5 Days to a Clutter-Free House , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Sandra Felton

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88 pages

English

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While most of us aren't hoarders we can all benefit from assessing and reducing the clutter in our homes--and then organizing what's left. Many things stop us from succeeding: the sheer scope of the project, the tendency to lose momentum if the job takes too long, and the fact that we're always acquiring new clutter. But what if it really took only a week to de-clutter the whole house, and then you even had the weekend to relax and enjoy your new clutter-free space? Could it really be that simple?Organizing and time management experts Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims show how with the right game plan and a healthy dose of adrenaline, anyone can de-clutter their home in just five days. With this systematic, team-based approach, even the most overwhelming de-cluttering job becomes doable. The authors' enthusiasm and energy keep readers pushing forward to the goal, and their time-tested tips and habits help readers maintain their hard-won gains. The authors even show how to deal with common obstacles to achieving and keeping a clutter-free house, like filing, storage needs, health issues, space restrictions, the car, and even family sabotage!

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 février 2013
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9781441240859
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0403€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2013 by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4085-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the authors, some details and names have been changed.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
From Sandra: To my family my husband, Ivan, and the kids, now grown, Lucy, Peter, and Doug, who were all a part of the mix at the house as we moved from a cluttered to a clear way of life. And for the freedom from the grip of disorganization, I say with a heartfelt Miami-type thanks to the Lord, “Gracias a Dios! Muchas gracias!”
From Marsha: This book is dedicated to my three sons, George, Charles, and Darryl, who forced me to learn how to declutter my home quickly. They taught me how to use tough love and to create strategies that guided them toward the decision that they would rather clean up their own spaces than accept my creative consequences. And to my extended family of sons, Jabbar, Jimmy, Chris, Eugene, Garry, and Sadiki, who were always around. We all had fun and learned how to clean up and organize together.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Preface 9
Introduction 15
Section One Getting It Under Control 25
1. The Clutterer Psyche 27
2. The System and the Team 35
3. Getting Down to Business 51
4. Putting the Plan Into Action 71
5. What Do I Do Now With the Stuff in the Boxes? 113
Section Two Keep the Good Life Going 129
6. How to Live Happily Organized-Ever-After 131
7. Manage Yourself 139
8. Manage Your House 163
9. Manage Your Family 177
10. Manage Your Time 191
A Final Word 207
Appendix 209
Notes 213
Acknowledgments 215
About the Authors 217
Other Books by the Authors 220
Back Ads 221
Back Cover 222
Preface
As professional organizers, we believe that the disorganized people we have dealt with are among the greatest people in the world. Creative, relationship-focused, intelligent, and warmly sentimental, they are wonderful people to know.
We include ourselves in the group of people who are disorganized by nature. The only difference between us and those we seek to help is that through training and by the grace of God, we have recovered. Our own backgrounds as inborn disorganized folks are excellent credentials, because we have had to learn from scratch. We’re able to break down the causes of and cures for clutter in a way organized people couldn’t begin to fathom.
In our many years of experience, disorganized people have impressed us with their many good very good qualities. Often it is these very qualities that lead them into the cluttered condition of their houses. As we look around their homes, we note they are: Intelligent Oh, so many books and papers! Curious Magazines, newspapers, and time on the Internet Productive Many half-done projects in the works Appreciative of beauty Displays galore of favorite things Frugal Items retained “just in case” they might be needed Helpful Things kept in the event someone else needs them Creative Hobbies and crafts inspire them Careful Abundant receipts, sale offers Loving Pets, sometimes lots and lots of pets
These very qualities are what make the disorganized such lovable and enjoyable people. Unfortunately, these qualities also lead disorganized people toward a way of life that stifles the expression of who they are.
If you can’t easily find the things you want and need, frustration clouds the enjoyment of what you are trying to do. Even though you are warm and friendly, the messy house places a barrier between you and your friends and family. And then, of course, a messy and disorganized house is not inviting; it is not a place for you to relax and rejuvenate. Instead, it demands that you spend time and energy on trying to make some sort of improvement to make your house a home.
You deserve better than that. You can have a home that refreshes and inspires you you simply need to follow what we’ve dubbed the Mount Rushmore method. It’s a five-day “toe-to-head” approach that will create a totally different and enjoyable life of order and beauty.
Building Your Organizing Vocabulary
When we talk organizing, we often use words that may be unfamiliar. When we use the term Mount Rushmore , we’re talking about a unique organizing method created to get your house in order in five days. The “rush” part means the job gets done quickly. The “more” part means you don’t try to do the job alone; you get help. We’ll explain the process fully in the first section of the book.

GOD’S RECOMMENDATION OF TEAMWORK
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (KJV)
Using a team approach is an important part of the power of this program. When we speak of a Clean Team, we mean bringing in outside forces to help move things from cluttered to clean. A “team” may be only one other person, but ideally it should consist of a few more, enough to get the assigned activities of the day done throughout the house.
When we discuss maintenance, we mean keeping the house organized consistently after it has been de-cluttered. The second section of the book covers that topic.
What About Guys?
People sometimes ask, “Why are your books written primarily to women, since guys are just as messy, or messier?”
Most women know the answer. Whether we like it or not, women usually care more and carry more responsibility for the house than men. How do we know? Just look around. An Internet group designed for messy men closed for lack of interest. Classes on organizing have a dozen women for every man. Women’s magazines have articles about organizing in every issue. Do you see this kind of article in men’s magazines? We think not.
We include a guy now and then in our references because they often need the same kind of help they’re just not as plentiful when it comes to asking for organizational assistance. Messies Anonymous ( www.messies.com) does offer a small ebook called Messy Men Clean Up Their Act . So men, you are welcomed into the ranks of those who want to move from cluttered to clear. Just don’t be surprised that your fellow male comrades are few.
About This Book
Our purpose in writing this book is to help you move to a new way of life from the clutter that surrounds you. It is for those who are somewhat or significantly cluttered. Keep in mind that an obsessive clutterer may require more significant intervention. But if you have hope and are game, we’ll help you usher in comfort you could never have imagined in your house and will never want to abandon.
This book has two sections: Section 1 details the five-day program. Section 2 explains how to keep your newly ordered house under control.
Thanks to all who contributed by letting us into their hearts and houses. The people are real. When we asked for their experiences with team cleaning, many of them wrote to us, telling how the approach you will read about impacted their lives. We include their writings just as they came to us. They reflect genuine sincerity. Some of our examples are from hands-on, in-the-trenches organizing experiences. Some are composites. Care has been taken to protect the identity of each.
Envious of Having a Team
Maryann set the stage for where we are going when she wrote:
“I’m looking forward to the book. I often wonder how to handle all the paperwork and stuff I have amassed over the years. I hate to think of my passing and leaving my family this situation. I confess, I have been envious of those who could have a team come in and take over. I’m so looking forward to the book!”
So let’s get started!
Introduction
What You Need to Know to Get Started
Have you ever wanted to be on one of those clean-up-your-mess-in-a-jiffy reality TV shows? That would be so quick and easy, you think. I wish they could come to my house.
Now you can have the same experience only better. You’ll be the producer, assembling the crew and orchestrating the whole show. No strangers in the house. No embarrassment with cameras. No inconvenient timetable. Just good results. A neat, organized house in a remarkably quick time.
That’s what this book is about: overcoming trouble, the kind of trouble that clutter brings to your life in one way or another. Like when all or many of the surfaces of your house are cluttered with misplaced items. Like when you hesitate to invite people in. Like when you are sick and tired of the mess and just want to live a clear, clutter-free life. If you’re at that point, you’ve come to the right place. Soon you will be able to breathe a large sigh of relief and inhale the joy of clutter-free rooms.

Stop and ask yourself this all-important question: “If everything were perfect and my house were set up exactly the way I want it, what would it look like?” Imagine it!
That’s what Renee wanted. She had one of those “special rooms” that was full of debris, boxes, and overstuffed trash bags she’d been meaning to get to (for years). There were surfaces of her house that she couldn’t use for their intended purpose because they were p