Got Clutter? Who doesn’t? In my earlier post, I’m a Tweener, I was talking about being organized or a clutter-catcher. For new moms or those who have been at it for a few years, keeping a home running in tip-top ship-shape is nearly an impossible feat. As your family expands your world (life within your four walls) can get more cluttered than you ever imagined.
Organizing goes beyond your physical realm. Think inside the box. What? You read right, think about that box called your computer. Your once large hard disk storage can be eaten up quickly with large digital photo files, music mp3 files, or gaming applications. Start de-cluttering your hard drive – weed out and back-off all files not necessary for daily applications to reduce the drag on your system. Get a handle on it now before you have a monstrous task on your hands.
My Thursday Two Questions are:
1) What one piece of organizing advice would you give to a new mother?
2) How often do you de-clutter?
Advice for new mothers…One mistake I’ve made in the past is holding on to magazines. If there is an important article or recipe in your favorite magazine, then see if you can find it online. Save the file as a pdf for future reference and ditch the paper version. Your magazine archives can grow out of hand, leave you frustrated because you can’t find what you’re looking for, and will only collect dust.
De-cluttering is a daily ritual. When I come across something that needs to be trashed, then I just do it. If I walk into a room and find something that isn’t where its supposed to be then I put it where it belongs. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially if something has been laying out of place for away. Your brain begins to think that’s where it belongs and you won’t make the connection. I’ve learned not procrastinating on small jobs makes my life easier.
Wanna have fun playing Thursday Two Questions by Daily Reflections? Then link up below! Be sure to leave your answers in my comments.
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i’m not sure if i am qualified to give adv on organizing. my organizing skills are not that good.:p for a new mother, i’d give her an appointment book to keep track of her baby’s doctor appointments, vaccinations, etc.
i don’t de-clutter often. i thrive on a messy desk.:p
It is definitely hard to keep things organized. But if my house isn’t somewhat organized, I’ll go bonkers.
1. I’d say, if it’s in your hand put it away in the right spot. If you have a dish, rinse and put in the dish washer, you’d be surprise how fast your sink can get full and so and so forth.
2. I declutter fairly often. I like space. If I see it being eaten up I’ll begin to get anxious.
Aloha
1) Keep all the baby items in one area, such as a dresser, and stick a label right on the front of it: diapers, wash cloths, towels, rash cream, etc..2) I try to do it at the beginning of every season since we have to switch gear for the weather.
It is definitely hard to keep things organized. But if my house isn’t somewhat organized, I’ll go bonkers.
1. I’d say, if it’s in your hand put it away in the right spot. If you have a dish, rinse and put in the dish washer, you’d be surprise how fast your sink can get full and so and so forth.
2. I declutter fairly often. I like space. If I see it being eaten up I’ll begin to get anxious.
Aloha
I’m not a Mom but I think one advise that won’t hurt is to teach the young to clean up after themselves. I really respect and admire Moms who teach their young early. If kids are taught to HELP around the house, they will grow up respecting other people’s stuff, appreciate neatness and order, and value this in their adult life.
I try to clean up after each tasks but when I can not, I don’t cry over it. I just do it the next day.
Our motto here is “Simplify, don’t buy”. About every 3 months or so we return to Goodwill most of the items we bought from there…lol…
1) Advice? Label where you put things. Between the boys and the SO, things can get misplaced so often. Then we are running around like chickens to try and find it. Even in the kitchen, when I realized the forks and spoons were not in the same slot every time, I needed to do something. It was a short period that I had to label this bin, but it was worth it to get them in the habit. But this can be with everything in the house. The training process is essential for when you have other priorities like a new baby.
2)I try to de-clutter every day. It doesn’t work, but I think the progress is slow and it still needs a lot of work. I think as long as I have kids in the house. I can be happy that it is cluttered as expected.
@Margaret…excellent advice to new mothers and for families to think through each purchase. It sure is a difficult task to think after the fact.
@Luna…I’m certain you’ve picked up some tips along the way for decluttering. It’s just a matter of pulling them out of the recesses of perhaps… the cluttered mind. =D
Thanks for stopping by today!
i’m not sure if i am qualified to give adv on organizing. my organizing skills are not that good.:p for a new mother, i’d give her an appointment book to keep track of her baby’s doctor appointments, vaccinations, etc.
i don’t de-clutter often. i thrive on a messy desk.:p
Oh Cathy. De-cluttering is a daily process. The office and my computer/writing rooms are the worst–so much paper–soo many books. And next comes the closet where I store my clothes–too many. My best advice to anyone, especially one just starting out, is to consider each purchase carefully–where will you put it, what will you get rid of in return, what could you do with the money you save by not buying this item? Less is more!
@Patrice…hope you’re back on your blogging feet soon. Remodeling is difficult. We don’t have the room to expand our little abode, so another home will be in our future plans. Next growth spurt for us will be son-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, grandkids, & pets.
I really like to see what other people are doing with clutter problems. It’s so easy to accumulate a lot. Remodeling my house has made it necessary for me to work harder on that.
My blog is in a temporary private mode since I had some unwelcomed URL’s on my traffic recently. I’ll be up and running again soon.
Patrice