks of late. But a little tidying and tweaking never goes astray.

Wednesday – Declutter and reorganise the cupboard under the kitchen sink. This is one area of my home that I haven’t really sorted out properly since we moved in. It is about time I made a little more effort here, more in the organising than the decluttering but never-the-less it needs doing and I have what I need to get on with the task.

Thursday – If your transition point is getting a little cluttered like mine, perhaps it is time you make a trip to the thrift shop to unload all those decluttered items. I went on Wednesday as usual to do my shift and forgot to take my load of donation. Or should I say my kids donations which most of it is. I must remember it this week, along with all the upcycling I have been doing for the shop. That has been fun but I will be glad to clear it out of my spare bedroom.

Friday – As mentioned above I am still decluttering for my kids. They drop it off to me and I take it to the thrift shop. You on the other hand may still have kids at home. Now, as the season begin to change, is a good time to start taking a look in their closets to see if there are clothing items that no longer fit. Doing a little tidying up in there at the same time would also be wise. Know what they have that still fits for the coming season will help you to no go out buying things they don’t need and recluttering all over again.

Saturday – This next mission is a tip I refashioned from a kids holiday entertainment ideas helpful hint. Perhaps you can instigate it at your home today. Get yourself a jar, then when you encounter items not quite ready to be decluttered (clothes getting tatty, kids clothes almost outgrown, fabric décor items getting grubby or tattered, toys too young for your kids, something you don’t think is being used that you are keeping your eye on ~ that sort of thing) write down the thought on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. When you are struggling to find your thing a day to declutter, pull a note out of the jar and perhaps that will jog your memory of something that can now be eliminated. If this tip doesn’t appeal to you perhaps just declutter one of the items I just mentioned.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Drive smoothly and steadily rather than speeding up too quickly and braking erratically. One uses up petrol and the other wears out your brake pads. Both are wasteful and costly.

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

Comments (27)

Mini Mission Monday ~ Any reason is a good reason

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week’s missions are unrelated, aside from all intended to achieve less clutter in your home. So use your imagination and see if you can find something for each mission.

Monday – Declutter something you only keep because you paid a lot for it.

Tuesday – Declutter something that you keep as a backup for something else but isn’t expensive to replace.

Wednesday –  Return something that belongs to someone else.

Thursday – Declutter something from your past that doesn’t add any value to your life now.

Friday – Declutter something that you just haven’t used in a long time. Perhaps some sort of craft item that you imagined you could create something wonderful with but haven’t. Or perhaps a kitchen item that never was overly useful.

Saturday – Declutter something you received for free that isn’t beautiful or useful to you.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave lights on when rooms are unoccupied. It takes but a flick of a switch to achieve illumination and you’ll cope in the dark until that can be achieved.

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

Comments (12)

De-cluttering as a conversation starter… by Doodle

Doodle

Doodle

I was at a wedding last weekend and I didn’t know anyone among the 170 others  there apart from the groom. But I tell you what at the reception, I only had to mention that I sometimes work as a professional de-clutterer and I had a whole host of new friends intrigued and plying questions, lol.

First up we had the familiar, groaning husband; “Please come and sort my wife out!” followed by the another woman silently pointing at her husband while mouthing the words ‘We need to down size, help!’ and pulling faces.

I would add that the groaning husband was standing next to his wife at the time, and rather than thwack him with her hand bag, she immediately agreed she really needed sorting out. Her self confessed downfall was her love of browsing charity shops and what could I suggest? I suggested the only cure was going cold turkey and no longer visiting them. She agreed this was probably the only answer. If I was working with her  a client I would help her explore a little what need the shopping was fulfilling how she could explore others activities to enjoy that may fill the void.

As for the ‘we need to downsize’ couple, they had a 25 year accumulation of stuff from family life and were now empty nesters looking to the future. My advice to them was ‘start sorting out now’, if you hope to move in 2-3 years. It’s much less stressful to do it gradually. Start with the easy stuff and the rules

Do I really love it/use it.

Do I want to pay someone else to pack this up and move it to our new home.

In this couples case, he is a researcher so has lots of papers. We talked a little about scanning services.

Someone else was stumped by her clothes mountain. She confessed she struggled to let anything go, as she always convinced herself could always use old outfits for house work/in the garden. I suggested she consider what was the realistic maximum number of ‘old clothes’ outfit she could use given that at present she had a wardrobe full of such clothes. I suggested charity shops were a good way to make a donation rather than money, but she didn’t like the idea of clothes being added to the rags pile if there was in her opinion any life left in them, even though charity shops in the UK make a lot of money this way. Whatever I came up with, she had a reason not to let anything go. Sometimes, people block change with all sorts of excuses. But with these sorts of conversations, you never know what seed you may have planted, or what part you played in what goes on to be a major reversal of habits.

I definitely came away thinking there may be  a smart business move to hold de-cluttering workshops at wedding receptions!

Do you talk to people you meet about de-cluttering and find it’s a subject many people have something to say about? It’s a great conversation opener I find and everyone here will have some excellent tips for others that seem simple once you get more experience but to a newbie are a revelation: share your growing expertise folks, with the community you live in.

Today’s Mini Mission

Obligation ~ Declutter something you don’t want that you feel you should keep for someone else’s sake outside of your home. If they really care for you I am sure they wouldn’t want to cause you this stress.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

If you make coffee or tea after a meal boil a little extra water to soak the baked on food from the bottoms of pans. This saves having to run the hot water until it is warm enough for soaking. Adding a little bicarb soda will also make clean up easier.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Comments (51)

Simplify

Life is, at the very least, punctuated with stressful periods. For some there are no end of stressors almost 24/7 365 days of the year. Mostly this is caused by the complications of life. Past history, current hassles, work obligations, financial issues, family, illness… Boy, this is making me feel depressed just writing about it and my life is quite sweet for the most part.

The one thing I have learned from my decluttering experience is that simplification is the key. The more you own the more you have to take care of. The more work the is required from you. And all that acquiring means less savings in the bank when needed. Add that to all the other stressors and things can get really ugly.

What could be worse than a sudden health issue just when your rent has gone up and you have to take unpaid time off work. I’ll tell you what could be worse, and that is being surrounded by a messy, cluttered home when you are in the thick of it. During times of stress it is a wonderful thing to have a welcoming haven to return to at the end of the day. A welcoming place to cocoon yourself in to recuperate.

Sometimes when life is going well for you it can go to hell for someone close to you and you need to step in to help. Once again it is nice to feel free to be able to do that because things are simplified in your life.

Either way it is best to live by the Boy Scout motto of be prepared. I have found myself in both situations in recent years on several occasions and I have been able to step up to the plate at the drop of a hat. When my son had his accident, when I was having health issues, when my father went into hospital, when my daughter came home at short notice, in the last couple of weeks when I dashed off to help my friend with her move.

So don’t leave it until life happens to realise that you should get your own nest into shape. Get started now so that when things hit the fan you at least can be sure of is a place or peace and serenity to recharge in.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an item that brings you unnecessary feelings of sadness whenever you lay eyes on it.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t accept free promotional products that you have no use for. Accepting these just encourages the continuation of this practice while the environment would be healthier without the manufacture of cheap throwaway or needless items like these usually are.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Comments (28)