Profound, I know.  I promise if you and your family follow this one little rule, housekeeping will become a breeze and clutter will be kept to a minimum.

I clean up this area often, but it just piles up again.  This tells me that I need a new system.  I need to have a plan for the stuff that accumulates here.  To start this process, I took all the stuff on the counter and put it into a laundry basket.  Trying to sort through all that stuff right there was not going to work.

I took the basket into my dining room and starting putting stuff into piles.  I called them: shred, throw away, file, put away, action.  After shredding and throwing away, I looked at what was left.  Papers that needed attention immediately or just kept for future reference (sports schedules and such), everyday use items and odds and ends (game pieces, barrettes, ribbons, tape, etc.).  My next job was to find a home for all this stuff and then make a plan so it doesn’t accumulate again.  Here’s how I handled each group of stuff.

Immediate action papers

I used a plain office file folder and marked “To-Do” on the outside to store all the papers that needed attention soon.  I placed it in the drawer below the landing area for easy access.   Tuesdays are usually my bill paying/paper work days, so I will just add “taking care of the To-Do folder” to my tasks.  As important papers come my way that need immediate action, they will get filed in the To-Do folder.

Future Reference Papers

My 3 ring binder is a constant companion.  It holds my personal planner, loose paper for notes and folders to keep coupons, kids papers and information I might need to reference soon.  I just added those types of paper that were cluttering up my counter to my binder.  They are all neat and accessible now.  I just need to take those extra 10 seconds and put those papers where they need to go when I first get them!

Odds and Ends

As I write this, I can already see 2 odds and ends that have accumulated since taking my after picture below.  There is s broken toy that needs glue and a hair clip I found on the floor.  This leads me to believe that I cannot keep this area clutter free 100% of the time.  What I can do is make sure that at the end of the day all these little odds and ends find a home.  My nightly routine includes cleaning up the kitchen anyway.  I’ll just make sure that this area gets cleaned up, too.

Everyday Use Items

Face it.  I use my pens and paper several times a day.  I am always writing lists and notes.  There are also a few other items I use all the time that I would like to keep handy. So, I keep my pretty basket and used it to store my writing supplies, my timer and my camera.  My summer purse is small and I need to keep it where I can find it easily, so I decided to keep it on the counter, also.

So, here is my newly organized landing zone!

My kitchen actually feels brighter! Its amazing!  Now, my goal is to keep it that way!  I am hoping that by incorporating little steps into the routines I already have in place I can keep this area organized.  That sounds better and more doable than coming up with a whole new system!

What’s your biggest organizing/clutter delima?

The more I think about it, the more I believe that most of the stress and busyness in women’s lives comes from clutter.  I’m not just talking about the extra junk lying around the house (although that can be a huge source of stress).  Mental clutter can be worse.  Mental clutter is those negative thoughts and feelings that we allow to influence us.  It can be worry, doubt, insecurity.  Mental clutter can be the notion that we are not good enough or not sexy enough or not smart enough.  It can be those unrealistic expectations that we put on ourselves.

We might have this idea of the perfect wife or mother that is so out there June Cleaver woundn’t have a shot.  There are those of us who think we must have the spotless, uncluttered home right out of a magazine with perfectly mannered children who are always clean and dressed nicely in matching gymboree outfits while they attend every lesson and class imaginable so we don’t miss out developing their God-given gifts.  And, we must cook gourmet, organic meals for our families all while not messing up the hair or the manicure.  That just stresses me out thinking about it!  Just think about the stressfulness of living it!  And it is all unnecessary!

My point is that listening to the lies we tell ourselves just isn’t worth the stress.  The truth is that we are all good enough.  We are all capable of great things.  Our children love us even if we are not perfect.  We don’t have to keep up with the Joneses or compare ourselves to the Smiths.  They don’t pay your bills, kiss your kids’ boo boos, have heart-to-hearts with your spouse late at night so the kids don’t hear.  God gave you life to live abundantly.  How can you do that with a huge load of clutter getting in your way?

Put all those negative thoughts out of your head by replacing them with new positive ones.  Begin by being thankful for what you do have.  Learn from your past mistakes instead of mulling them over and over in your mind.  Acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.  Some of us have years of mental clutter stored up and it won’t get cleared up overnight, but just like de-cluttering your house, start small and keep at it.  Soon, your mental clutter will be out of your way and you can truly start living!

photo courtesty of Heart and Soul Reflections

Enjoy this post from the past as I am on vacation mode this week!

The more I think about it, the more I believe that most of the stress and busyness in women’s lives comes from clutter.  I’m not just talking about the extra junk lying around the house (although that can be a huge source of stress).  Mental clutter can be worse.  Mental clutter is those negative thoughts and feelings that we allow to influence us.  It can be worry, doubt, insecurity.  Mental clutter can be the notion that we are not good enough or not sexy enough or not smart enough.  It can be those unrealistic expectations that we put on ourselves.

We might have this idea of the perfect wife or mother that is so out there June Cleaver woundn’t have a shot.  There are those of us who think we must have the spotless, uncluttered home right out of a magazine with perfectly mannered children who are always clean and dressed nicely in matching gymboree outfits while they attend every lesson and class imaginable so we don’t miss out developing their God-given gifts.  And, we must cook gourmet, organic meals for our families all while not messing up the hair or the manicure.  That just stresses me out thinking about it!  Just think about the stressfulness of living it!  And it is all unnecessary!

