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Too Busy Is Not An Excuse

3/21/2020

2 Comments

 
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How many times have we said “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have time” as a reason or excuse for not taking care of household projects?  How many times have we told ourselves “I’ll do ____ when I have time”? We are moving into a period of time that will allow you and me to dive into household projects.  We will have time because the world as we know it is slowing down. This doesn’t mean that everything will come to a screeching halt. However, with the restrictions that are being imposed, we will be at home much more than we have been.

Eating out in restaurants, for example, has been eliminated in many states.  (I do, however, encourage you to continue to order from your favorite restaurant via carry-out.)  Not spending time with family and friends at sporting, music, theater, and social events frees up time that you would be away from home.  You now are given the opportunity to use this time to focus on the various home projects that you have put on the back burner due to being “too busy”.  Here are some ideas of what you can focus on while you are home.
  • Kitchen
  • Laundry room
  • Closets
  • Bathrooms
  • Storage areas
  • Toys & games
  • Kids rooms
  • Paper piles
  • Photos
  • Passion projects
Look at the list and start with the area that will make the biggest impact for YOU.  What area causes you the most stress (and is most cluttered!) that you haven’t been able to focus on because you can never find that block of time to work on it?  This should be the area that you focus on first. 

Declutter, discard, and then organize.  As you tackle this area, you will not only see visible results, you will feel the stress that the disorganization created fade away.  I promise you will have a spring in your step!   


Prioritize the above areas, and work your way around your home while you have the time!  This may be the only time that you are encouraged to stay home! Kind of like a big “time out.”  Embrace this opportunity to deep dive into your home spaces.  

Imagine how you will feel when the restrictions are lifted and your home is organized.  The relief of getting those projects done is priceless.

What area will you focus on first?  Let’s encourage each other. :)

Let’s Do It Together!
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2 Comments

5 Questions to Take the Guesswork Out of Decluttering

7/9/2019

1 Comment

 
De-cluttering can be overwhelming time-consuming. While it’s true de-cluttering can take a lot of time, the results can be life-changing!  Before organizing your space, I like to talk about getting to Ground Zero.  This is the place where all the unnecessary, unwanted, and junk is gone and you are left with the things you love and need.  When you get here you will then be able to begin to organize your spaces. De-cluttering first is key!
You know you need to de-clutter your kitchen, office, spare room, or garage.  You keep looking at the space and walking by it, vowing to get started “tomorrow”.  Tomorrow comes and goes, as do weeks and months. Why haven’t you started? Why do you keep walking by, feeling overwhelmed, guilty, and frustrated?   It may be because you don’t know HOW to start to de-clutter that space. It’s easier to put it off, ignore it, and tell yourself that you will get to it later.  
Here are 5 questions I ask my clients.  Answering these questions will help you to gain clarity and decide if you need to keep the items or not.   Let’s get to it!
  1.  Is this useful to me?  Is this something that we need in our home?  Does it serve a purpose, or is this something that I have used, but an not using anymore?  When you stop to think about it, we go through phases of life, and each phase has things that we have collected at that time, for a reason.  If you moved passed the season for the item, feel free to pass it on to someone else who may be ready to use it.
  2. Do I have something else similar to this that I can use?  I love to use the example of wooden spoons in a kitchen.  How many do you really need?  Sometimes we collect similar items that can be used for the same purpose. For example pressure cooker, crockpot or slow cooker, instant pot, rice cooker.  These four small appliances take up storage space. When is the last time you have you all of them? A solution could be: keep the instant pot because it can be used as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker.  This is one example of streamlining appliances or tools that we have.  
  3. Am I only keeping it because I spent money on it?  This can be a tough one.  Money is something that causes us to hold tightly onto things.  We can’t bear to let something go if we have spent a lot of money on it.  We ignore the fact that we don't use it, it doesn’t fit, it’s broken, we frankly don’t even like it.  But we are bound to keep the item because we spent money on it. I’m giving you permissions, actually, encouraging you to let go of these things!  If it’s not serving you and you won’t use it, why are you using valuable space in your home to store this item? Especially if you can’t even get a refund!  I encourage my clients to let go of the guilt, rehome the item, and chalk it up to a bad purchase decision. You know we have all made them! Toss the item, toss the guilt!
  4. Am I only keeping this item out of obligation?  The gift, the treasure, the things that someone thought you just had to have!  Sentimental gifts are hard. Keeping something because you want to because you have warm feelings about the memory associated with the item.  I am all about saving things! Keeping something that you don’t want or need, because it was a gift is not necessary. Would that person really care if you kept it?  Can you send it on its way to bless someone else? Please lose the guilt of holding onto something out of obligation. This can fall under emotional manipulation. Don’t go there, make your choices, and keep it if you love it.
  5. Am I saving this “Just In Case”?  This is one of my favorite questions to ask. I like to start with a) when is the last time you used it?  (good grief it its been years!) b) do you think Just In Case will be coming for a visit? c) do you know of someone else who has the same item that you could borrow if Just In Case comes to visit?   I also like to add, if you are an FB user and need something for a one time use, ask your friends, someone is bound to have it! 
If you are ready to de-clutter, I would love for you to join the July Weight Loss Challenge!  During this month, we are de-cluttering our homes, and tracking the weight of what we are de-cluttering.  I did this last year and our home lost 822# of STUFF!  Join us in the Organizing Your Chaos FB Group and download the free #JulyWeightLossChallenge Tracker to help you as you declutter your home!  I would love to know how much weight your home will lose :)

Let's Do It Together!

1 Comment

What's your next step?

4/25/2019

0 Comments

 
I've been thinking about exercising, drinking more water, and eating better food. For several months.  Yep, just thinking about it.  Then, telling myself that it's too cold to go outside and exercise.  Now, that excuse is out the window, the weather is getting nicer!  I don't have the weather to use as an excuse anymore.  Bummer!   But, I have been drinking more water (and dang, doing to the bathroom a lot!). And, continuing to think about making healthier meals. This is going to take a bit longer for me to decide how I want (okay, how I will!) to do this.  

I don't love to cook, or grocery shop.  But, I do like good food!  I admit I'd rather be organizing your garage for you, or your pantry, or your kitchen.  Those things get me so excited!  The food cooking thing, not so much.  

I am determined to make some big changes this summer!  I joined a Facebook health challenge this week called: Live Well 7 Day challenge, so I'm getting motivated to make changes.  I even walked our two dogs this morning with my friend Pam.  This reminded me that I need accountability.  (And, we're going tomorrow also!)   I'm too lazy in this area to do it on my own, and it was definitely more fun and motivating to go on a walk with my friend.

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What things do you struggle with getting done?  What things don't you do because you don't like to?  Is it the food thing like me?  Or, is it budgeting, organizing, cleaning, scheduling family activities?  What makes you want to run and hide and forget it needs to get done?  

I want to encourage you to take the first step.  And, to answer the questions at the beginning, I've felt like I can't get it ALL together.  And, I don't have to!  I just need to take one step in a direction to change the one things that I want to change.

What's one thing that you want to change, learn, try?  I'm curious!  

Reply to this email and let me know...I think we all have at least one thing we want to do.  It's spring, and a time for new beginnings.  What is yours?
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0 Comments

    Monique Horb

    I coach busy, tired, and overwhelmed women who struggle with "winning at work and losing at home".  We work together to transform your life from chaotic to calm.  De-cluttering your home, paper piles, and over-flowing schedule will you the confidence, time an energy to do what God created for you to do. 

    I am a Christian, wife, and mom to six :)  I've struggled with feelings of hopelessness, depression, and overwhelm. I know first-hand that life can be really hard.  I also know that when you have someone walking along side of you, changing things in your life is so much easier.  We all need someone to walk beside us.  Let's Do It Together!

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