Table of Contents

-Introduction
-Did you know?
-Monthly Mission – Bedrooms and Closets
-Check Out These Pages! – Relevant pages and new site additions
-Clutter and Clots

Introduction

I hope this newsletter finds everyone in good health. My family and I got hit by the flu that has been going around. We missed a full week of school and didn’t do much more than lie around on the couch and watch TV for the week. Thankfully, everyone is fine now. I’d like to think that having the home in a mostly organized fashion helped us to bounce back to our routines once we felt better. Yes, there was a lot of laundry to catch up on, but bills were paid and there was nothing pressing.

Have you lost your momentum already in this new year? It’s possible. So many people don’t make it to February with their new years resolutions. I have a list of organizing projects I need to take on. And I know that once I complete something, it makes me want to do more. So let’s all take a deep breath and keep it going!

The average person with a cluttered desk spends 7.5 hours looking for things each week.

Source: All You Magazine, February 22, 2013

Do you want to make your bedroom a peaceful oasis, and your closet more organized and efficient? Yes! To read more about the February monthly mission, click here.

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

Checklists Library - Looking for some checklists to help get ready for the holidays, to plan a party or to pack for a family trip? Find what you need here.

Before and After Photos - If you enjoy seeing before and after photos of organizing projects, you can find them all right here.

Living Room Storage Make-over - See how we recently re-organized our living room (play room) with a new Ikea wall unit that's great for storing lots of stuff.

The Family Wall Calendar - How to efficiently use a large family wall calendar to keep track of everyone's appointments and activities.

Home Filing System - Keep all your paperwork in order so you can find what you need at a moments notice, and learn what to keep and what to toss.

Garage Makeover - before and after photos of my personal garage makeover. See how we tackled the problems and ended up with a functional garage.

Streamline Your Morning Routine - Ideas to help you get out the door in the morning and be on time for work or school.

Bathroom Drawer Make Over - How to organize a bathroom drawer, an example with before and after photos.

Stop Clutter - Quick simple tips on how to stop the clutter from coming into your home in the first place.

According to Webster’s dictionairy, clutter means (noun) “a crowded or confused mass or collection”; (verb) “to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.” What’s more interesting is how the word came to be. It was derived from the Middle English word “clotteren” meaning to clot, as in a blood clot.

Now, we all know that a blood clot, which impedes movement of the blood, and reduces effectiveness of the body is a pretty bad thing. Something we’d definitely want to avoid. As well, the clutter in our homes works in exactly the same way. Stuff comes together to cause clutter… a pile here, a pile there, and room, and yes, sometimes so much clutter a person can’t move around efficiently to find what they need or do what they want.

How serious does our clutter affect us? There have been studies that show it causes us to lose sleep, which in turn causes us to gain weight. It causes stress and frustration. There are lost items and lost time searching for them. Unopened mail, bills not paid, and late fees charged and missed or forgotten appointments. It’s simply very draining.

The only treatment to cure the ailments brought on by clutter is to clear it. And even though you’re still in the midst of the stress of it, you need to get started. There is no miracle day going to happen when you suddenly feel organized and you whip through your house making it all better. Even with medication you take for an illness, it takes time for it to start working, but it won’t do anything at all until you start to take it.

Let’s look at decluttering our homes as more than just organizing our stuff, but as part of our plan for better health, both physically and mentally. Clearing our clutter will help us in many ways. And nice to know, there are no nasty side effects with this cure. Only more freedom, time, space and peace of mind. Take action today, even if only for 15 minutes, and motivation will follow.

Until next time, happy organizing!

Tracy Greene
Plan-and-Organize-Life.com