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Declutter Your Home

Clear The Clutter Checklist – Decluttering Your Life To Focus On Your Goals

Posted on December 30, 2018

Clear The Clutter : The Ultimate Checklist To Declutter Your Home, Body & Mind & Focus On Your Goals in 2019

Clearing The Clutter: Home

One thing that is great about the New Year is the feeling of a fresh start. A clean slate. I love goal setting, aspirational thinking, clearing the negatives and reflecting on the positives of the past year.

How many times have you set New Year’s Resolutions only for them to not be achieved?

You are not alone. So few of us actually keep those promises of change that we make to ourselves. It IS possible to make positive changes in your life, but it doesn’t happen by just throwing a resolution out there.

I highly suggest writing down your goals, crafting vision boards, telling your friends and asking them to hold you accountable, etc. (Lots more on that to come..) Until then, you can read my 2018 New Year’s post about living a more intentional life, HERE.

BEFORE you jump the gun on the goal setting, set yourself up for success. The simplest way is to “clear the clutter.” By “clutter” I mean physical clutter, mental clutter, anything that is clouding your thoughts, productivity and space.

I’ve crafted a few checklists that you can print out and work through during the month of January. It is the easiest way to physically clear your surroundings, body and mind to start the New Year with a bang.

If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo, I highly recommend looking into the KonMari method. She’s also got a show “Tidying Up” coming to Netflix January 1st. WHOOP!

In a nutshell, her theory is to remove everything that doesn’t bring you joy. She shares so many decluttering tips and her theories are incredible. You can grab her book HERE.

Purging excess items in your home will remove stress, simplify your day to day life and create a clean and clear space to focus your energy on your 2019 goals.

Want to know some other benefits that it will bring? You can check out this awesome article about 9 ways it will change your life for the better HERE.

Things To Know When Decluttering Your Home

Closet/Clothing

Have three bins handy. One for trash, sell and donate. An easy place to sell your clothes is on Poshmark.
If the item is stained, has pilling, fading, or is ill fitting get rid of it.
If the item hasn’t fit you in 6 months or more (not applicable to new moms..) toss it.
If you haven’t worn the item in 6 months… you probably won’t.
Ask yourself, “Would I buy this now?” If not, it’s time to go.
Try to stick to a one item in, one item out philosophy once you’ve cleaned it out!

Makeup

Makeup doesn’t come with expiration dates (typically.) That doesn’t mean it’s good forever! General rules of thumb on when to toss makeup.

Foundation is 6 months. Powder is 2 years.
Mascara and eyeliner (once opened) is 3 months.
Lipsticks and lipgloss is 2 years.

After trying several different makeup organizers, I’ve finally found a great one! It’s acrylic, has tons of different storage (including spots for brushes on top) and is under $50. You can shop that one HERE.

Misc. Items

A few things that most people hold on to that should be tossed…

Instruction Manuals (They can always be found online…)
Single Socks
Old Business Cards
Old Phone Charges
Old bills/receipts (You can scan into the DocuScan app if you are worried about having them for something)
Anything that doesn’t belong to you.. (borrowed clothes, pans, etc. Return it!)

Pantry

I teamed up with A Well Organized Home awhile back to organize our pantry. It’s been easy to maintain and is simple to do. You can find that post HERE.

Best Organizational Items & Books

Clearing The Clutter: Body

I personally do not fall for fad diets, being a slave to the scale or having “losing weight” as a New Year’s resolution. You can read why in my last post HERE.

Everyone should set realistic healthy living goals when it comes to their body/health that are catered to their own needs.

However, I’ve got ya covered on a few things you can do to “declutter” your body. AKA detox from your home.

Goals are easiest when there is a set time from so I did this one for the month of January.

Water

One of the easiest ways to be healthier is simply increasing your water intake. General rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces a day.

If you want an easy list to check off that you are doing that you can find it HERE.

Deodorant

When it comes to natural products, an easy way to start is with a natural (aluminum free) deodorant. You can read why and allll about that HERE. I personally like the brand Native. You can find it HERE.

Clean Eating

30 days of clean eating will do wonders on detoxing your body. While I’m not a fan of “diets” it is important to put lots of fruits, veggies, lean proteins into your body and avoid preservatives as much as possible.

Exercise

A body in motion stays in motion. Just get it moving. It’s that simple. For some, this may be a no brainer, but if you haven’t been doing anything then start simple. 20 minutes a day of just walking, if nothing else, will make your body feel better. (Also, the effects exercise has on your mind is amazing!)

Probiotic

Simply taking a probiotic, vitamins, etc. You will really notice a difference when your body is functioning at it’s best.

