I spend a lot of time helping clients establish effective and beautiful systems for managing their clutter. Yet for some crazy reason I don't heed my own advice.
My purses take the brunt of the abuse here (also my car, but we'll save that for another day and a much longer post :) ). I use the same bag everyday for a few months straight, and you can only image the junk that collects in a designers bag. Every paint chip under the sun, fabric clippings, magazine tear sheets, and this is all in addition to the normal girlie stuff. Bobby pins, lip gloss, random business cards, etc. When I decide to switch-up my arm candy and commit to a new regular, I only transfer the absolute essentials: drivers license, credit cards, and keys. Everything else remains piled in the bottom of the bag, not to be seen again for a very long time.
I took inventory and decided to put everything I use regularly in small pouches separated by category. Work supplies (paint deck, measuring tape, etc.) fill one. Gift cards and store reward cards fill another. Cosmetics fill another as well. This way I can keep my purse organized. And when it comes time to switch purses, changing out a few small pouches is much more manageable that dealing with a bag full of loose, random objects.
My purses take the brunt of the abuse here (also my car, but we'll save that for another day and a much longer post :) ). I use the same bag everyday for a few months straight, and you can only image the junk that collects in a designers bag. Every paint chip under the sun, fabric clippings, magazine tear sheets, and this is all in addition to the normal girlie stuff. Bobby pins, lip gloss, random business cards, etc. When I decide to switch-up my arm candy and commit to a new regular, I only transfer the absolute essentials: drivers license, credit cards, and keys. Everything else remains piled in the bottom of the bag, not to be seen again for a very long time.
Until this morning that is. I decided to tackle every half-full bag and get this mess straightened out once and for all. And can I tell you what I found?!
Some really great stuff I had legitimately forgotten I owned (I'm talking to you, Bobbi Brown Bright Pink Lip Gloss)
Lots of trash, mainly receipts and no-longer-necessary paperwork.
And finally and most importantly, the realization that I feel so much lighter now! Both literally and figuratively. And boy, does it feel good!
I took inventory and decided to put everything I use regularly in small pouches separated by category. Work supplies (paint deck, measuring tape, etc.) fill one. Gift cards and store reward cards fill another. Cosmetics fill another as well. This way I can keep my purse organized. And when it comes time to switch purses, changing out a few small pouches is much more manageable that dealing with a bag full of loose, random objects. And now that I thoroughly embarrassed myself....Happy Hump Day.
But honestly, my motivation for sharing this not-so-fun personal fact was first to help myself. Thought process: By publicly humiliating myself it will hopefully keep me on the right track. I'll keep the purse situation under control and continue to address other dusty little corners of my life.
And secondly, I hope it helps you guys! I'm sure some of you are laughing at this post thinking, "Honestly? Do people really have this problem?" because you spic-n-span ladies don't have this issue. And kudos to you! Really. But I do know from personal experience and visiting lots of client homes, many people struggle with clutter issues.
So there, I hope you found this post helpful. And if not, I hope you enjoyed the pretty pictures of all things girlie. Feel free to leave any little bits of advice that help you stay neat and organized. I'd love to hear and I'm sure other readers would love to as well!
Oh my, you should SEE my purse. And my car. Actually, I emptied both today because I seem to have misplaced my license. And my credit card.
ReplyDelete:)
Heather
loveyourspace.blogspot.com