Undeck the Halls: 7 Tips to Undecorate from the "Holidaze"

This article is so good, I have to share it.... visit Lori at clutterdiet for more of her great tips.

Are you kidding me? Did the holidays just flash by? I can't believe it's all over.

It's time to "undecorate." Here are some guidelines:

Set a deadline. My husband is from Puerto Rico, where they celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6th-- it's kind of a big deal. Each year we use this date as a guideline for our undecorating, typically the weekend after that day. Another good guideline is the weekend after the New Year celebrations. Choose something that works for you and stick with it year after year. Having decisions already made means it's simpler... and you avoid the risk of procrastinating and being the person with the dead tree on the curb at Valentine's Day.

Take a photo before you take it all down. If you are really happy with how your decor looked this year, take some photos of your rooms so you can remember how you did it. If you want to be super-organized, you can even try putting all of the decor for one room in bins together with the pictures stored inside for reference.

Choose a space-- a dining room is really effective-- where you quickly grab everything holiday-related from around the house and put it all together in one spot. Dining room tables provide a large flat surface that makes it easy to sort and pack. It feels more manageable this way, and the rest of the house gets back to normal quickly.

Look for deals on bins and other containers right now. We all know about those wonderful post-holiday sales... if you need containers for your decorations, it's a great time to get some. Don't forget Goodwill and other thrift stores for even better deals. There are dozens of great specialty products out there for storing ornaments and lights-- but good ol' bins are just fine too. I do really like getting a special bag to hold artificial trees. You can find those at amazon.com.

Don't keep anything that is broken beyond repair or that you have not used in two years or more. It's easy to fall into the trap of just packing everything quickly without thinking, but pay attention to what you are keeping. It might make some of those boxes easier to haul down from the attic next year! Remember also to store candles and other temperature-sensitive items in a climate-controlled area.

Remember this process next year. When you are feeling all festive and decking the halls, remember that you will have to undecorate later when you feel less festive. Don't get carried away. Sometimes less is more!

Reward yourself for your good work with some fresh flowers-- maybe more than one bouquet, just from the grocery store if you like. Sometimes the house looks really sparse after having been decorated (possibly since Halloween).

Back to basics

Last year, I worked with more organizing clients than I have ever worked with before. While cleaning out my files, to start this new year, I thought about each of those jobs and the people who were brave enough to take on the task of organizing. Yes, you have to have the courage to make the call for help, trust someone you don't know to come to your home, and be led through the process. You also have to be determined to see the job through...some jobs don't finish, and some jobs morph into something else. But one way or another, each client comes face to face with themselves, often in ways they had not anticipated. And that's why I say "it's not about the stuff..."

Stuff...somewhere, somehow we got it that life was about stuff. The more successful we are, the more money we have, the more stuff we get and the bigger the space to keep our stuff is. Now that I've watched Mad Men, I understand it better, those guys really changed our world, along with the TV. We got the message that life isn't worth living without all the stuff.

While we have each formed our own personal attachment to stuff, the fact is that stuff is stuff, in whatever form it takes:

Stuff for convenience - most of us have collected things to make our lives more convenient - why use a knife and cutting board when you can buy a metal or plastic thing that cores an apple or takes the avocado out of its skin. Convenience and time saving devices take up a lot space in our homes and garages...

Stuff for specific uses - this thingy goes with that thing and it has to be over there so that I remember that I have it...

Stuff for hobbies, crafts and sports - there is an endless parade of stuff devoted to each of these areas. And the really tough thing about this kind of stuff is that you need other stuff to keep or use the stuff for the hobby or sport!

Stuff for kids - oh my gosh, I don't know how I ever survived my childhood with a couple of dolls and a few books. I never cease to be amazed at the unbelievable amount of stuff for kids and how much of it we fill their lives with and we are training them to be great stuff collectors...

Stuff with emotional attachments - stuffed animals, cute coffee mugs, anything with Santa, itsey bitsey things, stuff that we've decided means as much to us as life itself...

