Woman’s Day inspires decluttering
Marie Snider
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Saturday is a special day for me.
In the first place, I have a day off from water exercise.
So, instead of leaving the house before 8:30 a.m., I can linger over coffee as long as I want.
Then, at 3:30 p.m., I get pampered at the hairdresser’s and treat myself by reading women’s magazines while under the dryer. Usually I skim two or three, looking for home decorating ideas, tips about staying healthy, good recipes and my perennial HOW TO DECLUTTER.
Last Saturday, I hit the jackpot. Woman’s Day had so many organizing and decluttering articles, that I couldn’t possibly read them all during my 10 to 12 minutes under the dryer.
So the minute I came home, I went to womansday.com where there were more than 50 pages of ideas on how to organize your house. What a haul!
As a result, I was once again coerced into writing about decluttering.
At Sunday dinner, my busy son asked me how the column was going. When he heard the topic, he shared his clutter-buster technique — just don’t create it in the first place.
I was very interested, because Conrad, who has a studio and apartment in an old four-story feed mill, always has every floor and every room perfect. I have never seen any clutter, even in the kitchen while he’s cooking.
“I put everything away immediately,” he said. “I try to have my studio and apartment ready for company at any time.”
That’s easy for him to say — he doesn’t have 46 years of accumulation! But on the other hand, he has been living in the studio for more than 10 years.
So, if that tip works for you, no need to read on. However, most of us need a little more help.
Here are some useful tips I gleaned from my Woman’s Day reading:
- When company is coming, straighten up the piles of magazines in the living room and put the nicest-looking ones on top, fluff the pillows and dust anything large like the television set or the coffee table. “Dirt on big items is hard to ignore.”
- When things get messy, walk around the house with a basket picking up every misplaced item. Then walk around the house again putting the items where they belong.
- If a task takes 60 seconds or less, says Rita Emmett, author of “The Clutter-Busting Handbook,” do it now. “Hang up your jacket or rinse off your plate.”
- If you’re overwhelmed after living in the same house for almost 50 years, start small. Do one drawer or one cupboard at a time. You’ll be surprised how much you will have accomplished in a month.
- “Picture it,” said one article. Figure out how you want your house to look and how you want to live in it. Then work toward that goal.
- Toss... toss... toss... Toss solo earrings or socks. Toss books you’ve never read. Toss clothes you don’t care for.
Finally, remember that organizing your stuff is only a means to a less stressful life. So, don’t let decluttering overwhelm you. Everyone is entitled to at least one junk place — a drawer, a closet or a room. Just keep it closed and no one will know!
- Write Marie Snider at thisside60@aol.com or visit her website at www.visit-snider.com
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hjcary (anonymous) says...
Try having 4 babies in 5 years and then trying to declutter. We are trying to declutter and keep the toys contained and piles down but with 4 little kids running around it feels like 3 steps forwared 4 steps back! Marie did have very good suggestions. I will be going online to check out women's day.com for any more suggestions. Maybe at naptime :)
October 30, 2006 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )