Table of Contents

-Introduction
-Monthly Mission – Recap and Tidy Up
-Check Out These Pages! – Relevant pages and new site additions
-Taking Back Control by Decluttering

Introduction

Hello Plan and Organize Life Friends!

First of all, welcome to summer for those of you in the USA. I’ve had a busy and stressful first part of 2018 and I’ve been missing in action for a few months. I’m hoping to get back to routine again. Although, it’s going to be a new routine as things are changing around here.

I’m also in the process of updating my website. With the new privacy policy that went into effect on May 25, 2018, I’ve had to make some changes to comply with the new laws. Those issues should all be taken care of and your privacy should be protected better now. As well, I’d never share or sell your personal information anyway. There should also be some other more visual changes coming down the road too as I slowly get around to more updates.

This month I’ve been focusing on taking back control. One way to keep things under control is to declutter!!

If you love to shop online and you're not using Ebates, you're leaving money on the table! Earn cash back for your online purchases you were already making! I have received several "Big Fat Checks" over the years! Check it out. Click on the Ebates logo.

You can always jump in anywhere to get started. Just because it’s not the beginning of the year doesn’t mean you can’t pick a room and get started with your decluttering and organizing. For more information about the July mission, click here.

If you prefer to go digital, you might enjoy the Cozi Family Organizer. You can sync everyone's schedules together at no charge.

If you’re in a hurry to put some order back into your home, perhaps Mimi Tanner's unique method will give you that jumpstart. Check out her method at Declutter Fast: How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately.

Here are some pertinent pages on the website you may have missed along with any new pages.

Daily Routines - Having a daily routine helps to keep you on track and makes keeping tidied up easier as it becomes a routine habit.

Organize Toys - The kids are out from school. Why not make a plan to have them help you organize all their toys?

Home Filing System - Here is the instructions for getting your home filing system together.

Meal Planning - Plan ahead for meals to reduce trips to the grocery store and save time.

Sorting Mail - Simple ideas for sorting your mail as soon as you get it.

Taking Back Control by Decluttering

Sometimes life just gets shaken up. Sometimes it gets turned upside down and then shaken. At times like these, it’s not unusual to feel like you have no control of your life.

We long for a time when things were more simple, smooth and things moved along as expected, even if sometimes they were a bit routine and boring. Gosh how those days are missed when you’re in the middle of chaos!

When life is in chaos, and so is the house, it throws my mind into utter chaos as well. I can’t even think straight to focus on solutions to issues. I don’t like living amongst the clutter and I just want to find some peace.

One small thing I can do to find some peace is to declutter.

The act of decluttering, even if it’s just a junk drawer or a drawer in your night stand, is a mental task that takes your focus for a short while. And when you’ve completed it, you feel lighter. Both because you’re free of the items you discarded, and you’re better able to organize and access the things you kept. There is new space, and order, and it feels good.

We just had a garage sale last weekend for the first time in several years. It was a lot of work, but we made a decent chunk of change, and we cleared out a lot of stuff that had been collecting over the years. What we didn’t sell, we donated to charity. Again, new space, more order, and it feels really good!

We’re still going around the house trying to add more spaciousness and organizing things in more functional ways. My daughter has even gotten into it, and this is the girl who normally can’t walk through her bedroom! She also likes the feeling of space and order. Maybe there is hope for her yet!

So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with the challenges of life and you’re not sure what to do to help you feel more in control, go ahead and do a little decluttering in a drawer, closet, or room.

Seriously, just decluttering and sorting out that junk drawer can do wonders for your sense of peace.

Until next time, happy organizing!

Tracy Greene
Plan-and-Organize-Life.com