Planning - a bit boring, but necessary

Image : winnond / freedigitalphotos.net

Like lots of other people, I am really tight for time in the mornings. And although I am a 'morning person', I like to be organised and get everything done efficiently, without too much effort (because I'm a bit lazy, too!).

Before I go to bed every night, I work out (in my head, although sometimes I will get everything out) what I am going to wear, sort the laundry so I have a load to put on as soon as I'm downstairs, and make sure everything the boys need for school is ready, or at least 'locatable' (as my boys are older, this normally just means asking them if they have their swimming stuff etc). I don't like last minute panics. If I'm going to town that day, I will make sure I have all the things I need - list of what to buy/do, any banking stuff, items to be returned etc - in a bag, ready to go.

My husband thinks this is mad, but he's the one who's stressed and scrambling around trying to find everything when he's late for work .... who's the mad one?!!

Happy organising! xx

Ten Minute Tidy

We all have them. Little piles of stuff that just accumulate. Once one thing is plonked by the phone, more papers, letters and 'things' are put on top - and hey presto, you have a pile. Obviously, the best thing is to put everything away, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with a family who just put things any-old-where when they can't think, or be bothered to work out, what to do with them.

So, I had a spare ten minutes the other day, and that's the ideal amount of time to deal with these little clutter piles (so long as you haven't let it build up, of course!).

First, my two little piles -

Lovely - a pile of  'stuff'' in the living room

This one started with my younger son plonking a CD-ROM containing some downloaded software on top of a dish. More stuff seemed to come from nowhere to sit on top.










A quick declutter, throwing away a couple of pieces of paper and rehoming the CD-ROM and voila -

That's better!

The other 'pile' wasn't technically speaking a pile, since it was vertical - in the letter rack I keep in the kitchen for current and ongoing papers (it's next to the phone, so it's logical to me!).

Before

There are too many papers in here, and some of them aren't even anything to do with me, or even necessary to keep. It's those pesky other people that live here that are responsible. A quick minute sorting it all out, and it now only contains the things I need.

After

If you have a spare ten minutes, I'm sure there is a little decluttering job you can fit in.

Happy decluttering! x

Wardrobe clear out - a slight diversion

winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Excitement is rising in the Lemons household, as we are off on holiday in April. So whilst I have been clearing out my wardrobe, I have also been pondering on what to pack. So this post is not strictly speaking decluttering, but it is organising, and links in nicely with my new wardrobe policy and also the idea of a capsule wardrobe.

Many years ago, I met a woman who had travelled extensively for work and pleasure, who only took black and white clothes on holiday with her. She maintained everything mixed and matched beautifully, and she added what I believe fashiony types call 'interest' with lots of jewellery. I tend to look like a waitress if I wear black and white, but the concept seemed sound to me.

So, I have diverted slightly from decluttering to organising my 'capsule' ready to pack, in the hopes that I will hit Japan looked groomed and put together (as I have never managed this on any previous holiday, I am travelling in hope!). I was happy to find something on this very subject by Sally over at Already Pretty,  with pictures, and despite being the most unfashiony person ever (me, that is, not Sally) I was thrilled to discover she went with the the colour scheme idea as well, and not only that, but that I had kind of done this too, in my preliminary thoughts! My scheme, such as it is, will be grey, black, white and purple, as after my decluttering the jeans and trousers left fitted with this scheme. As I have bought a few new things to fit with this, I have also been trying outfits on, also as Sally recommends. If you are a 'fling everything in' packer, who always has to pay for excess baggage, Sally's blog is worth reading. It's worth reading even if you aren't, because she is funny with a strong style of her own, and her blog is full of practical information too.

Don't worry, I won't be branching into a fashion blog any time soon - I am still organising and decluttering my house and will be sharing more in the near future.

Happy decluttering ... and happy packing if you're going away! x