“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”   

November is Get a Jumpstart on the Holidays month at Breathing Space.

How are your holiday preparations going? No, I’m not going to ask whether you’ve finished your Christmas or Hanukah shopping yet (I certainly haven’t). In my last tip I suggested that you focus on what you want to create during this holiday season: Joy, serenity, festivity, sanity, peace, tranquility … In this week’s tip, I suggest you create a little breathing space in your life for these worthy qualities to shine forth.

How do you create a bit of space in your life? A concept called Selected Neglect popped up in my life a couple years ago. This is the practice of intentionally letting go of something, or somethings: Actively deciding not to write the holiday letter or make bread for every one of your children’s teachers or attend any holiday parties or choosing to turn off all screens (television, computers, hand-helds) one evening every week or _____ (fill in the blank). Taking control of the treadmill that is about to lurch into the highest speed by s-l-o-w-i-n-g down invites you to create your experience rather than react to time-worn circumstances.

So, take a deep breath and search for ONE thing you are doing that you will deliberately let go of for the next 10 weeks: One activity that you will intentionally put on the back burner. And then reassign that pocket of time to something that pleases you and creates the kind of holiday that soothes your soul. Maybe you fill the time by visiting an elderly friend or taking a long overdue walk in the woods or simply taking a nap. Rest assured, the people in your life will only benefit from your IN-ACTION.

What will you selectively neglect? What will you let go of in order to make space in your life for what matters most? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Don’t forget: Our next monthly FREE Organizing Forum!

In next month’s free teleclass (November 16^th from 7:00 to 8:00) we’ll talk about using gratitude to help us declutter. We’ll also look at our Keep Test – a handy tool for deciding what to keep and what to discard. If you’re interested in joining us, please call or send me an email and I’ll send you the contact information. You don’t need to be at a computer to participate. If you can’t attend, but would like to receive the recording, let me know.

A quick holiday organizing tip:

If you’re having trouble letting go of all the things you like to do during this holiday season, make a list in your journal or calendar or anything that you’ll likely be able to find next October of each of the tasks, events or I-wish-I-coulds that you have decided to selectively neglect. This simple exercise will ease your mind and give you a jumpstart on next year’s holiday planning.

Why should we bother organizing?

Given the actual time we spend organizing our stuff and the mental energy we spend thinking about organizing our stuff, perhaps we should start by figuring out why we’re trying to get organized in the first place!

When you look at the clutter that surrounds you – Whether a pile of magazines spilling off the coffee table, an overflowing file drawer or a closet that won’t close because it’s too stuffed full – You probably don’t see dollar signs. But what’s the real price tag – in $$dollars$$ – on all that clutter?

To find out, take the short quiz below. You may see you stuff in a different light:

In the past week …

• Estimate how many minutes you spent looking for things.
• Add to this the time you spent in extra cleaning that wouldn’t have been necessary if you didn’t have to work around the clutter.
• Add how much time you spent organizing and decluttering.
• Multiply this total number of hours by how much you make an hour at your current job.
• Add to this dollar amount how much money you spent on eating out because you couldn’t face your kitchen or didn’t want to invite friends into your home.
• Add how much you spent on items that you knew were someplace, but didn’t know where.

The total is a concrete dollar amount of how much your clutter costs you every week.

If you want to take this one step further, multiply your $$$Clutter Cost$$$ by the X-Factor: The X-Factor is a number, 1 to 10 that indicates your level of frustration, shame and embarrassment when you think about the state of your home or office.

Most of us are astounded by the number that we come up with when we consider the true cost of clutter. But I haven’t written this tip to highlight your embarrassment or shame. I’ve written it to underline just how important are our ongoing, committed efforts to reduce and reorganize the excess stuff in our lives.

It’s not about looking good.

It’s about having more time and energy and money to invest in who we are and what we truly want in life. I repeat: It’s not about looking good. It’s about having more time and energy and money to invest in who we are and what we truly want in life.

