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If You Can Weed Your Garden, You Can Declutter Your Home
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Are
you challenged by a cluttered home? If so, your love for green living
things and gardening may hold the solution. Knowing that you like to
garden but are challenged by organizing cupboards and closets, think of
your home as your garden spot. If you can weed your garden, you can
de-clutter your home.
START WHEN THE PROBLEM IS SMALL
In
your garden: It is easy to pull a little weed, but if you leave it long
enough to grow and get established, it becomes a project. In your home:
The same thing happens when you put off clearing that little stack
until tomorrow... then tomorrow... then tomorrow. Stacks grow just like
weeds; eventually, you have a huge stack to tackle. Gardening and
de-cluttering are the same: the SOONER you do it, the faster it goes.
LIKE ITEMS TOGETHER
In
your garden: You plant the tomatoes and lettuce together so that when
you select salad vegetables, they are in the same garden spot. In your
home: "Like items together" is a useful organizing principle. Following
this principle tells you where to put things and where to RETRIEVE them.
DON'T TAKE ON TOO MUCH
In
the garden: It is best to weed or plant in one garden row at a time. In
your home: Organize ONE area at a time, just a desk or drawer. Finish
it completely before moving to the next spot.
ACCORDING TO USE
In
the garden: Seasoned gardeners plant the kitchen herbs where they are
easy to reach before the evening meal. In the home: Apply the
organizing principle "prime items in prime space." Put the most
FREQUENTLY used items in the easiest places to reach.
DAILY MAINTENANCE
In
your garden: The wisest gardeners weed a little each day. Most of us
don't have the time or energy to weed the entire garden at once. In
your home: Organize a room in SHORT sessions -- maybe 15 to 30 minutes.
It is simpler to make the smaller decisions, and you enjoy the
motivating feelings of satisfaction and completion.
GIVE AND RECEIVE
In
the garden: It is always emotionally easier to remove extra plants that
are crowding the garden when we can share them with a friend. In the
home: With items we no longer need, why not let them go. For every
thing we have in excess, there is someone who NEEDS it. Make a trip to
your favorite charity or call them to pick it up.
DEFINITION OF GOOD ORGANIZATION
When
your garden has the flowers that please you and the vegetables you
enjoy, your garden is successful. Likewise, the definition of good home
organization is "if you like it and it works." If you like what you
have in your home, if you can find it, and if it is FUNCTIONAL, then
you have achieved good organization.
WHEN YOU NEED MORE HELP
When
we feel OVERWHELMED or we need to make huge changes in our yard, the
smartest and most economical decision is to hire a landscaper.
Similarly, when organizing is a personal challenge, hiring a
professional organizer can be an excellent investment. A professional
organizer helps you quickly accomplish your goals, allowing you more
time to enjoy life.
SPRING CLEANING INSIDE AND OUTSpring
cleaning time is here. You want both your home and yard to be in order,
so use good gardening principles. TEND to your home like you tend to
your garden. You will enjoy being clutter-free and organized, room by
room. Mary Pankiewicz is the owner of Clutter-free And Organized, a
Professional Organizing business that assists children and adults to
become more organized. She is a member of the National Association of
Professional Organizers and the National Speakers Association. Content provided by OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of
organizing solutions!" Visit www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing
products, free tips, a speakers bureau, get a referral for a
Professional Organizer near you, or get some help starting and running
your own organizing business. | 
