Cleaning House

I downloaded a "Get Organized in 30 Days" plan to cleaning and decluttering your home from Home Made Simple. Honestly, I was disappointed by the list. Not that there aren't good suggestions on there (I'm still hanging on to it to remind myself of areas to target), but here's some examples of this "plan":

"Day 03: Coat closet. From coats to boots, wrangle your outdoor gear."

"Day 17: Desk. Clean and streamline your workspace."

"Day 25: Purse. Put an end to digging around for that tube of lip balm with a total purse clean out."

Now, there are (somewhat) more helpful tips on how to go about doing these things elsewhere on their website. But that's not exactly what I call a "plan" ... I think a plan would look more like Crystal's "4 Weeks to a More Organized Home" Challenge. Here's Day 1:

Day 1 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}
::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and make a list of 5-10 goals for this week.
::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}
::Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up the main living areas of your home.
::Clean out your purse and/or diaper bag.
::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.

Now that's what I call a plan. And she does this for four weeks. Bite size goals that are attainable ... and a shortcut version for those who can't get to the full clean, even if they wanted to right now! I like that. It's real. It's flexible.



Now, I'm not saying the other list is totally useless. Actually, it made me feel a *little* better about the state of things in my house. Of the 30 day assignments, I have recently done 12 of them (or they didn't apply (e.g. our linen closet has always been neat and easy to maintain. So I don't need to "tackle" it).

That's the way I like to start a project ... with almost half of it checked off *grin* And there are a number of items that are decently kept up, but I haven't checked off the list because I'm sure when I get to them they will bear a little work (like making sure I've kept my jewelry organized and put away).

Sometimes, you know you have irrational and overblown hesitations. For example, I know if I start planning a week or two of meals at a time, I will be less stressed and we will save money. But I find the task of sitting down and planning that out daunting. I don't know why, but I do. I'm hoping that once I do it, though, I'll breathe a sigh of relief and go that was easy, and a load off of my mind ... why didn't I do it sooner?

 What are your organizational and cleaning tips and strategies?


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