We can’t make all these changes in a day or even in a week. Anne Frank wrote, How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. How wonderful, indeed.

Along with the end of summer crickets and the occasional red maple leaf, are the end of summer sales. Have you noticed? You can’t walk ten feet in a downtown without being bombarded with, “Back to School Special” and “Drastically Marked Down” ~ All with double and triple exclamation points!!!

Bargain is a dangerous word.

Several of my clients have commented on how difficult it is to pass up a great deal, even when they have no particular use for the whirligig and have been determinedly decluttering for months or even years. The pull is so strong. Even for me; though I’ve spent hundreds of hours helping folks figure out how to deal with the stuff that clutters their spaces and lives.

Beware the getcha phrases!

They are designed to make you stop, forget what you were planning to do with your hard earned pennies and buy, buy, buy:

• BUY ONE GET ONE FREE
• ONE DAY ONLY SALE
• DISCOUNTED 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%
• BARGAIN, BARGAIN, BARGAIN

Instead of getting caught – try this purchasing test.

I call it, the Do I Really Want to Buy It? quiz, not unlike my Keep Test. Here are the questions:

1)   Do I love it? Will it really make my heart sing to have it?
2)   Is it something that I have been planning to purchase or needing for a specific use? Or is it the idea of getting a bargain that is pushing me to buy?
3)   Is it truly a treasure? Is it something that I will use and cherish for a long time?

To actually save money and space, run every purchase – no matter how discounted – past the Do I Really Want to Buy It? quiz to confirm that it will truly be a savings for you. Sales and bargains are great if you don’t let yourself get trapped into buying stuff that you never needed and may never use.

So Readers … Beware the bargain bin!

What’s your best bargain story?

What else  – Well, I’ve been doing some local  house cleaning for the past month – “moonlighting”.  Folks are usually way too busy  think about organizing right before the holidays but  housecleaning is welcome.    You should see the great side effect  here in my own  home. I’m surprised. Things are getting cleaner and more sparkling by the day! Really– what fun. I’ve  started using the naturally  GREEN copper cleaner (salt and lemon on my pots  and it really works …Bon Ami for the inside.  (From GREEN CLEANING http://www.ivillage.com.  I like their suggestions. )  Yesterday I did their microwave  thing — lemon and water and nuke  it so you have nice lemon steam. Then wipe out the microwave  really easily.  I recently discovered   SIMPLE GREEN – all purpose cleaner (thanks Naomi) it  says biodegradable and non-toxic … I need to check into it further but so far it seems really magical. A little help goes a long way.

So dear reader – NOW is a  great time  to clean out AND declutter!!!  – I’m going to start on my files tonight!    Oeeeeeeee   – let’s  get going on a  new decade!  All best wishes! Joanna

I have gift giving lists for my family, my colleagues and my friends. I have a list for both our Hanukkah and our Christmas feasts. I have lists for the household chores that I dream about accomplishing before the chaos descends and a list of the chores that absolutely must be done. I have a list of the seasonal events we’re either required to attend or would like to attend. Perhaps I need a list of all my lists!

Funny how the most important things in our lives do not always make it onto our lists: A list of all the people I am grateful for (including you, dear Readers); a list of my accomplishments throughout 2010 (it’s all too easy to look at what I’ve left UNDONE rather than celebrating what I’ve DONE); a list of the delicious gifts of light, love and caring that I’ve received, and a list of recipients of my own gifts of light, love and caring.

Without these “most important things” list, December becomes the season of insanity, sweeping us up into the frenzy of buy-buy-buy and go-go-go. The only way to stop the insanity is to intentionally slow down and mindfully, gracefully and joyously reverse course and CHOOSE a direction that feeds our souls. Because, when we’re not feeding our souls, we’re feeding the frenzy.

On my soul-feeding list are walking the faerie-light lined labyrinth at our local church; cookie decorating with my daughters; s-l-o-w-l-y trimming the Christmas tree and telling the stories behind each of the ornaments that have special meaning; and taking time each morning and evening to just BE.

