I’ve always found gift wrap and other related items difficult to organise. If I was just talking about wrapping paper it would be fine, but it’s the ribbons, bows, different size gift bags, tissue paper, bubble wrap, tags and so on. How do you store these things in such a way that you can easily access them?
A while ago I started using a small wooden ottoman in the spare room to store wrapping paper, tissue paper and gift bags. This has stayed relatively organised; however, the box has a lid on top making it difficult to open it if stuff has been piled on top. I’m thinking that drawers might be a better option but I don’t want to buy anything new right now.
Today I decided to tackle this particular section of the spare room. My eldest daughter helped me and we piled everything into the middle of the room and began sorting.
Before sorting the gift wrap items
We found some temporary storage boxes to contain the small items so that most things had their place. We’ve had to place these on top of the ottoman for now as I still have other areas of the room to sort out. Whilst it’s not a permanent solution, at least we know where everything is and it feels a little bit more organised.
After sorting the gift wrap items
I’ve also cleared a space in front of the ottoman so it’s easily accessible and we don’t need to throw things over there from a distance or climb over things to get something.
Do you have a solution for storing gift wrap items?
We’re really going for it big time this weekend! My youngest daughter completed step 2 of her decluttering and cleaning plan today which was to sort out her desk. More items ended up in the spare room. As it was a windy, rainy and cold day, I decided that I would tackle some of the clutter in the spare room which has taken a big hit lately with unwanted items from both of my daughters’ bedrooms. This has added to the clutter and unorganised mess that was already in there.
I am okay with them doing this as it gets it out of their space and we are all aware that this room is the general dumping ground for what we don’t want. For this reason it will also be the last room in the house that gets properly organised. We have to be careful to keep the paths clear though as my husband is currently using it as his office. I’m glad that I decided to make a start on it today, otherwise it could have started interfering with him trying to work in there.
Beginning with obvious categories
Marla Stone, author of The Clutter Remedy, says that “humans are natural born pilers”. I am definitely one of those humans. If there is a pile of stuff somewhere, I will put something on top of it, not next to it as that takes up more space, but on top of it if I can. This can create a clutter castle and sometimes it falls over.
She also suggests having open bins or containers in some rooms dedicated to dumping stuff in. It’s gone too far in the spare room to start this process with there being nowhere to even put a container or bin earlier. I just looked at all the mess this morning and said to myself that I just need to start identifying obvious categories. So, as I listened to another chapter of The Clutter Connection, I did the following…
I put all books together and piled them up next to the already full bookshelf
I used a rubbish bag to throw things straight into as I came across them
I put recycling in a box ready to go outside
I removed all of the clothes that were covering the old sofa (mainly clothes that the girls don’t want) and then put them in a pile over the other side of the room. Some went into a charity bag but I didn’t do that to all of them for the following reasons (1) I don’t think that my eldest daughter has asked my youngest daughter if she wants any of the clothes, and (2) I have a friend who I can pass some of the good clothes onto after lockdown
I put all of the girls’ old school books in a box as they couldn’t decide whether they wanted to keep them or not. Today wasn’t about making decisions anyway, it was about categorising
I emptied all unwanted bags including school bags and handbags and put them in a pile. I could see that there were some useful bags and purses that I think that they might need in the future e.g. swimming bags, hardly used tote style bags, and a carry on suitcase.
I created a gift wrapping section including paper, ribbons, tissue paper etc., which used to be in a container and organised and now it’s just a heap. Due to clutter piling things have just been thrown over there from a distance
I put all cuddly toys in one corner – I’m not even sure why we still have these, and if it’s me that’s still attached to them or the girls!
I put games that we’ve recently played, back in the games cupboard. That’ll be an interesting day sorting all of the old games out
I put other stuff in a pile as I ran out of time.
Halfway though doing the above, my eldest daughter came in to see if I wanted company and we switched on the TV to see if there was anything we could watch whilst I was sorting stuff out. We ended up watching six episodes of Friends. Later we had something to eat and I vacuumed the sofa and the floor, so that we could relax and watch a movie.
Sofa and clothes pile before and after
I’m only showing a small section above. There’s still a lot to do as this room has a couple of full to the brim cupboards and a lot more corners to declutter (I’m too embarrassed and definitely not brave enough to show pictures of the whole room yet, maybe at the end when it’s all clear). A very productive day though, and at least we can use this room to relax in and watch TV when my husband isn’t working.
I had no idea that my youngest daughter (13, almost 14) was planning on decluttering and cleaning her room over the next few days; she kept that very quiet. She typed up a plan which she has allowed me to share with you.
A teen’s plan for a tidy room
Today she completed step 1 and felt so happy with her progress. I’ve been working all day so was really surprised when she called me upstairs to show me what she’d done. Her floor was clear and clean making the room feel a lot more spacious.
