Planning for Success

Benjamin Franklin famously said:

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!

So it is for this reason that day 1 of my declutter challenge is all about planning. However, before you make any plan, you need a start point and end point. In my free declutter challenge download, you’ll find:

• my 7-step process for decluttering
• an assessment tool
• your vision v the reality
• a 5 week declutter planner
• a daily success bank

Putting them into practice, my assessment of my own home showed me that it was VERY cluttered. My first impression was that it was going to be very daunting, however, I’ve used the declutter planner to focus on one room per week:

• week 1 – my bedroom
• week 2 – my lounge
• week 3 – my kitchen
• week 4 – my hallway

My vision for my bedroom is a quiet space, with lots of candles, that smells of lavender and vanilla. All surfaces will be clear, and the only furniture will be: my bed, bedside cabinets, chest of drawers, dressing table, one bookcase and a laundry basket.

The reality of my bedroom! It has 3 bookcases full of books, loads of teddy bears, clothes everywhere and all the surfaces are covered. My goals for the week therefore are to:

• wash, iron and put away any clothes
• declutter my books
• remove and sell 2 bookcases
• remove and donate/sell excess teddy bears
• clean the room completely
• wash and iron the bedding
• go through each drawer and remove clutter
• move the wash basket from the bathroom to a corner where clothes get dumped!

Breaking it down:

• each day I’ll do 1 wash and iron
• day 2 – finish decluttering wardrobe. This will primarily be underwear, accessories and make-up.
• day 3 – declutter books. 1 Bookcase allowed in this room.
• day 3 – declutter the teddy bears. Sell or donate.
• day 4 – declutter any knick-knacks in the bedroom. Donate to charity shop.
• day 5 – declutter any remaining drawers
• day 6 – deep clean the room
• day 7 – re-organise my bedroom, nearer to my vision. Bring in the candles!

Keeping the stuff I love:

• I love the bedroom set and bedding in my bedroom. I love the colour and cushions.
• I love reading and so having some books is a must. I have loads of books on my tablet, so in reality most on the bookshelves can go. There are a few books that you can’t get ebook versions of, and I have some signed books that I want to keep. However, in my bedroom, the only books in there should be books for reading pleasure. No business-related books allowed!
• I really want to keep my mum’s old rabbit. My cousin found a photo of her as a child holding it. However, it needs a better place.
• I also want to keep the photo of my stillborn girl, the poem written to her by my mum-in-law and crystal angel given to me by my sister when it happened.

If you are feeling the need to declutter, then join me. Sign up, grab your free download and start using the tools there to plan your own declutter challenge.

Take care for now, and remember, you are resourceful, creative and whole. You can do this!

Karen x