KEEPING IT SIMPLE AND QUICK
Today was the day I had to do it....
For the past week, I had been walking past my kitchen counter looking at "stuff" piling up. It is the central gathering place for everyone's "stuff". I looked at it and kept saying to myself , "I need to get my hands on this." I just felt like it was going to take more time and energy than I could give. Maybe you have a space like this too? I think most of us do. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have alot of counter space in our kitchen and I think that is what gives my family permission to dump here! The other problem we have in our home is that there is no office. So this particular area of the counter is really a mini office minus the filing cabinet! It is a challenging space even for ME! It works when I am diligently protecting the space. If I let my guard down for a day, I know someone is going to stick something here that doesn't belong.
Today was the day I was tired of looking at it all over the counter. For giggles, I decided to time myself clearing up the clutter. It only took 15 minutes!! Did you hear me? I said, it only took 15 minutes to get this area under control!! I had been avoiding this task for fear of the amount of time it would take along with the amount of energy I would need to complete the job.
Let me tell you how I did it. First, I began with my special one arm swing. This is what gets me going!!! I take my arm and slide it across the space I am working on and let it go to the floor. It really pumps me up!! What it really does is open the space so I can see what I am really working with. This is really the only way I can determine what will stay or go. You have to start with clearing out the space.
Next, I had to sort through the stuff before it went anywhere. I made 3 piles: keep, toss and move to another more suitable space. This really wasn't as hard as it seems. I had things that definitely didn't belong in the space. For example, I had some little school pictures of the kids along with a bunch of business cards. Now, what does one have to do with the other???? Nothing, exactly!! You really want to have like things grouped together as this is a basic rule of thumb in organizing. Makes sense doesn't it?
The pictures went into my scrapbooking area in the basement workshop and the business cards I created a place for in my drawer organizer that is set up for communication. I also had to determine what I wanted the space used for. I am using the little basket for keeping gift cards and note pads(by the phone). We accumulate alot of gift cards and store cards which I really don't like to carry on me so they need a safe place and until we are ready to use them. A word of caution- organizing accessories are wonderful tools to use when they are used properly. They can easily become a catchall like mine did. TIP-make sure you have a plan for the organizer when you purchase it and make it a priority to check in with it to see if it is serving its purpose or perpetuating the clutter.
As I was putting the items back into the organizer, I realized the pen/pencil holder could use a little assistance. I can't remember the last time I cleaned it out! Wasn't really a problem and definitely wasn't a priority until today! While I was already working in the same area, it became clear that I needed to see what was going on in there. I used the same steps as above:
1. Empty out the container
2. Sorted-Keep, toss or relocate
3. Put the items away
One key point about this that I would like to make is for #2. When sorting, it is okay to throw away the pens that don't work or the pencils that have become so small they wouldn't fit in the sharpener. Give yourself permission to do this, there is no good to come of keeping pens that don't work, this is CLUTTER.
In a total of 15 minutes, I had two decluttered spaces which made my counter free and clear. This also makes life easier when I can find things quicker. This is totally applicable to any small spaces you may have around your house. Keep it simple and you will be successful!
