Sally White of  http://www.mindclutter.uk/ has kindly written this blog post for you. I hope you will find it helpful and your minds will be less cluttered after reading it. Enjoy! * * * * * * I first started decluttering my home to create a calmer environment that would help my over anxious and jumbled mind relax. I considered writing about decluttering possessions, but Colleen does such a good job of it that I thought I'd share something different instead – tips on decluttering the mind. Begin by identifying the types of thoughts that are cluttering up your mind with worry, stress or … [Read more...]
The silly season series ~ Part 1
This blog post is by Moni Gilbert who is coordinating this series of posts. As we enter the Silly Season I would like to kick off a series written by Deb J, Andréia and myself entitled "365-ing The Silly Season". So often women plan their holiday seasons to the nth degree with the goal of the 'perfect' day and while the home might look grand, the menu perfect and all the little details might be delightful, is there a tired, stressed out woman behind it all?  I would like to suggest the gift of going a little easier on yourselves.  Trust me, no one will notice the difference if you … [Read more...]
Clutter you don’t care about
Hi folks, well after reading the heading of this post you are probably wondering what on earth I have written about. So lets get started. My home isn't clutter free. People probably think it is but it isn't. After all I have never professed to be a minimalist and doubt I ever will aspire to that. The bulk of the clutter that I planned to get rid of is gone. And, as you all know, we achieved our goal of moving into a small apartment almost two years ago now. My wardrobe doesn't hold a lot of clothes, my shoe selection is minimal compared to most, we have books but not a lot. We don't have … [Read more...]
A post from the archives ~ Ten questions
Last week I received a response from deanna ar USAÂ to the following archived post. Deanna is relatively new to my blog and is busy reading through the archives. Quite a feat given I have been writing for over five years now. I was glad she drew my attention to this old post because there would be quite a lot of my current readers who have never had the opportunity to answer the questions involved. There would also still be some readers around who answered it the first time who could give us some interesting updates on their continued progress. Either way it will be fun to read all your … [Read more...]
One readers clutter nemesis
I received an email from Christie this week asking for some advice. I'll launch right in with her email, followed by my advice, and then I would love you all to add your thoughts on the subject. Hopefully somewhere among all that advice there will be the spark to help ignite a flame of determination in her to let go of these items standing in the way of a beautiful uncluttered life. Christie's email Hi Colleen. I am a single mother with a long list of things to do...always. Life is a process I know and I can't tackle everything at one time. I try to heed my own advice I give my … [Read more...]
Sage advice or tough love depending on how you view it.
Below I am going to share with you some advice, both of my own and quotes I have happened upon. I will then explain how these quote apply to decluttering. Although the first needs little explanation. So bear with me and don't run away screaming after just reading the quotes. "The clutter didn't appear overnight so wishing it would just disappear overnight isn't going to happen either." ~ Colleen Madsen "Performing the same actions will never result in a different reaction." ~ Unknown to me. However this version is a twist on a quote from Albert Einstein ~ "Insanity: doing the same … [Read more...]
Have faith that you won’t need it one day
As the saying goes ~ "Believe and the Universe will provide." Whether you are religious, spiritual or neither there is a good chance that this saying is true for you. It sure has been true for me, and that is why I never worry about letting go of the things that I don't use. I hold on to very little in the way of things that I only think I might need some day because I have no doubt that... ...I probably won't and never did "need" it in the first place and... ...and anything I do need want can be easily replaced at a later date. One of the reasons I believe these this is that I … [Read more...]
My response to yesterday’s post
Sorry about the delay in today's post. I think I caused to problem by forgetting to give the page a title. Alls fixed now. Doodle asked yesterday... "If someone came to you for help, what 3 top tips would you give them to get them started (decluttering) and how would you sell the knock on benefits of a de-cluttered life to others in less than three sentences?" Here are my answers... Start with the easiest stuff to part with first and don't be in a hurry. Take your time and make it easy on yourself. Be satisfied in knowing the stuff is heading out the door and it doesn't need to be … [Read more...]
Owning your life skill ~ By Doodle
One of our long time regular readers Doodle has kindly agreed to help out here at 365 by writing a blog post for me every other Wednesday. Today is her first regular post although not the first she has contributed. She has become quite the expert on the subject of decluttering over the years and I am sure you will all be able to learn a lot from her. Welcome Doodle and thank you for your contributions, past, present and future. Owning your life skill The biggest reason I owned too much stuff, was I just never realised I didn’t have to. It was as simple as that: getting rid of stuff as a … [Read more...]
To be perfect ~ By Andréia
We all are taught that perfection does not exist. What we fail to do is to believe that. I don’t really know about the rest of the world, but I am tired of seeing in all places the evidence of how imperfect I am. It is hard to avoid. You would have to live in an isolated island not to feel how your lack of perfectionism is ruining your life. They say it about the way you keep your house, care for your kids, live your marriage (?) (saw this one in a magazine)…Oh how life would be great…But not. Let’s talk for example about decorating and de-cluttering: How can I have a perfectly … [Read more...]