My point is that listening to the lies we tell ourselves just isn’t worth the stress.  The truth is that we are all good enough.  We are all capable of great things.  Our children love us even if we are not perfect.  We don’t have to keep up with the Joneses or compare ourselves to the Smiths.  They don’t pay your bills, kiss your kids’ boo boos, have heart-to-hearts with your spouse late at night so the kids don’t hear.  God gave you life to live abundantly.  How can you do that with a huge load of clutter getting in your way?

Put all those negative thoughts out of your head by replacing them with new positive ones.  Begin by being thankful for what you do have.  Learn from your past mistakes instead of mulling them over and over in your mind.  Acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.  Some of us have years of mental clutter stored up and it won’t get cleared up overnight, but just like de-cluttering your house, start small and keep at it.  Soon, your mental clutter will be out of your way and you can truly start living!

Laura, at I’m An Organizing Junkie, is hosting a 28 Day Organizing Challenge during the month of February.  The challenge to readers is to declutter and organize a space in their home during February.  All throughout the month, Laura and a talented group of guest authors, are serving up tips and tricks to make the challenge less challenging.  Those readers who are up for it are encouraged to post their before and after pictures.

Why am I just telling you about this now?  I’m not sure.  It’s not like I don’t constantly organize and re-organize our home.  (My January project was our kitchen.)  I guess was being selfish and keeping all the great organizing ideas for myself!  When I thought about it, there was really no reason not to participate and share.  So, I’m in!

Our master closet has needed cleaned out and re-organized for a while now.  I just hadn’t made the time to do anything about it.  This past weekend, the hubby took the kids ice skating.  That gave me two free hours on a Saturday afternoon!!  What’s a girl to do?  Most would take a nap or go shopping.  I tore into our closet.  For some reason, my before pictures of the closet got lost.  But, here is the picture of the closet contents all over my bedroom.

And the hanging clothes are still in the closet!  Just imagine all that stuff cluttering up the shelves and floor of my closet.  My closet is pretty big – but not big enough for all that stuff!

When my two hours were up, I did manage to divide what was all over my room into the keep pile, the throw away pile and the giveaway pile.  The keepers went back into my closet and the rest went to the spare room to be put into bags and boxes so they could be taken to the appropriate places this week.  Now, that I can see what needs to stay, I can start to organize.  I’ll wait to share the rest in the big reveal at the end of the month.  I still need some ideas to store a few things.  Meanwhile, keep checking out I’m An Organizing Junkie all month for more organizing ideas and don’t miss the big reveal post here and at Organizing Junkie at the end of February!  Better yet – why don’t you participate? What area of your home really needs to be organized?  There is no time like the present!

I have been slowly re-organizing and de-cluttering my kitchen over the past couple weeks.  In doing so, I learned a few organizing lessons that can help us all!  Visit me today at The Creative Mama and read all about it!

Now that the holidays are over, does anyone else feel the need for some “spring cleaning” in January?! Since taking the decorations down, I can see I need to clean and organize just about every area of my house. My plan throughout the year is to organize a little area every week or even every day that I get a chance to. That way, I don’t have to waste time and energy in a great organizing panic once the house really needs it.( Usually when I realize someone is coming for a visit or I have volunteered to host a gathering at our house!)  But at Christmastime, we shut down just about every extra activity and enjoy the season with family and friends. The house still gets cleaned and all that, but the deep cleaning and organizing gets put on the back burner.

It seems that January is a popular month for organizing. I guess its a way to make a fresh start this new year. Every magazine cover and newspaper ad mentions organizing tips and supplies. For a while, I had planned on doing a series of posts about organizing and cleaning for the new year. But then I thought, “Why reinvent the wheel? Why do the same thing others are doing and probably better than I would have?” That’s a pretty “busy” thing to do.  So, I decided I would share some great links to bloggers that are either doing a organizing series this month or who are organizing experts all year long! Enjoy!

Mandi at Organizing Your Way is doing 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010. Each day of January, she is highlighting another area of life to organize and linking to other bloggers who are doing the same thing.

Marcia at Organising Queen is ….well…the Organising Queen all year long!

At Complete Organizing Systems, Tanna serves up great organizing tips, inspiration and product reviews.

During January, Econobusters.com is having its 31 Days of Organization.

One of my favorite decorating blogs, Centsational Girl, is hosting Five Days to a Fresh Start this week.  There are posts about decluttering, organizing and cleaning.

After your house is clean and decluttered, how do you decorate for winter that’s not too Christmas-y?  That always stumps me.  Kimba at A Soft Place To Land, has a great post today on winter decorating.  Love it!

Those are just a few great sites off the top of my head.  Do you have any favorite organizing or housekeeping blogs that might help us in our quest to be organized and not busy?  Please share!!

Are you wondering where to store all those toys Santa and his elves left at our house this year?  Do you have too many toys already?  Visit me over at The Creative Mama today for some ideas for managing your kids’ toys.  If you have any toy storage or organizing tips, I’d love to hear them!