Sunday, July 1, 2012

Motivated to Organize

First off, I wanted to share with you all how I started feeling the need to get organized.  I'm sure there are many factors involved, but here is one definite reason:  FEELING UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY CLOSED IN BY STUFF!

My innate need to collect pretty things for over 25 years has put me in a claustrophobic predicament.  I piled those things in closets, drawers, cupboards and cabinets. It didn't help that I volunteered at a Thrift Shop and brought home lots *(and LOTS) of "couldn't pass up" stuff.  Beautiful things!! 

After many years of doing this, our home became stuffed full to the brink.  I couldn't stand it anymore.  I would go shopping and come home and there would be no place to put anything.  All the "prime real estate" in our home was taken.  My counters were never clear, always covered.  It drove me nuts!!!  I guess you could say that that was my major breaking point. I totally started to feel closed in, claustrophobic.

I decided I wanted to be free, uncluttered, I wanted a home for everything, and if I couldn't find a home for it, I had to part with it.  I wanted to know what I had and where it was!   Why was I keeping all this stuff!?

For Inspiration I started checking out YouTube for direction in organizing and boy did I find the uploads on that subject. I heard it mentioned in one of the videos that for something to take up valuable "real estate" in the home it should be really needed, used, or admired.  I took that to heart and started looking around for things to Purge.  (I call it "blessing others", because I donated it all to Good Will and/or Amvets)  Purging is now a process that I will continue regularly.  I think that if I ever had to move it would take me forever to pack all this stuff.  In other words, it would be way too much work.

Afterward, I find that my home has never been this organized before.  My husband and I are sort of beginning a new chapter in our lives with both of our sons leaving this fall.  One son is serving in the Army and my other son leaves for University this August.  We'll be entering that time clean and fresh, with everything in it's place.  It's a really great feeling!  To be in control of your stuff and not let your stuff be in control of you.  Because the less you have the more time you have to play.  My goal is to play alot!

Next up, purging and organizing my craft room!

Some of my favorite YouTube Vids on Organizing are:
  Malitose79 (short and sweet)
  HomeOrganizing (the ultimate organizer)
  Dolt on a Dime
  Clutterdiet
  and any Filofax vids

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