What was the motivation?
I asked her what motivated her to make a start and she said that she was sitting in her room the other day and it felt really cramped with no room to move. For a long time, there have been boxes of stuff containing items that she’d taken off her desk just before she started the home schooling at the end of March. These boxes joined the other stuff that was already on the floor, and then other items piled on top of them and gathered around them. In amongst that were clothes, a washing bin, cushions, books and so on.
Today she just woke up and was determined to make a start. I think that it’s been bothering her for a while that she never finished the whole room at the beginning of lockdown.
I told her that I was very proud of her and gave her a big hug! She said that step 1 didn’t even take that long and feels very motivated to do the rest.
So, this was a big step forward today for my 2020 challenge and I didn’t even have to do anything. It actually felt more inviting walking into her room this evening and not tripping over things. I’m looking forward to seeing her complete the next steps on her plan.
Unwanted books and other items
This box of books has made it downstairs ready to be donated. Even though I love books and hardly ever get rid of mine, I can see why she doesn’t want these as she’s grown out of them or they are ones that she’s been working on at school and has now completed.
Unwanted books
Should you tidy your children’s rooms or leave it to them?
Yes, sometimes it can be frustrating to see it all pile up in their rooms and be tempted to just go in and pick up the clothes and rubbish from the floor, but I have resisted over lockdown. I like to leave them to do it themselves and organising things the way that they want them. Mess eventually gets to everyone, and if I’d done it, they wouldn’t have experienced that sense of accomplishment.
I’ve seen them both be tidy before with everything in its place and they’ve helped me around the house, so I know that they have the decluttering bug in them somewhere. I’ve just been waiting patiently for it to shine through again. I also like to think that I’ve influenced them both indirectly by decluttering the rest of the house. In fact I actually think we’re influencing each other.
I can see a much clearer picture now of getting this house up straight. I’m positive that we can all work together to come up with tidy and decluttered spaces and keep them that way.
In her book The Clutter Remedy, Marla Stone explains that once you’ve been through your stuff and discarded what you don’t want, you don’t necessarily need to get yourself stressed about getting rid of more just because it still looks untidy. You just need to learn new tricks on how to categorise and organise your belongings and to maintain the space. Once organised, the clutter is no longer visible because it’s no longer clutter to you.
“You will learn a new way to make years of clutter disappear like an abracadabra trick and without having to get rid of a thing, when that’s not on the cards”
Marla Stone, The Clutter Remedy
Today’s progress
I woke up to an early alarm as my grocery shopping was being delivered between 8 and 9am. Before the shopping arrived, I pottered about quietly downstairs and then relaxed with a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon. I thought about my day and wrote in my planner.
After my initial progress in the utility room yesterday, I wanted to tackle the surface clutter. The room is only small and every inch of the counter top is covered with stuff. As I haven’t yet got a clear picture of what I want to use the space for, I decided that removing everything wasn’t going to be a wise move. I really wouldn’t have had the time to finish the job properly meaning that clutter would have ended up spilling into other areas. That’s what I’ve been doing in other rooms and it just causes me unnecessary stress.
Instead I removed all of the paper and cardboard that I could easily see which reduced the surface clutter by about a quarter. I made a mental note that I need to get better at putting these items straight into the recycling rather than storing them there.
Next, I spotted some pencil cases that the girls recently tried to throw away and I rescued them (bad habit of mine!). There were also loose pens and two or three full pen pots containing random pens, pencils, highlighters and other small stationery items. I decided that going through these and also the pen pot in the kitchen would be a good use of my time this morning; something I could start and finish easily.
At least if I put the pots back sorted, they would actually contain pens that work and pencils that are sharpened. Don’t you just hate picking up a pen that has run out of ink or go to use a pencil and it’s blunt?
I got some scrap paper and scribbled, sorted and sharpened…
Checking which pens and pencils work
I know that there are more boxes of pens etc. in the spare room upstairs and I definitely spotted some in the garage at the weekend. Tomorrow I’m going to find them all and continue going through them until we only have pens and pencils that we want and like. Imagine that feeling knowing that every pen you pick up will work and every pencil has been sharpened. It will no longer look and feel like clutter.
We can all fill our day with things to do but are they they the right things? I’ve been working on my challenge every day this year to clear space in my house, my garden and my mind and the time taken to do this and write about it has added to my already busy schedule. As you know, I’m enjoying the process of decluttering and creating space, but often wonder if I should be doing things differently and more efficiently. Maybe if I had just taken a week or two off to focus entirely on decluttering, I would have got just as far or even further than I have now.
So, my question is…
Am I going about things the right way by doing a little bit every day?