Clear The Clutter: Mind

Allowing yourself a few minutes of alone time each day to really think, meditate, or whatever it is you need to do to clear your head is SO beneficial.

Spend a few minutes writing down your thoughts from 2018. Reflecting is the best way to grow and also the best way to move past any grievances that have been weighing you down.

The best thing I have found to really clear my head and think in the most positive way, is to write down what I am grateful for each day. It keeps your head in a positive space. The Five-Minute Journal is the absolute simplest way to do that. It’s the best $20 I’ve ever spent on myself, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

I promise you that it will feel so good to declutter. Once you’ve cleaned out, then shift your focus to your goals. Let’s get started together! You can download and print the Clear The Clutter Checklist below:

Clear The Clutter Checklist

Clear The Clutter Checklist – Body

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An Organized Home: How To Create An Organized Pantry

Posted on March 20, 2018

An Organzied Home: How To Create An Organized Pantry

I’ve teamed up with Alesia at A Well-Organized Home here in Nashville to organize my pantry and in turn my life. HA! Sounds dramatic, but it’s really not. Keeping my home clutter free makes everything function more smoothly, and ultimately keeps stress down.

Spring cleaning time is here! It’s so important for me to keep this new house is the best functioning order I possibly can. Two babies and working from home is enough on my plate. I don’t want to constantly be in choas on top of that.

The hardest part is truly just getting it all started. Once everything has it’s perfect place, it’s much easier to maintain. That’s where Alesia comes in.

When I asked her what A Well-Organized Home is all about she told me…

“Put simply, a well-organized home makes home more peaceful. By helping others organize their homes, I want to help bring peace into their homes. As moms, we’re often the ones who are expected to know where everything is in our house. How many times a day do we answer “Where is {insert item here}?” When we can answer this question quickly, without having to search ourselves, it takes just a little stress out of our day. Even better, when we have areas organized and labeled, oftentimes we can avoid this question altogether because our families know that items have a “home.” I want to help the overwhelmed moms and families that are going a million miles an hour in fifty different directions feel just a bit calmer and at ease when home. Home should be a place where we can exhale, not a place where we get stressed out by opening the pantry, linen closet, master closet, etc. The best thing a client can tell me is that by organizing a space, it has brought more peace to their home and family.”

I mean.. I just love this on so many levels.

TOP TRICKS TO ESTABLISH AN ORGANIZED PANTRY

1. Use acrylic bins and a few different styles of baskets. Acrylic bins are great for grab-and-go snacks, and baskets are great for items that you want to keep in their original packaging.

2. Clear canisters are great for decanting more than just your pantry staples. They can be used for any product that you always have on hand, like cookies, crackers, pasta, etc.

3. Label, label, label – Labeling makes life easier on you and the rest of your family. Now everyone doesn’t have to ask where something is!

4. Always have an “extra” bin. We all have a tendency to overbuy something, so having a bin to keep the “extra” in helps corral those items in one place.

5. Take stock of your pantry before going to the grocery store. Take five minutes to quickly look over your pantry before going to buy groceries. Then you’ll know what you actually need and won’t overbuy.

I also asked Alesia to break down the process of having her come into your home and help you jump start your organization. (Whether it be a pantry, closet, office, etc.)

She explained the process like this:

*Initial consultation at no charge, with no obligation

*During the consultation, I come to your home, take a look at the space or spaces you want organized, and ask a lot of questions. I want to know who all uses the space, what you like about it, what you don’t like about it, how you’d like it to function, how often is it used, etc. I ask a lot of questions because there is no one-size-fits-all for organization. For me to get the space functional for you and your family, I need to understand your family and your family’s habits, so that’s why I ask so many questions.
I’ll also take photos and measurements during the consultation. I will also look at what organizational products you already have in that space (if any) and talk to you about if you want them incorporated or if you want to start from scratch.
The consultation can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the size and number of spaces you want me to look at.

*After the consultation, I take all of the information I’ve gathered to create an estimate. I’ll break the estimate down by space and also by organization service and supplies. All supplies are a pass-through, meaning you pay exactly what I pay for them. Organization service is on an hourly basis I usually base it on a range within an hour or two (i.e. 4 to 5 hours, 8 to 10 hours, etc.). I’ll email over the completed estimate (usually within 24 hours).

*Once you’re ready to move forward, we’ll settle on a date or dates to complete the project. Clients can be home when I actually do the organizing but they don’t have to be. It’s whatever they feel comfortable with – I’m fine with either!

SURPRISE! We are also giving away a complete organized pantry makeover to one lucky winner! You can head on over to Instagram to enter and for further details. Check that out HERE.

STAPLE ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTS