Last day of the desk clean-up. How is your desk? I’d love to see before and after pix if you are willing to share.

Here is the worksheet if you haven’t gotten it yet.

Today is desk drawers, spraying down your desktop, doing the last things, making a self-care basket and finally congratulating yourself and actually looking at your clean desk.

Here is the whole series if you missed a day:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

If you want to do more decluttering, join up with the Declutter Group starting Oct. 1.

How is your desk looking? Did you miss some days? You can start again after Day 5.

And if you have been decluttering your desk, you must be feeling really good about your progress. Things don’t have to be perfect to have progress. Don’t let yourself feel badly if things aren’t done “exactly right.”

Today we are going through project files, cubbies and boxes and bulletin boars/whiteboards.

My Bulletin Board before and after.

Here is the worksheet if you haven’t gotten it yet.

Welcome back! It’s Day 3!

I am feeling motivated to keep my desk cleaner since I know you are all working with me.

Take a look at any progress you made so far.

Today we are filing, shredding, labeling cords and going through notebooks.

Below is the worksheet if you haven’t downloaded it yet.

======> Download the 5-Day Desk-Cleanup Worksheet <===========
When you are all done post in the comments for accountability.

If you want to go deeper into sorting papers, here is a video of my living room paper sort method:

https://youtu.be/iKlLDWLLAKc

September 24 is National Innergize Day. This is a day to relax, reflect and rejuvenate yourself, focusing on your inner well-being.

One way to innergize is to create and use a space for your relaxation. We’ve been talking about decluttering and one reason to declutter is to make room for nurturing spaces. Too much of our homes hold objects from the past or “what if I need this” futures. We need places for your current self to enjoy and be renewed.

How to Create a Cozy Retreat

• Find a Space. What area of your home tends to calm you or you can picture it calming you? It can be a corner, a room, an alcove, part of a guest bedroom, a closet, or even the bathroom.
• Declutter the area. Don’t know where to begin? Start at the doorway then keep going left as you declutter. Remove anything that doesn’t say relaxation to you. You want to keep objects that bring you peace. A more minimal room opens up space to create your cozy haven and allows your mind to relax more.
• Color. Do you have soothing colors here? Perhaps a peaceful blue, green, grey or lavender? What color for you signals that it is time to let go? You don’t have to re-paint if you don’t want to, but bring in some decorations, furniture or comforts in that color.
• Furniture. Creating a peaceful and nourishing environment to relax is important in relieving stress. Incorporate comfortable and supportive furnishings to help you unwind. Have a chair that is easy to read in for your favorite reading position. Perhaps a nice ottoman or foot stool. Do you have room for a couch? You might need storage solutions. Think about what you need to make this space support you.
• Natural, relaxing lighting. The blue light of most LED or fluorescent bulbs can agitate your system. So, try a full spectrum light bulb here. Sometimes you can enjoy sitting in candlelight, maybe with warm tea, so have candles nearby. Also, if you will be reading in the evening you can use Red Night Glasses to block out blue light and make it easier to transition to sleep.
• Decorations. Do you have any memorabilia, pictures or photos that make you feel good you would like to display? Perhaps a salt lamp has the ambient light you want. Include just a few soothing, happy decorations. You don’t want to re-clutter here.
• Music and white noise. Music settles the soul quicker than most things. So make sure you have a way to listen – a CD player, an iPod/iPhone speaker system, a vintage record player. How do you like to listen to music? You can also have soothing sounds from a white noise or nature sound machine/alarm system. I use Homedics White Noise Portable Sound Machine. There are many phone apps that have meditative music or nature sounds so you can take your restful place with you. You can create a relaxation playlist for when you are in your retreat place.
• Aromatherapy. Your sense of smell is primal and can have a powerful effect on how you feel about a space. Some of the most relaxing essential oil scents are chamomile, clary sage, lavender, rose and ylang ylang. You can use these scents in a variety of ways. I use a this portable diffuser. You can also use a carrier oil like jojoba oil and a few drops to massage into the skin. Before I got my diffuser I would put some drops of oil on cotton balls nearby. If your relax space is in the bathroom you can put 5 drops or so in your bath. You can use a spritzer to combine water and about 10 drops of oil. Keep a basket of your essential oil supplies in your area.
• Touch. We’ve talked about what we see, hear and smell in a relaxing space. How about what you touch? A cozy blanket. Warm slippers. Massage lotion to rub your feet. A Back Buddy or other massage tool. A foot bath. A yoga mat. Bring at least one thing into your space that nurtures your sense of touch.
• Nature. I adore walks in nature for reconnecting to the soul so I try to bring the natural world back into any relaxation space. It can be a window with bird feeders outside. Or a shelf of stones and shells. Flowers from the farmer’s market. Green plants. Pinecones from walks. Driftwood from the beach. Where can you add nature?
• Books. What are some of your favorite childhood books? Perhaps there are books with relaxation tips you own. Do you have a yoga book or a spiritual book that feels like coming home? Include a shelf of books, hide them in a pretty bag or have a couple stacked somewhere or in between fantastic bookends.
• Spiritual. Find space for whatever spiritual practice you have or want to have. Maybe a meditation cushion, prayer journal, mala beads, or a gratitude list.
• Creative. Some people like to relax with art. Do you have a table you can set up for coloring, watercolor painting, drawing, scrapbooking, etc.? You can have a box or storage unit with a few supplies. This isn’t necessarily a craft room which can be an overwhelming place. It’s a spot to dabble in your art if that calls to you.

