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Post Christmas Wrap Up: Un-Decorating
Well Christmas is over for another year and although there are still lots of festivities going on as we prepare for New Years it is time to think about putting away all our Christmas and Holiday decor…Boxing Up Day can be anytime from now till early January. You know, the day to box all that decor up for another year! I can tell you from experience that by taking the time now to put away your decorations in an organized way, will save you lots of time and frustration come next year. As a self professed Christmas nut I have 4 trees and loads of decorations that I put up every year and subsequently need to put away. By having lots of Rubbermaid containers and labelling the boxes really well it allows me to be able to easily decorate next year.
The following are a few tips for Un-Decorating this year:
• Take the time this year to put decorations away carefully. A few extra minutes this year can save you hours next year.
• Take pictures before you un-decorate and keep them in your Christmas journal for reference next year.
• Decide on a location to store seasonal decorations, large Rubbermaid containers store lots of decorations and can be stacked to use vertical space.
• Store decorations by room/category- e.g. living room décor, living room tree; Kitchen décor, Christmas baking supplies; Christmas entertaining; Outdoor décor, Outdoor lights.
• LABEL all your boxes, the more detailed the label the better.
• Store individual light sets in plastic bags to keep them from tangling together or wrap them on a reel. This works well for beads and garland as well.
• Store candles in socks or nylons to prevent scratching
• When putting tree ornaments away ensure they are carefully wrapped to prevent breakage. They can be layered in boxes with heavier ones on bottom. If they are very fragile consider storing them in the boxes they came in or invest in Christmas ornament boxes, they are little more money but will safeguard those antique ornaments of your grandmothers that are priceless. Another idea is to use plastic or foam cups to put them in and keep them separate.
• Store Christmas music with your seasonal stuff, I always make sure the music is on top and easy to access as it is the first thing that come out (Kenny and Dolly are always the first CD to be played while decorating).
Happy Un-Decorating and if you have any suggestions or tips that help you stay organized while Un-Deocrating please leave a comment and share with us.
Kim
Are you frustrated by the chaos that surrounds you and you just can’t seem to find the time to deal with it?
It is time to control your time and do the things that are important to you to get done!
I have had times in my life when life was crazy and staying on top of clutter was just not a priority. I get that life is busy. When my son Cameron was home for 3 months with a concussion, it was all I could do to keep on top of my client’s clutter and look after him. My house got a little chaotic and messy. But when it got to the point that is was starting to affect how I was dealing with life, I scheduled the time to get it back on track.
Here are 4 Things that you can do to find time to declutter:
1) FIND YOUR WHY! Why do you need to declutter, what is your compelling reason for finding the time to declutter? If you don’t have a compelling reason, you won’t do it. For me, my why is that clutter affects my mental health…outside chaos causes inside chaos and I do not want to live with anxiety all the time. For me, a calm house means a calm mind! Why do you want to take control of your clutter…find that reason!
2) DECIDE TO TAKE ACTION! You have to decide that your why is compelling enough to take action. Make the decision to move forward and make it a must.
3) HIRE HELP! If you cannot move forward on your own, then hire help. Spending money on hiring help will make you, make the time to do it! Professional help will get it done faster and easier as well.
4) SCHEDULE THE TIME! If you schedule it, you make it a priority in your life to get it done.
I can hear you now saying ‘there just is not enough hours in the day to do it!’. Well here is the thing, we all have 24 hours in the day. We all have the same exact amount of hours to get things done. So why can others find the time and you cannot? Well the answer is in the 4 things you can do above – you have to find your why, decide to take action, hire help and schedule the time. Make it a PRIORITY!
My mission in life is to help you take action to create an environment and a life that allows you to live fully, peacefully and calmly. Set up a time now to chat about my coaching programs and how I can help you create peace in your life.
Connect with me at http://kaossolutions.com/CONTACT
Kim
Staying the course – stay motivated until you finish the job!
Do you find yourself starting a decluttering project only to get distracted, lost im memories or just losing steam?
It is possible to stay focused and push through to the end until you finish that job! It just takes a little determination and a few guidelines.
I use to be notorious in my house for starting to declutter one space and ending up moving from one location to another never really finishing completely the one area I started. But over the years I have learned to systemize how I tackle a project and follow my own guidelines for staying the course and getting a job done!
Guideline for staying the course and staying motivated until you finish the job:
Pick one area and stick with it until it is done. Stay in one space at a time!
Start with the big stuff and work your way down to the nitty gritty stuff. Don’t get stuck on all the little stuff too early in the game.
Have a few ‘move elsewhere’ boxes to sort what needs to go somewhere else without having you run around from room to room getting distracted putting things elsewhere.
Don’t get stuck on hard decisions. Put aside items that are slowing you down and keep moving!
Schedule enough time!! Be realistic how long it actually takes to get a space decluttered and organized. Thinking that 30 years’ worth of clutter will be sorted and purged in a couple of hours is unrealistic. Overestimate your time!
it is common for people to get distracted and give up when the going gets tough. I believe you have it in you to get it done, to stay focused and push through to the end. Plan a reward for yourself for when each area is done! Celebrate what you do get done and keep motivated to move forward.
If at any time you need help, I’m here! Hiring a coach is a smart way to keep moving forward when you get stuck doing it yourself. Together we can get it done quicker and easier than trying to do it yourself…and it’s more fun too!
http://kaossolutions.com/declutter
Keep Going!
Kim
Christmas is a time of giving but it is also a time for getting…the reality is for most people who celebrate Christmas there will be presents under the tree, which means there will be new things come into your house that need to find a new home.
Are you starting to worry about where you are going to put all the new stuff that will be under the tree this Christmas? Does your post Christmas house end up being a total disaster for weeks while you try and figure our where to put all that new stuff?
What if you prepared for the influx and made room BEFORE it all shows up!
I will admit that we have had years that so much came in for my kids that it even overwhelmed me…and I am a professional. Trying to find a home for all that new stuff, meant I was decluttering and organizing a lot after Christmas. Until I starting doing it before, by making room before Christmas I found it much easier to let things go. There were lots of charities that would take my stuff and it would help them out during the holiday season. Paying it forward before the new year feels good!
Here are some tips to help you declutter your space before Christmas:
Think about what may come in - What is on your Christmas list or what kinds of things are you most likely to receive from people. If you know what is on your list then start the declutter by letting go of old worn out things in that area.
Pick main areas – Kitchen, toys, clothing, bath and toiletries. Go to those areas and start the decluttering process.
Quick purge – do not get stuck on the emotions and the tough decisions like great grandmas antique vase. This is about doing a quick purge of the things that you do not use, do not need and do not love. The things you know you can live without or may be replaced at Christmas.
Clear out Christmas décor – This is the perfect time to donate Christmas décor that you are no longer using. Once you have decorated for the season, whatever is left over, pack it up and send it off to a charity or give it to someone you know who will love it!
If it does not ‘fit’ you or your life NOW, let it go - If your kids have outgrown it, you no longer use it, or you don’t like anymore, declutter it now.
Great time for Kids to clear out their stuff – Kids have a much easier time to let go of their stuff knowing that new things will be coming in. Get them to pay it forward and let some of their stuff go to other kids that may not be as lucky as them.
Decluttering does not always have to be emotional, sometimes it’s just the logical thing to do. So don’t overthink it at this time and go do a quick purge of the things that you no longer need, use or love. Make room for the new and save yourself some frustration and overwhelm by decluttering your space before Christmas.
If you want some help with this task, come on over to my Facebook group and join our Clutter Free Christmas Challenge. 24 days of small assignments to get you clutter free before the big day! Click here to join now - www.ClutterSupportGroup.com
Happy Decluttering All
Kim
Do you feel guilty for having a pile of unused gifts that people have given you over the years but you have never used, will never use, don’t need and don’t really love them. You love who gave them to you and you love the thought behind the gift but well you just don’t need that stuff.
Imagine letting go of the guilt…and all that excess stuff by paying it forward to someone else who would use it, need it or love it! Imagine regifting!
I heard a story years ago about the Dalai Lama – He was given a gift during a ceremony he was participating in and a reported who was working with him at the time asked him what happens to all the gifts that he gets. His reply was that they give them away. Taken aback by this response the reporter asked him if he thought this was an insult to the gift giver. The reply will forever be burned in my brain when I read it…he said no, the gift giving ceremony is just that, a ceremony. The gift symbolizes that the giver honours the receiver, the receiver thanks them and honours them back, then the ceremony is over. It is never about the object, it is all about the ceremony. The acknowledgement that one persons honours another and that person thanks them. this left a lasting impression for me and totally made sense of the whole gift giving 'ceremony'
A Lot of us are taught at a young age that it is the thought that counts not the gift but we forget this lesson and make the object more important than the thought. Keep this in mind when thinking about the excess gifts you have. It is time to detach from the object and just be thankful to the giver in the first place…without having to keep all that stuff! The ceremony is over!
So I am giving you permission to regift. If anyone has a problem with you doing this then blame me, I can take it. Regifting is OK!
There are however a few simple rules to follow to keep yourself from getting into trouble doing this:
Rule #1 Don’t gift it back to the one who gave it to you - Unless you have a very open and good relationship with them in which case you can ask them if they want it back- but don’t gift it to them .
Rule #2 Remove gift tags- Make sure that the to and from is not still on the gift, check inside to make sure there is no other names or notes that are personal on the item.
Rule #3 Regift outside your circle of friends or family- Make sure that you are regifting an item outside the circle of friends or family who may know each other. People do talk and you don’t want to get into an awkward situation where someone knows they gave you an item that you just gave to someone else.
Rule #4 When in doubt regift to a charity – if you have any hesitation that it may get awkward with the original giver, you have not idea who gave it to you or that the circle may be smaller than you think, then regift your items to a charitable organization who will get it to a needy person or family. No only does this save you from potential embarrassment, it can feel great too!
Rule #5 Only regift brand new items – I don’t need to say more about this, unless something is an antique don’t regift items that have been used!
Rule #6 Be respectful of the original giver – if you are asked straight up if you have regifted it then tell the truth…the truth will set you free (hopefully)
You may still think that regifting is an insult to the ones who gave you the gift in the first place but I will argue that point, I believe it is a much bigger insult to have something wasting away in a closet or basement, never used, cluttering up your space and not living up to it’s own potential…you are holding that stuff back from being useful and fulfilling its destiny!
Regifting is OK if done with respect!
Wishing you all peace & calm!
PS If you want to keep up to date on what’s happening at Kaos Solutions and to be the first to hear about my new book launch in the new year go join my Newsletter at www.KaosSolutions.com/newsletter. I promise I will not clutter up your inbox, we send out weekly newsletters and the occasional special announcement!