Stuff just to have stuff - rich or poor, can't live without being surrounded by stuff...

Stuff in the form of paper and books - many of us feel the more paper we have the smarter we are, the more important we are...can't possibly live without the latest book or let go of papers and reports...

Stuff in the form of entertainment - books, cd's, albums, video this and that...electronic games and all of the stuff that comes with it...

Stuff in the form of electronics - gadgets and gizmos of every shape and size, computers and monitors and floppy disks that still might contain something that will be needed...

Stuff that came from someone else - family heirlooms, most of which you don't really like, but you just can't let go of...

Stuff you're saving for your children - whether they want it or not!

What stuff do you have? Why do you have it? What are you going to do with it? What are WE going to do with all this STUFF?

A change of habit

As we face the coming new year, many of us begin thinking of the things we want to change - once and for all I'm going to stop doing xyz or this is the year I am going to finally do xyz. Change is definitely doable, you just need to be organized and have a plan...

Leo Babauta, author of Zenhabits.net, has written a terrific article on the subject. Here's the short version, I've picked out my favorite steps...you can read the long version by pasting this in your browser: http://zenhabits.net/2009/09/the-habit-change-cheatsheet-29-ways-to-successfully-ingrain-a-behavior/

Keep it simple
Habit change is not that complicated. While the tips below will seem overwhelming, there’s really only a few things you need to know. Everything else is just helping these to become reality.

The simple steps of habit change:

1. Write down your plan.

2. Identify your triggers and replacement habits.

3. Focus on doing the replacement habits every single time the triggers happen, for about 30 days.

That’s it. We’ll talk more about each of these steps, and much more, in the cheatsheet below.

The Habit Change Cheatsheet
The following is a compilation of tips to help you change a habit. Don’t be overwhelmed — always remember the simple steps above. The rest are different ways to help you become more successful in your habit change.

1. Do just one habit at a time. Extremely important. Habit change is difficult, even with just one habit. If you do more than one habit at a time, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Keep it simple, allow yourself to focus, and give yourself the best chance for success. Btw, this is why New Year’s resolutions often fail — people try to tackle more than one change at a time.

2. Start small. The smaller the better, because habit change is difficult, and trying to take on too much is a recipe for disaster. Want to exercise? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Want to wake up earlier? Try just 10 minutes earlier for now. Or consider half habits.

3. Do a 30-day Challenge. In my experience, it takes about 30 days to change a habit, if you’re focused and consistent.

4. Write it down. Just saying you’re going to change the habit is not enough of a commitment. You need to actually write it down, on paper. Write what habit you’re going to change.

5. Make a plan. While you’re writing, also write down a plan. This will ensure you’re really prepared. The plan should include your reasons (motivations) for changing, obstacles, triggers, support buddies, and other ways you’re going to make this a success. More on each of these below.

9. Identify your triggers. What situations trigger your current habit? For the smoking habit, for example, triggers might include waking in the morning, having coffee, drinking alcohol, stressful meetings, going out with friends, driving, etc. Most habits have multiple triggers. Identify all of them and write them in your plan.

10. For every single trigger, identify a positive habit you’re going to do instead. When you first wake in the morning, instead of smoking, what will you do? What about when you get stressed? When you go out with friends? Some positive habits could include: exercise, meditation, deep breathing, organizing, decluttering, and more.

13. Become aware of self-talk. You talk to yourself, in your head, all the time — but often we’re not aware of these thoughts. Start listening. These thoughts can derail any habit change, any goal. Often they’re negative: “I can’t do this. This is too difficult. Why am I putting myself through this? How bad is this for me anyway? I’m not strong enough. I don’t have enough discipline. I suck.” It’s important to know you’re doing this.

