You know how they say that change is as good as a holiday? Yeah, well, organisation is like that for me. And yesterday I spent the day re-organising my kitchen. Attending to all those little jobs that I have been putting off. Seriously, you guys! I feel completely refreshed today and thrilled with my kitchen.

If you have been using the “latter” word when it comes to your clutter…go conquer your stuff! It’s a fabulous feeling.

Professional organiser, Jill Pollack, has 8 things you can get rid of today and you won’t even miss them:

1. Old Paint. All the touch-up paint you are holding onto expires 6 months anyway. Keep the info and have a test pot made if you ever need touch-up paint. 

2. Black Boots. We women have heaps of shoes and boots. Seriously, who needs several pairs of black boots? Pay attention to the ones you default to most often and pair down the number to two pair. (I know, don’t hyper-ventilate!)

3. Candles. We all have them everywhere. How old are they? Do they still smell like vanilla or pumpkin or anything fresh? Do you light them? Or are they just collecting dust! I don’t know about you, but I don’t need one more thing to dust. I recently biffed all my candles that were more than a year old…and the others, I have been lighting and using them! I’m even thinking of learning to make my own. That way I won’t feel bad about using them cause I’ll know, I can just make more! I’ll let you know if I do.

4. Ugly-Mismatched Sheets! Ok, this is my home pet-peeve. I hate to sleep under ugly, mismatched sheets and blankets in my own home. You only need 2 sets of sheets per bed unless you never do laundry. Then, as Jill points out, you have bigger problems than ugly sheets. 

5. Old cellphones and technology. Unless you are a museum curator you are never going to need all that…out…out with it all…Jill says, “feel good about it and let it go.”

6. Old textbooks and encyclopaedias. With information so readily available, if you haven’t cracked open any of those books in ages, recycle, recycle, recycle.

7. Freebie Pens. Ok, we all have that 1 item that is terribly hard to part with. Mine is pens. Confession time: I have a pen fettish! I love them. I collect them! I might have even been known to accidentally keep a few hundred freebie pens (even though my husband can never find a pen when he needs one…shhh, I sometimes hide them, too!) so, this one is difficult for me. But, I do evaluate and toss the ones that are out of ink. That is progress for me. I used to save the cool ones thinking I would replace the ink refill…NEVER happened. So, now, when they stop writing, I mournfully send them to pen heaven. Ok, I trash them. Be brave…you don’t really need all those pens. I’m working on this one.

8. Free Delivery Magnets. They are just plan ugly. Sorry. Put them in a toxic recycle bin. Yeah, not supposed to just trash them.

Are you feeling panicky?

Breathe.

It’s alright.

You CAN do this.

Don’t put it off until later. Now is the new later according to Peter Walsh

Go.

Go, do it now. 

You’ll feel all good and smart and relaxed and like you’ve just had a holiday. That is if your the same kind of organisational-crazy that I am! If not, you’ll feel more organised.

What would you add to the list?
Happy organising! Come sip coffee with me when you’re done.

See you soon.
D

Oh, here’s a snap shot of my clean little pantry cupboard. One thing I had to let go of were spices and empty spice bottles (although I kept 6 empties just in case I forgot something). I buy spices from the bulk store and refill bottles I have. So, I’m down to the spices I use all the time and nothing more. If the empty bottles aren’t used in 3 months, they are going.