How many small, annoying things do we live with everyday that would be so easy to change?  Sometimes we have a system of doing something that just needs a little tweaking. 

For example, 11 years ago, we put in a new kitchen.  When I set up my kitchen, I put the baggies and plastic wrap in the big drawer where all the "kitchen stuff" went right by the oven.  There wasn't enough room for the hot pads, so I put them over by the fridge.  That is where they stayed.  For 11 years.  We mentioned it quite often that it made no sense to walk across the room to grab a hot pad, but we never did anything about it.  I also pack lunches on the counter where the hot pads were stored and it would have made perfect sense to have the baggies there.  Well, last week I finally decided the system was broken and I needed to do something about it.  So I did.  It took me 5 minutes to make the switch.  5 minutes.  How many extra steps did I take over the past 11 years rather than make a 5 minute change? 

A couple of observations...  Change is never easy, but if we take the time to stop and think, a small change might make more sense than continuing to do something just because we've "always done it that way."  It's also interesting to note how difficult it can be to change habits even after we realize that they make no sense.  My family and I continue to look for things in those two wrong drawers because we're in the habit of doing things the wrong way. 

Organizing our lives can be simple and complicated at the same time, but it's almost always worth the effort in the end.  What little change can you make today?

There it was.  Staring at me from across the attic.  Begging me to...
to what??  What could I possibly do with a Latch Hook Kitty rug from Jr. High School?  Frame it?  Re-purpose it?  Convince one of my children that it would make a great accent piece next to their favorite teddy bear?  No, no and no.  Even my children are smart enough to know that a yarned cat with dingy white edging has no practical use.  So with one final embrace, I did the unthinkable and sent Latch Hook Kitty to her final resting place in the donation box.  Goodbye dear friend.


What makes us hang onto our clutter?  We all have our own unique and endless reasons for collecting clutter.  
  
"I made that cat with my own hands and it took a lot of time and yarn."
"It is a keepsake from my childhood 25 years ago."
"My children might want this someday." 
 
Each of us have stuff from our past that fit into the sentimental category.  But what about you, Mr. Business Man?  What about the plaque that honors you for serving as president of Smallville rotary club back in 1986? That has no more business taking up space on top of your filing cabinet than Latch Hook Kitty had in my attic. Don Aslett says in his book Clutter's Last Stand, "Hobbies and collections can not only be fun but also help us develop discipline and organization.  Yet, too often as time passes, we've outgrown them but the skeleton remains to haunt us in the form of clutter.  Enjoy that hobby or collection and use it, or lose it.  Make sure it rewards you and others."  The question is, what are we really hanging onto?  Do the items that we keep bring value to our lives today?

Today I am launching my new business.  I am so excited, it's hard to sleep most nights -just ask my husband!:)  This process has all happened so fast that I can hardly formulate one idea before the next one pops into my head.  It started as a passing comment about my love for organizing and how I should start a business.  My first thought was, "I have no idea where to start!"  Brian suggested that I find some kind of class to give me a jump start on information.  I was talking to a friend about it one day and she said that her college-friend's-mom teaches an organizing class, so I found it online and signed up that day.  That is how I became a member of The Organizing Specialists Network.  I completed the class in Grand Rapids on June 1st and it has been a snowball effect ever since.  I now feel well-prepared to make my dream a reality.  I am excited to share all of my ideas with you and bring you on this journey with me!