Marla Stone, author of The Clutter Remedy, recommends planning and visualising your space and then allocating focused time to get things done where you don’t have to keep stopping and starting. She says that a single rooms can be categorised and organised in a day (or a bit longer if it’s very full) and that it’s possible to get the whole house done by doing four to six hours each day over two to three consecutive days. She doesn’t recommend a person “working an hour here and an hour there over the course of weeks or months” partícularly when that person has a busy schedule. Apparently it takes twice as long and even longer when doing it alone.
So, should I continue the way I am? As you know, I like to make improvements to the way I do things and don’t want to make the same mistakes in the second half of the year. I want to be more efficient. Any tips or observations would be very welcome.
Today’s progress
I had to declutter the conservatory again, but it was quick because it was just things that had been dumped in there from when the lounge was decorated last week. A mix of recycling, rubbish and donatable items (which went in the garage). The clearer space meant that I can once again move my desk chair back without knocking into anything.
What’s this flower?
Completely separate topic. We have this lovely plant growing in our garden with mesmerising deep pink flowers, but it’s lost it’s label. Does anyone know what it’s called?
I dropped off to sleep around midnight last night and was then wide awake just after 2am thinking about stuff for over an hour. I eventually went downstairs and laid on the settee for another hour but still had very little luck drifting off. So, around 5 or 6am I got up to start my day and had some porridge with nuts, seeds, freeze dried strawberries and cinnamon.
I couldn’t help but notice the extremely messy utility room that’s been bothering me for a while. It has got progressively worse since the decorating last week, as items have moved into the space. I’ve been struggling to get to the washing machine.
The house was quiet and I thought… what if I tackled it now without any interruptions? The sun had just come up and I was in the mood for tidying. I first grabbed the easy stuff and put it away and then sorted out anything that looked like rubbish or recycling. Thankful there was a lot of that.
I started listening to an audio book that was in my library called The Clutter Remedy by Marla Stone. I’ve listening to it before and I like her style. Part way through I wrote this sentence down:
Working on yourself before your space prepares you for the physical, emotional and mental aspects of getting organised
I thought about the last few weeks and how I’ve been working on me. I feel like it’s all been worth it as I’m now feeling ready to tackle the more intricate clutter areas. My daughter also gave me a few home truths about my clutter habits last night and that’s given me the extra kick I need. I’m on day 154, so I shouldn’t be looking at rooms in this sort of state.
Progress
I did really well and by mid-morning, I had gone through quite a bit of stuff. Before and after photos are below (so far) but still have a lot to go through mainly on the surfaces. At least I can get to the washing machine now. It really was hidden away this morning.
Utility room progress, but not quite finished
I’m soooo tired but I just wanted to post this quickly because this step forward in the utility room (which I know that I’ve done before) has made a huge difference. Once I have sorted and organised the clutter on the surfaces I know I will feel more organised.
It was a lovely hot and sunny day today so I rewarded myself with a little rest in the garden before I had to start work this afternoon. I was really struggling to keep my eyes open by tea time.
I logged onto work early this morning and then logged off late and didn’t go for a walk at lunchtime as planned. So, by the time it got to tea time I could feel the stress building up.
I immediately went into ‘mum’ and ‘wife’ mode and was about to ask everyone else what they wanted for dinner when I stopped in my tracks…
The reason why I stopped is because and thought about what would make me feel better before I faced the rest of the family to discuss dinner and before I offer to do things other things for them or with them. I decided to add a short break in between leaving my ‘home’ work desk and starting the evening.
Doing something for myself
So, I closed myself in the conservatory and opened my planner, that I’ve recently started writing in again on a daily basis.
Today’s message to myself and the first two things that I’d written under morning mindset were as follows…
High performance planner created by Brendon Burchard
If I was to let nothing faze me then I could sit there and plan my next 30-60 minutes without worrying about anyone disturbing or bothering me about being bored or hungry. Let’s be optimistic I told myself.
I decided to start writing today’s post there and then as (1) I love to write so I’d be doing something for me, and (2) It would get done quicker and I wouldn’t be thinking about what to write when I’m tired later. I could use the time later to edit it instead.
I then closed my eyes and took several long deep breaths, and I mean the proper deep breathing where you let your tummy expand as well as your chest.
I felt calm and a lot more in control.
I then planned to go and tidy or organise something (which always makes me feel good) and update with some notes below later.
Later in evening
I remembered it was rubbish collection day tomorrow so emptying the bins kept me occupied for a while. There’s something quite satisfying about taking out the bins and making the house feel lighter. I even sorted out a load of recycling.
I met a neighbour when I dragged the bin round the back. I hadn’t spoken to her since the beginning of lockdown so it was good to see how her and her husband have been coping (we stayed 2 metres apart of course).
