This is one of my calm spaces that I’ve created this year for me to sit, relax, think, write and reflect on life…

So, here I am at the end of 2020 having written consistently for 366 days about decluttering and clearing space. I still can’t believe that the idea I had on 1st January 2020 to clear one thing, would grow into what it did. My 2020 challenge wording changed a few times throughout the year but I settled on the final wording around mid-year which I turned into the affirmation below:

“I have a clear and organised space in my home, my garden and my mind”

My 2020 Challenge, Sandra Madeira

What I achieved on my journey was far more than I imagined. In fact, I didn’t really have a plan at all, I was just going to clear, clear and clear some more until it was all sorted out. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but I’ve learnt so much along the way, particularly about myself. I’ve also learnt to ask for help, have rest when I feel overwhelmed and that I can’t do everything.

I’ve listened to various authors’ books on topics such as happiness, cleaning, decluttering, clearing and so on. They have been an inspiration to me and kept me going when I really felt overwhelmed. So too have you, my readers, and followers. I have loved reading your encouraging comments and tips. Thank you 😊.

So, did I achieve my challenge?

I’m proud of what I’ve achieved this year. Just to have most rooms finished is enough for me to acknowledge that I’ve completed my challenge. Realistically I was never going to get everything done. The house is looking and feeling clearer and tidier and when I asked my girls this evening how I’d done with my challenge, they said ‘really well’ which means a lot to me.

My plan for 2021 is to continue with the program of work that I’ve started and to get the last two rooms decorated. I’ll also be adding in a cleaning routine and trying to stick to it in order to keep on top of things. I’ll definitely be taking things at a slower pace, working on my inner self and adding in lots more self care and reflection time.

Some challenges thrown in throughout this year

• Covid-19 and two lockdowns shook things up a bit; however, we were all fortunate to be able to work and do schooling from home and stay safe. This brought with it some challenges in terms of finding places around the home for desks that we could work at. Adding to that we were all in the house every day and had to juggle having builders in working around us (or not depending on the restrictions).
• Renovation work wasn’t on the agenda at the beginning of the year but one decision to move my daughter into the study, opened up a whole program of work for me to manage which resulted in a new en-suite bathroom, skimmed/plastered ceilings, spotlights throughout the house, and many rooms decorated. This made me feel quite overwhelmed at times, but ended up speeding up the decluttering process because as each room got finished, we only put back in the the room what we wanted in there.
• Qualifying as a coach was something that I achieved last month. It’s something that I have been working on for the whole year through work alongside my day job as a Finance Systems Manager. It was a challenge to fit in, but I’m so pleased that I did it.

A few posts I’d like to highlight

There have been many highlights in the year and I can’t list all 366 of them; however, I’ve chosen a selection of my favourite 2020 posts below:

• Declutter your mind… take a bath
• Organising the chocolates or eat them
• A reason to buy beautiful fresh flowers
• 61 pairs of shoes and 4 cans of paint
• Tackling a small pile of papers before it gets out of control
• The cost of clutter and procrastination
• Getting prepared for home working
• Decluttering the emotions
• Practising patience in the midst of cleaning
• Uncovering a small water fountain in the garden
• Walking (and a bit of blogging) helps with lockdown stress
• The kitchen is for dancing but not for clutter castles
• Letting our teens paint the lounge (part 1)
• Making clutter disappear without really getting rid of anything
• Getting things done in my cluttered hideaway
• The cleaning bug is catching
• Decluttering progress in the garage and saving the marigolds
• Anniversary celebrations
• Dejunking my mind and clearing clutter castles by the bed
• A week off and a glimpse of a lifestyle change
• Clutter sketching forces me to slow down
• Sorting out the spare room cup a leads to an evening of fun
• An afternoon by the sea clears the mind
• Let clutter be your teacher, uncovering feelings that are buried deep
• Goodbye silver birches, hello opportunity
• Cluttered minds don’t know the concept of simple
• It’s important to ramp up the self care when you have a lot going on
• Why am I not feeling stressed about the mess
• Thinking about organising paperwork and wondering why I’m not feeling stressed about it
• Inspired by the space in the new study
• The clearing path is taking me on a journey
• En-suite bathroom complete and a relaxing evening
• A painting challenge in the tricky cupboard
• Knowing when to listen to your body and relax
• The chandelier has gone
• A shock in the lounge and Xmas decs get a new home
• It’s all about storage me today I repurposed a cupboard I free up more space
• It only takes 5 minutes to clear a desk

Writing is my passion and it’s been a joy blogging every day. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my posts and they have inspired you in some way.

I will still be updating this blog next year as I have new challenges and projects for 2021; however, I won’t be posting daily.

Happy New Year

So that just leaves me enough time to to say Happy New Year.

Open the champagne and let the celebrations begin 🎉 🍾 🥂.

Until next year…

Sandra