You don’t need to use all these suggestions. You will want to include what nurtures you in your space. It will also depend on how big an area you have. You don’t want an overwhelming, cluttered space.

What one thing can you do today to create a cozy retreat place for you? Then schedule time to enjoy your haven.

Welcome to Day 2 of the Desk Cleanup!

How is your desk looking today? A little better? I want you to acknowledge any improvement to motivate you for today. You are in charge of your space, so let’s get to it.

Today we are going to declutter and organize those desk supplies, go through CDS and computer programs and get all your papers into an in-box to sort.

Below is the step-by step worksheet if you haven’t downloaded it yet.

======> Download the 5-Day Desk-Cleanup Worksheet <===========

When you are all done post in the comments here for accountability.

Together we can do this!

I’m excited to see you back here tomorrow.

Welcome to Day 1 of the 5-Day Desk Clean Up…are you ready?

I know desks are a big pain to keep clean. Yes, that is a before picture of my desk a couple years ago. But, it still gets that way sometimes.

First, I want to say that you don’t have to have a clean and organized desk. If you work best in mess, than that is fine. Or you can clean up during this challenge, but not push yourself to perfectionism. I will never have a minimalist desk because I find them boring. I like inspirational cork boards, salt lamps and a bunch of different colored pens.

The only reason to declutter and organize your desk, is if it is hindering your work. If you can’t find things, the space is making you feel heavy and claustrophobic, or papers are getting lost it may be time to take care of it.

Here’s a fun playlist for while you work.
www.youtube.com/watch…

======> Download the 5-Day Office-Cleanup Worksheet <===========

Today we will be working on trash and books.

When you are all done post here for accountability!

I can’t wait to see your decluttered desks in 5 days! You are fantastic!

I am a voracious reader and have been reading magazines since I was a child with my Nat Geo for kids.

So when I found out I could get free magazines on my Kindle because I am an Amazon Prime member, I was giddy. No paper! No clutter! Tons of information (see my Information Reduction Plan).

I started reading magazines on cooking, health, women’s interest, fashion crafts and anything else that was out. I had canceled most of my paper magazines as I didn’t want the clutter. Currently I just have Reader’s Digest that my Grandma gets me and my husband & I enjoy.

I would read magazines at night before bed or in downtime. Then I started noticing how they were making me feel. I was feeling not good enough about my weight, my home, my cooking.

Each magazine included tons of projects that I didn’t have time to complete and that made me feel badly as well. I wasn’t going to make that recipe, do that 30-day fitness challenge or make that paper craft. But, I felt I should. It’s interesting. I may even want to do it. But, I have lots of other things I want to do that weren’t dictated to me by a magazine.

There was the time I was using the pick out a magazine to read and all the reading time for things I don’t intend to do.

Plus, with all the advertisements I was enticed to buy things I didn’t need like expensive face cream or the latest home gadget.

I decided no more magazines besides Reader’s Digest.

I want to read things that are helpful and deep. I don’t need someone living on one of the coasts telling me what should be important to me.

I feel freer already.

I wrote how getting a new TV spurns more projects and the projects kept growing. One project it led to was creating an exercise room. The living room was looking so streamlined and serene after the extra decluttering from removing the entertainment center, that I no longer liked my exercise stuff there.

I’ve had my exercise things in the living room because I didn’t want to wake my daughter during my early morning movement. But, she moved out in December so it was a perfect time to create the exercise room. I had been exercising upstairs anyway, but most of my equipment was in the living room.

It’s really more like exercise part of an area upstairs rather than a room. It’s in an area that connects the three bedrooms upstairs. It also houses cat toys, a craft table, the DVD and CDs and a computer.

1) The first thing I did was bring my weights upstairs and put them under the craft table. That was exercise in itself.

2) I keep my yoga mat out so I can do a little yoga before bed or throughout the day, not just morning.

3) On the computer desk I put some fitness books plus pilates and yoga cards. I decluttered my exercise accordion folder with exercises ripped from magazines categorized by what type of exercise ie upper, full body, cardio, yoga, etc. On my computer I bookmarked Yoga with Adriene and BeFit in YouTube along with a couple courses I bought from Daily OM.

