How To: Clear The Clutter.

Sometimes tackling a messy situation can be overwhelming. You just don't know where to start. I feel your pain! Here are the simple steps I followed yesterday that make clearing the clutter a manageable process.

1. Pinpoint the specific problem. For me, it was clearing out all my purses. For you, it might be the pile of God-knows-what on your kitchen island. By clearly stating the problem, you can create an attainable goal. And in doing so, you're setting yourself up for success. And that feels good! Success will encourage you to tackle other clutter areas in your life.

2. Organize the things you want to keep. Sort like objects into piles. Putting things away will be much easier, thanks to this step.

3. Throw it away! I have a tendency to keep things because I feel I might need them someday. Example: I've been lugging around the same salon menu in my purse for over a year. If I haven't needed it yet, chances are I never will. And if I do, there is this handy dandy little thing called the internet where I'm sure I'll find a more up-to-date version.

Everything is a compromise. You need to decide which is more important. For me, having an organized purse was more important than hanging on to the menu. You'll need to decide for yourself.

Although my purse situation did not warrant such measures, donate unwanted belongings to charity. Many organizations accept everything under the sun, including clothes, bedding, office supplies, toys, home decor items, and even unused toiletries. Clear the clutter and help others. What could be better!

4. Create an organized system to stay clean. I decided to keep belongings in small pouches within my bag. This way I can switch out the pouches easily from purse to purse and can keep my bag organized. I also assigned a drawer near our front door to house all my purse essentials. This way I can choose a different bag everyday and am not lazily grabbing for the same old bag just because all my things are in it.

Also very important: Set up an effective system, but make sure it's beautiful. The more you like looking at your organizing system, the more you'll use it. Above I lined the drawer with a vintage tie dyed fabric and used this ikat bowl to hold my lipgloss. Convenient and pretty!

Well I hope this helps motivate some of you out there! I'm using the month of February to clear the clutter. A perfect time as I unpack all these boxes filled with things I managed to live without for over six months. I think I'll be rereading this post often over the next month!

Dirty Little Secret.

Can I admit something to you guys? I'm messy at heart.

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.

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!