February means a new habit

So we kept our sinks shining last month and it is now habit right everyone?  Yeah, I didn't reshine it every night either but we have kept the dishes cleaned instead of letting them pile up.  Even when we let them go at night we get to them the next day - this is progress.  Right now I have some things from a dip I made for last nights MomsNext meeting, there are a few plates from the hoagies we ate last night, and the spoons and bowls from breakfast this morning.  I will get them all cleaned after I blog and the world will be right again.  : ) 

This month we will be decluttering for 15 minutes everyday.  As I look around this room I can say, "Yep.  I need this habit". 

What does it entail?  Well for 15 minutes you work on one spot (doing a whole room can get distracting and so nothing seems to get done).  In that time what ever you touch you decide to keep, throw out, or donate/ give away.  No second guessing yourself - go with your gut on this.  A great guideline FlyLady sets is think do you love this item?  If not get rid of it. 

Now I come from a place of "what if I need it"?  Well, honestly I tend to forget we have it because we aren't using it or I can not find it.  Hard to find that one thing when you keep everything.  I have been working on this and it is hard. Read past blogs and you will see I mention the difficulty I have in getting rid of items, especially my girls stuff. 

So this month I will continue this habit.  Of course that means my fellow MOPS moms may be getting more clutter for their homes.   : ) 

Oh and when your 15 minutes are done, throw away the trash pile and also take the giveaway pile out to the car.  This will help you fight the second guessing.  Also keeps it out of sight if your kids come home and see you are getting rid of old toys.  Amazing how they haven't played with an item in months but it is suddenly their favorite toy ever. 

Clearing clutter really does make you feel better.  I know when I was doing really well on the FlyLady program before I was happier.  The stuff everywhere really does cause stress.  The stress then has negative influence on the family and also ourselves. 

Happy cleaning!