Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Cure for Clutter

Here's what worked for me this weekend after feeling overwhelmed with clutter:

I invited some friends for dinner Sunday after church! Then, my Blessings Gathering needed a new location - so I said just to come on over here. These were the perfect motivation for me to clear the counters and table and it has made such a difference in my home but also in my heart!

What is your clutter cure?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's funny how inviting company forces us to declutter. Your home is so beautiful and I always appreciate all the photos you take! Have a blessed week, Monica!

Leanne said...

I'm a "no clutter" freak...here are two things that works for me, especially in the kitchen (where clutter tends to descend the most!)...its the 10 rule...if things are getting "out of control", I stop and put 10 things away...just 10, but the rule is... they must be completely dealt with...either stored, "filled out and sent"--because most clutter is paper in some way, or "trashed"...
For bigger jobs, I do the 20 minute rule; set the timer, for 20 minutes, and do nothing but declutter for 20 minutes...these 2 trules, have a made a huge difference!
your house looks so cute, by the the way!!☺

LynnMarie said...

I have invited over friends as well in order to clean the house. Funny but it works. When I get to de-clutter a room, I have 3 HUGE bags with me. One is marked TRASH, one KEEP, and one GIVE. I spend 15 minutes just filling the bags as fast as I can so I don't have time to change my mind. The TRASH bag gets empty right away. The GIVE bag gets puts in the car right away and KEEP bag gets put back in the room I just did and the room looks all clean and fresh.

MameyJane said...

Ain't that the truth! There's no greater motivation for me than to know someone is coming over. The Lord uses it often to remind me that Hhe is coming back soon, and will He find there is there too much clutter in my heart??

Wendi said...

Ahh clutter... I dislike it, but it seems to want to be my friend! Having company always works to get things in order.

Nikki @ Saving For A Rainy Day said...

I've been reading your blog for a while now but I guess I missed that you are consultant for Blessings!

I just signed on and I'm so excited! What great products!! I love my 'This is the face of someone Jesus loves' mirror.

Anonymous said...

Great post and you have a lovely kitchen!
My danger clutter area is the coffee table in the living room. I have a bad habit of piling things on it to "deal with" when I am sitting on the couch.
Paperwork, mail, ads etc are a major problem for me. I just let it pile up until I am overwhelmed.
I am trying something new - before brining it to the coffee table I go to the kitchen and throw away the junk before I can let it pile up. It's only been a few weeks since I started this but I like it! Well see if it continues.

Having people over is a great way to motivate me to clean the bathrooms...I detest cleaning bathrooms!

Thank you for your encouragement!
Jenny Goldsby

Season of Life said...

I love how the commitment of having events in our home serves as a HUGE motivator for clearing piles and tackling items that have been put off...additionally knowing there is a fixed amount of time you have to get it done adds to that motivating factor.

We try to keep clutter to a minimum by doing what we call "clean sweeps" throughout the day...just quickly going through the rooms to pick items up and put them away. Also trying to make sure that what we have has a "Home" and "Purpose" helps.

Blessings ~

~katie~ said...

That is definitely a cure that works for us too! =)

Leah said...

It looks great! I always feel so much more relaxed when the clutter is gone!! I am motivated to control my clutter by having a home Bible study at my house every week. That doesn't mean that I never just shove things into the closet ;), but it forces me to keep things under control!!
Thank you for your wonderful, uplifting blog!!

Anonymous said...

It looks great!

Carrie said...

That is my clutter cure EXACTLY! Inviting people over. =D

Melissa said...

You know me, I clean as I go. I can't help myself! How I wish I could just walk away from a mess sometimes!

Love seeing your clear counter tops, and I know what a blessing it is to you to be free from that clutter.

Blissful & Domestic said...

It looks beautiful

Becky said...

When our clutter gets out of control, I take a step back and think.... how much of this stuff do I actually need? Sure, I may use it at some point in time.....long down the road, but if it's just cluttering up things for now, what's the point in keeping it?

Then I take a garbage bag and literally throw said clutter away. If it's bills or something (that I can't throw away, but wish I could!), they get filed. So much stuff that is "clutter" is actually junk! (Treat bags from bday parties anyone?!?)

I have a rubbermaid storage container in my garage that is used to hold things that will be donated and when it gets full, we make a trip to goodwill. So I don't throw away things others could use, but really, so much of our clutter is totally unnecessary stuff.

Having a place to put the clutter (trash or donate) rather than having to find a place for it makes it so much easier to move it on out.

angie said...

I start at the door from the garage and pick up and put away as I go. I make piles of things that need to go upstairs or to the basement, so that I am concentrating on one floor at a time.
I wish I would feel more comfortable inviting others over for a meal. It's not clutter that stops me. I worry that the company won't like my cooking... I need to remember that everything tastes better when cooked by someone else.

Anonymous said...

I love how you keep files in the antique box. I need to look for one like that!

Erin

The Merry Yeoman said...

Is that an advent marker or something? -The Spiral candle holder with Christ carrying the cross?

Monica Wilkinson said...

You can find out about the Advent Wreath here: http://adventtolenttoascensionwreath.blogspot.com/