I needed to pop to the shops for a couple of items (I do prefer going to the supermarket when it’s quiet and there are no queues outside). As I was walking out of the door, my husband was asking me what was for dinner. I said that I hadn’t planned anything and told him what was in the fridge. “I’ll make myself an omelette or something when I get back,” I said.
Nothing was going to faze me, not even the fact that they didn’t have the items that I wanted in the supermarket. I just enjoyed my wander around the quiet isles and my slow ‘few minute’ drive back.
I returned home, wiped my shopping down and put it away. I felt quite chilled.
I think I did very well at diverting the stress and not letting anything faze me. I’m so pleased that I took your time to write those words this morning. I might not have cooked anyone dinner this evening, but I don’t feel guilty as we did have a late lunch of yesterday’s leftovers. They all found something to eat for tea.
I might even go to bed earlier after a bit of meditation.
I can feel the sun burning on my legs as I type this. I had an hour or two in the garage this afternoon so thought it was time to come outside and enjoy the sun. Having been out for a brisk walk this morning, as well as having my fix of decluttering and tidying this afternoon, I was ready to sit outside and relax.
This got me thinking… why am I fine to relax now but earlier on this morning, I wasn’t interested? It’s purely because I am the sort of person who wants to improve myself and my surroundings every day and I can’t wait to get on with it when I wake up. I also love to learn, love to create space and love to get things done.
I want to sit down and read books but I also want to declutter. So, I listen to audio books whilst I declutter. Not quite the same, but the information is still going in. Audio books motivate me just like the music does. Sometimes music is the right thing, but when I’m in learning mode, I switch on an audio book instead to see what I can pick up.
Today I switched on How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It’s the second time I’ve listened to this book and I’m picking up more this time around. I learnt so much about eating healthily, that it stopped me reaching for the biscuits to go with my cup of tea when I came back into the house.
My progress today
From my time in the garage today, I collected another bag of rubbish and reorganised a few more shelves. I have a joint of beef in the slow cooker ready for dinner, and I’m looking forward to relaxing this evening with the family before the working week begins.
Hope you’re all having a happy and pleasant day doing things you love to do.
I woke up later than usual this morning and felt more energised. I knew that it was going to be a productive day even thought I didn’t have anything particular planned. I felt that I could tackle anything which is a completely different feeling from the last three weekends. I must be doing something right.
I planned on spending the day pottering around the kitchen and garden tidying up and creating space. I was kind of hoping that I wouldn’t get any interruptions. In the middle of emptying the dishwasher, my husband asked me if he could paint over the old canvas pictures that we’d taken down from the lounge and were going to give to charity. He also asked if o knew where his acrylic paints etc were.
I knew that everything he needed was in the garage, as I’d come across them when sorting things out recently. I got his paints, brushes and easel and helped him set it all up in the garden. He painted over one of the canvases with white paint and left it to dry.
My husband hasn’t felt motivated to paint for a few years so he’s obviously feeling creative. We have a few of his works of art around the house – he’s very talented.
Back into the garage
I can’t go into the garage without wanting to tidy something, so mid-afternoon I popped back into my cluttered hideaway for an hour to find things that I could throw away permanently or recycle. I also assumed that my husband wouldn’t want to put the painting stuff back in the garage so I used that space for the many filled charity bags. My daughter came in at the end and said that it was looking tidier in there. The words ‘garage’ and ‘tidy’ have never been used in the same sentence before, so well done me! Here are a few empty boxes and other items that I forced myself to recycle today…
Recycling
So, you never know how a day is going to turn out but this one felt productive. The kitchen and dining room are looking a bit tidier too, although you’ll never guess where the easel and paints have ended up this evening… in the dining room that I had just tidied. Oh well, at least they are being used and my husband is getting some time to be creative again. I just need to help him find some photos or pictures to get inspiration from, so that he has an image of what to paint.
Our new swing seat cushion turned up today which means that we can stop using an old throw and cushions that don’t match. It’s nicely padded and fits perfectly. I’ll need to keep the pigeons away from it during the day though and remember to put it away in the evening.
We haven’t got a permanent place for the cushion yet so it’s going to have to be stored in the conservatory until we can come up with a home for it. Not ideal, but worth it for now. It’s very comfortable and we’ve all relaxed on it today.
Family walk
It was warm today so we went on a family walk at lunchtime. I can’t believe that it was the first time that the four of us have all been out together since before lockdown which would have been around mid-March.
We took a few bottles of water and a packet of biscuits with us and when we got to an open space we stopped and sat on the grass for a break. It was really pleasant and truly a shame that it was a work day and we had to come back home to the emails and zoom calls.
Sandra Madeira 