But if I’m going to make time for feeding my soul, I’ll have to abandon some frenzy-inducing activities along the way. It isn’t easy to let go of seasonal activities, even when they are more stressful than festive. In order to make time for cookie decorating, I’ve chosen to limit my house decorating to candles in the windows. To make time to walk the labyrinth (and that’s WALK, not RUN), I’ll attend only one open house rather than the several I’d planned. Just like trying to cram one more thing in an already full closet, you can’t fit one more activity into an already full calendar.

So what’s on your soul-feeding list? And what do you need to say NO to in order to say a heart-filled YES! to what truly nurtures you?

Happy list making!

Sue

In Vermont there’s a joke about November being the “NO’ month – no colors,no snow and I was just thinking WHAT IF   we  were to make it the  No NEW Clutter month. That would be a refreshing switch as the MORE STUFF season comes in.

The other day  I was sorting “stuff” with a wonderful client. She agreed that she probably has enough projects going to keep at LEAST  THREE  people fully occupied for a long time.   When I suggested that she commit to NO NEW PROJECTS for the month of November she  said “Like this ?” and showed me a kind of intriguing  Japanese weaving that she had just  ordered.. We chuckled together! Hmmmmmm   Joanna

Fall is upon us.  Here in the chilly Northeast we’re firing up our furnaces, making sure our woodpiles are stacked and putting on our wool sweaters and fleece vests.

Knowing that you’ll be more inside than outside for the next six months, take a moment and look at your main living spaces. Imagine curling up in a chair reading a book with the wind howling outside: You’re cozy and safe and maybe enjoying a cup of tea or a glass of wine. The inner peace and tranquility that you experience is reflected in your space. The furniture may not be new, or even matching. The rug may be a bit threadbare, but it’s serviceable and clean. In short, the space may not be Good Housekeeping perfect, but it’s welcoming, warm and inviting.

Organizing doesn’t just mean knowing where the pencils are and having a linen closet that doesn’t explode every time you open the door. Organizing includes creating spaces that you truly love and that inspire you to work, play, converse and relax.

Coming back to the present, pull out a pad of paper and a pencil and make a list (this is a great time to have a friend over for a cup of tea and brainstorming). Consider the changes you might make (that are within your means) to move your living room or dining room or bedroom – wherever you spend the most time in the winter months – from acceptable and tolerable to welcoming, warm and inviting.

Can the chairs and sofas be grouped in a manner more conducive to conversation and friendship? Does the lighting allow you to read, write or knit without straining your eyes? Are there areas of the room that are so cluttered that they cause you stress just thinking about them?

One way to tackle your list is by how much time each task takes: Some of the to-do’s can be accomplished in under five minutes; for example, taking everything off ONE shelf, dusting it and neatly replacing the items that actually belong there. Some of your to-do’s will take longer and require the commitment of an hour or more; for example swapping out your summer for your winter clothes. A full room makeover (minus a new paint job) may take a full day and require the help of heavy-lifters or an encouraging friend. Go through your list and label all the quick jobs “1,” the medium-length jobs “2” and the day-long jobs “3.” This will help you schedule the time to make the changes.

Congratulations! You’ve just created your winter preparation punch-list.

Happy leaf-peeping!

Sue

Anyway- now is now – and I have finally figured out that I CAN have a schedule that allows me to work at my best.  Whether it’s myprenatal life  in Venezuela or whatever, it seems that the Latina schedule of early to rise – have a siesta- and then get back to work full steam is the right one for me.  A genuine break in the middle of the day –and voila – another morning arrives (the best time of the day for me to get things done) ….  SO finally I have a schedule that HELPS me!  Only took the  15 years of being my own boss to figure this one out … ah well.  Maybe I can learn a whole ton else – I’ll let you know. Meanwhile – my office is  really decluttered  and my inbox is down by 300 emails Hurrah… Have a great weekend  and let me hear how YOU deal ! Okay?   Joanna