The Minimalist…
What are your thoughts about being a minimalist? Do you think less is more? When you start to acquire things, does it make you anxious?
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How Do You Feel After You Clean Out Your Closets?
So I decided to take my own advice and clean out my closets today. There really is something about getting order back into your life. I feel lighter, and although tired, feel as if I can focus now on other areas of my life that need attending to. Do you ever feel this way? What is your experience after you clean something out or purge?
What’s In Your Closet?
The desire to spruce things up has kicked into high gear for me. I am having my upstairs painted, which consists of three bedrooms and a full bath. So, you know what that means – each has a closet that needs to be de-cluttered and organized.
I found the bathroom medicine cabinet to be simple because there was not an emotional attachment to anything. Discarding expired prescriptions and over-the-counter items was just a matter of reading the labels, and anything that was a lotion or hair tonic that I had not used in a year, I let go.
While cleaning the linen closet, I didn’t realize how many sheets I had been holding onto that I didn’t have beds for anymore. I found that to be interesting. Regardless, any sheets that didn’t serve a purpose went into the donation pile. I had a lot of towels that were frayed or wearing thin, so I put them aside with the cleaning supplies to use as rags.
The amazing thing was that all this time, I convinced myself that I had a hefty supply of linens, when actually I needed to replenish.
Moving right along, I went to the wardrobe closets that were just screaming to be purged.
Beginning with my daughter’s, I reviewed the remnants (or so I thought) of the clothes she no longer wanted after taking what she did want with her to college.
Boy, was I in for a surprise. Here, I found old prom dresses, sweet-16 attire, graduation gowns and countless handbags and shoes among the remaining everyday outfits.
I decided the best way to conquer this project and not have her feel I was invading her space and not respecting her things, was to schedule an hour telephone call so we could review her contents and come up with a plan.
To my delight, not only was it well received, but also long overdue on her part. As long as she was involved, she was looking forward to coming home to a closet that would allow for extra storage since she was tired of “looking for things” she could not find in her cluttered closet.
We both knew when it came to her wardrobe with significant memories, without being present, it was unrealistic to make such a big decision, so we decided that anything that fell into this category would go into a memory trunk, and I would store it until she came home to make the final decision.
Anything else that overlapped such as pocketbooks, shoes and scarves, she decided to let go of. If it wasn’t important enough to bring with her, then the likelihood of her using it again would be nil.
We thought it only fair, that her summer items could be left for her to deal with when she returned home for her next go around, and any clothes being brought home from the previous seasons would get one more “looking over” before retiring them.
Overall, I was pleased with the reclaimed space since it made it so much easier to organize and put things away once everything was painted.
As far as my closets, well, I will have to keep you posted on that topic.
-Patricia Diesel
Keep It Simple Now
5 Most Common Organizational Starters
Patricia Diesel
We’re talking about organizational starters…
As the New Year approaches, we begin thinking about the things we would like to accomplish in the coming year. We don’t have to wait until spring to begin cleaning and getting organized, you can start with little projects right now to get yourself motivated.
Here are some suggestions on where and how to begin:
1. Makeup Bag
Anything older than a year, such as lipsticks, foundations and concealers, toss it out. If mascara is older than four months or smells strange, discard it, as well as any other items that may be questionable.
2. Purse
Scale it down. There’s nothing appealing about lugging around a heavy handbag and not being able to find your wallet and keys. It can be extremely frustrating emptying your purse every time you need to find something.
3. Kitchen Drawer
Do you have too many spoons, not enough forks, and knives that don’t cut? Sales are always on the horizon, so why not think about purchasing some new silverware and get that drawer organized once and for all. What to do with the old set you ask? Why not donate them to a favorite charity, ask a college student if they may need them, or use them as a back-up for summer picnics.
4. Desk Drawer
I’m sure you will find everything here short of your kitchen sink, but let’s streamline things and keep the basic essentials to help you out in last-minute pinches.
- Antiperspirants – for those stressful days
- Breath mints – after your morning coffee
- Eye drops – restore moisture after too many hours on the computer
- Lint roller – remove lint and hair on clothing before those last-minute meetings
- Antibacterial cloths – before and after meal cleanups and disinfect your phone
- First-aid – bandages for paper cuts and blisters
- Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin – tension headaches, minor aches and pains
- Plastic utensils – for the days you know you’re eating in.
5. Pantry
Take inventory of what you have. Look at expiration dates and circulate or toss out. If you have many opened boxes of the same food, consider combining all ingredients into one container to maximize your space. Remember to keep like with like.
What about your pots and pans? If you haven’t used some of your cookware in years, it may be time to let it go or replace with a more up-to-date product.
The five items listed above are some of the most commonly used areas in your daily life. Beginning here give you a taste of living an organized life. These 5 areas may inspire you to begin incorporating additional organization in your life. Remember, creating small wins is the first step toward changing behavior.