4) Next to bring upstairs were my dance DVDs, Zumba, P90x and other exercise DVDs.  I got rid of the last few VHS tapes as our tape player no longer works, to make room for them in our DVD movies/CD collection.

5) I found a shoebox for my bands and put that under the craft table as well.

I don’t have any big equipment like treadmills or ellipticals. I know myself and would get bored with them too fast. But, I would have room if moved the yoga mat. I do much of my cardio outside with walking, hiking, swimming and Groove classes. Your exercise room or area would have what you love to do for exercise.

One of the first things I do in the morning is exercise, so now I have it all in one space. I have been re-invigorated by equipment and DVDs I had forgotten about. I love having my yoga mat out all the time.

Is this a beautiful and fancy room? No, but it’s functional and has a fan. It helps me exercise more. I am very happy with my new space.

What have you been wanting to do more of in your life? Do you have a space for it?

Want motivation to start and complete that project? Join the next Project class.

My husband and I got a new TV when we could no longer read the text messages and subtitles on our 32″. What I thought would be a simple replacing the TV project turned into other projects.

We had to get a new platform for the TV and release the bigger entertainment center with all the cubbies. Which meant everything in the cubbies had to move. I started by taking the books from the bedroom upstairs. I had to declutter a bunch of books from various bookshelves so all of them would fit in the current bookshelves. Then I was able to put the photo albums from the cubbies into the bedroom shelves.

Now had to to put the games from the entertainment center elsewhere, decluttering some of them.

Much of the rest of the entertainment center cubbies were brought into my office, so I needed to organize and declutter there as well. Once I organized all that stuff and that area looked serene I wanted to organize and declutter the rest of my office. Going through desk cubbies, cleaning out my self-care box, updating my menu planner, clearing off the bulletin board.

Bulletin Board Before:

Bulletin Board After:

I cleared off my desk so I only had these:

Left

• my action file box
• A heart ceramic container with magnets and pushpins for the bulletin board/whiteboard
• Wire container for less used writing utensils
• Essential oil diffuser
• Salt lamp

Center

• Work notebook
• Papers I am dealing with that day
• Pen wire container
• Eyeglass case
• Phone

Right

• Cubbies with binders, books, self-care box, notebook, CDs and desk supplies
• Below the cubbies is my 3-hole punch, matches, essential oil basket and inbox.

My office was looking so nice that I wanted to update the room upstairs to an exercise room. (Next blog post)

Have you noticed that projects to upgrade your space tend to produce more projects? Soon more and more things are looking spacious. The trick is to finish one of the projects before moving onto the other.

If you have been stuck with a project come get support and fun by doing it with the Pleasant Projects group. Or if you need help focusing for your projects.

I’ve been in this business about 15 years now and every year in January I see the same thing. People get excited about change (decluttering, losing weight, cleaning up finances). You go full in, spending hours trying to take care of things using that New Year energy.

Then, you lose that motivation. It’s not exciting or you see another project that looks like it may be more fun. Usually the first parts of a project is easier and then you get to the hard part like decluttering sentimental items or the craft room.

Suddenly even though you had hours to devote to it before, you have no time. No energy. You skip one day. Then two. Soon, it’s not even on the radar anymore.

Now you are berating yourself about having no will-power and self-control. You tell yourself, “I knew it would never happen. I never stick to things.”

It’s great to use that New Year energy. It’s fantastic! But, it doesn’t last. It’s not that you can’t stick to things, it’s that you were relying on something that doesn’t last and isn’t sustainable.

You need to put structures and support in place when you have that energy, so you can continue down the line. Otherwise your Project Change doesn’t continue.

Prepare for the Hard

You need think about what happens when you hit the hard part. What if feelings of sadness or regret arise? What about the days when you have absolutely no motivation – what will you do?

What will you say to yourself when you enter the hard area?

Set Up Systems

Setting up systems allows you to just do it instead of deciding each time. You have a routine. You have your next actions written out. You have an actual plan.

You put out exercise clothes the night before or put fruit in a bowl on the table.

Every other Friday you pay bills and look at your finances. You set up an automatic savings plan.

Get Accountability

We want to go it alone. We think we should be able to handle it ourselves. But, for the majority of people it works at least twice as well when you check in with other people.

I know I didn’t stick with decluttering until I started checking in with a group online.

Work with One or Two Changes

Most people don’t have the energy required to make many changes at the same time yet people operate that way all the time. How about this year, you work on one or two goals at once until the systems become habitual?

Once a change becomes a habit, it takes up less space in your brain so you can focus on something else. Allow yourself to reach the habit stage before running onto another change. This is hard and is where change often breaks down. You don’t give yourself that time to create a habit, because you give up after the first few mistakes or skips.

Don’t follow that next shiny object until you set that foundation.

***

If you want to set up a system for your decluttering and get major accountability, we’d love to have you join us in the next Declutter Group. You can make changes that stick.