When I began helping my friend, S, declutter, there were decades of paper archives: phone bills, utility bills, bank statements, medical papers, taxes papers, magazine clippings, newspaper clippings, catalogs, travel memorabilia, recipes, greeting cards, letters, and hundreds of photos (organized by year). Much of this was stacked in boxes in the garage or office with various other locations for smaller boxes or bags. It was a nightmare of unorganized, mostly unneeded paper. Looking over the mess, it was apparent that this was going to be a huge undertaking. How did this happen? Why would … [Read more...]
Storage is often not a solution by Deb J
We have all seen the magazine articles, books and TV programs on organizing. They tell us that if  we buy these particular products or use these particular items we will go from a cluttered mess to everything organized in a snap. The problem is that out of sight doesn’t mean it’s out of mind or make clutter any less clutter. Making it pretty doesn’t make it go away. Over and over many of us have bought and used multiple storage solutions trying to make things look like those magazine pictures. Unfortunately, these solutions are only as good as how good everyone is at putting … [Read more...]
Gift Cards ~ by Moni Gilbert
Gift giving and receiving can be a touchy subject for 365'ers and their relatives. The best compromise to date, is the gift card or vouchers. However, reports show that $1 billion dollars worth in 2013 weren't redeemed and $2 billion dollars worth in 2014. No wonder retailers love gift cards! Money for nothing! This made me consider the gift cards that were floating around my kitchen drawer and decided to use these as part of my decluttering mini-missions. It turns out I had three - one for $25 to a supermarket, one for $20 at the shopping mall and one for $100 dinner at a local … [Read more...]
What do I do with my childhood paper keepsakes? By Deb J
I was reading through the posts from my friends on Facebook and came across one where the poster said, “I think I can truthfully say that I kept every award, essay, art project, homemade book, concert/performance program, birthday/graduation card, sheet music, script, report card, club photo, and every other piece of information regarding my K-12 experience. So...I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it.â€Â She also commented that it all only took up one big storage tub. My first thought was, “Why is she keeping all of that stuff?â€Â Why would she even want to? There seems to … [Read more...]
Magazines ~ Aspirational Clutter
My friend Wendy sent me a photo the other day of a box of magazines she was decluttering. Wendy is very practiced at decluttering, having been reading 365 Less Things for many years. It is how we met in fact. So I was a little surprised at how many magazines she had to declutter. She has been renovating for some time, which is now about finished, and these were home decor magazines for inspiration.  As it turned out she didn't reference then at all for the reno so out they went while she was decluttering her bookcase. I am glad she sent me the photo because it inspired me to write this post … [Read more...]
Overflow
I have experienced examples lately on how clutter can lead to disorganisation which in turn causes more clutter. Actually, in the cases I am thinking of, the clutter is useful and used stuff but in such abundance that it ends up scattered making items hard to find. This can then lead to acquiring more of the same because of the mistaken idea that things have run out. Of course this isn't something new to me, I have written about it more than once already. However it is worth a repeat mention on a regular basis. My own craft supplies can get like this at times. Usually due to the fact that I … [Read more...]
Why my office was a mess? ~ A guest post by Andréia
For more than 8 months I have been struggling with my office and my desk. It has been a mess and it has been impossible to solve. It seemed that no matter what kind of organizing system I used, nothing seemed to work on my desk or inside my home office. I asked Colleen for advice time and time again, but it appeared that no matter her suggestion, I could not make it work. So what was wrong in my home office? Firstly I had a mild depression. I did not recognize it back them but I was depressed. My job is a very emotional one I deal with people’s emotions and their private lives. It can be … [Read more...]
Avoiding a cluttered wardrobe
I'll be the first to admit that I am no fashion expert. So I am not going to give you any advice on what clothes to shop for. However, what I am going to share with you today are tips that I think will help you to avoid a wardrobe cluttered with clothes that you don't wear. So without further adieu I will give you my opinions on ways to avoid adding clothing clutter. Don't insist on keeping up with the trends. Trends are all about changing whats "in fashion" in a  ploy to keep you buying whether you need new clothes or not. So don't be a sucker to consumerism and only buy clothes when … [Read more...]
Simplify
Life is, at the very least, punctuated with stressful periods. For some there are no end of stressors almost 24/7 365 days of the year. Mostly this is caused by the complications of life. Past history, current hassles, work obligations, financial issues, family, illness... Boy, this is making me feel depressed just writing about it and my life is quite sweet for the most part. The one thing I have learned from my decluttering experience is that simplification is the key. The more you own the more you have to take care of. The more work the is required from you. And all that acquiring means … [Read more...]
Why keep cookbooks
Are you one of those people who has a shelf full of cookbooks with the good intention of being experimental in the kitchen but tend to stick to the same tried and true recipes? Or perhaps you are someone who steps that up just a notch by trying a new recipe only once in a while. Then this post is for you. In fact even if you are adventurous in the kitchen then this post may also be for you. Especially if you'd rather spread out your cooks gear than waste space on cookbooks that you don't really need. Or perhaps you are a want-to-be cook who buys foodie magazines and clips recipes that you … [Read more...]