14. Stay positive. You will have negative thoughts — the important thing is to realize when you’re having them, and push them out of your head. Squash them like a bug! Then replace them with a positive thought. “I can do this! If Leo can do it, so can I!” :)

15. Have strategies to defeat the urge. Urges are going to come — they’re inevitable, and they’re strong. But they’re also temporary, and beatable. Urges usually last about a minute or two, and they come in waves of varying strength. You just need to ride out the wave, and the urge will go away. Some strategies for making it through the urge: deep breathing, self-massage, eat some frozen grapes, take a walk, exercise, drink a glass of water, call a support buddy, post on a support forum.

20. Have rewards. Regular ones. You might see these as bribes, but actually they’re just positive feedback. Put these into your plan, along with the milestones at which you’ll receive them.

21. Take it one urge at a time. Often we’re told to take it one day at a time — which is good advice — but really it’s one urge at a time. Just make it through this urge.


Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones. - Benjamin Franklin

What goes with what

In a couple of days many of us will be knee deep in new electronics. All those shiny new toys will have a heap of cords, cables, accessories and manuals (if you're lucky).

Don't just toss those extras into a drawer and think that you'll remember what goes with what. Instead, put all the pieces from one, or maybe two, of those gadgets into a sealable plastic bag and write on on the bag what electronics they go to.









Don't forget that batteries are ewaste. Check the Resources page on my website for disposal sites near you. http://www.allthingshome.com/resources.htm

But I got it as a gift

Today I was unpacking and organizing a kitchen for a client. When we got everything out of the moving boxes and I started asking her about certain items, she repeated a phrase I hear all the time... "I don't like it, but I got it as a gift".

As we enter the biggest gift giving season, we will all be faced with this - the gift from a friend, relative or coworker that we just don't have a use for, or that we just flat out don't like.

I am constantly amazed at how much stuff people keep that they don't use or like because someone gave it to them. They drag this stuff from house to house, paying for us to pack it, and the movers to move it and us to unpack it.

So, I am giving you permission to accept the gift, acknowledge the thoughtfulness and then pass the gift on - whether to someone you know who could use it or to donate it to a worthy cause. You do not have to keep things you don't use, have room for or like. And that's the end of that!

More organizing gifts

By popular demand, here are some more of my favorite organizing tools that you can give as gifts and use as stocking stuffers...


My new favorite thing - by Copco, To Go Cup - perfect for the car, BPA free- BedBathandBeyond.com - $7.99


Any P-Touch labeler - Office Depot - prices vary by style


I love these clips for sealing snack bags, from Ikea - Bevara - $2.99 per bag


OXO Good Grip storage containers - from Bed Bath and Beyond - prices vary.


Keep Boxes - with airtight snap lids - The Container Store - $8.99 and up depending on size of box.



Last, but not least, how about the gift of organizing - give me! Call me for a gift certificate and happy holidays!

Holiday chaos, controlled

This time of year our lives are jammed packed with activities and events, which are all suppose to be fun. However, it’s not fun when our organizational systems are stretched beyond the breaking point and we can’t wait for the season to be over. If you’re heading toward overload, here are some tips to help calm the holiday chaos:

Junk mail, especially catalogues, should be tossed immediately. If they are not from stores you usually shop at or from anyone you actually know, there’s no sense letting these things pile up and become a trip hazard on the floor.

Use up all the wrapping paper, ribbons and left over holiday cards before you buy new. Don’t buy anything that is oversized for the container or drawer you store it in. The bag with 1,000 bows is no bargain when half of them have to be tossed because they got crushed on the bottom of the closet floor.

Keep a gift wrap supply box containing pens, scissors, tape, tissue paper and other small items. The box gets stored with the ribbons and paper so you always have fast access to it.

Sending out holiday cards should not be an obligation and you do not have to send out cards to everyone you have ever met. It should be a pleasure to send a card to only those people you choose and who you do not see on a regular basis.

Say, “let me check my calendar and get back to you”, when you are invited to an event you don’t think you can make or aren’t really interested in. This saves you from the automatic “we’d love to” that you regret later.

Prepare a designated space in the pantry or garage before you go shopping to store the party goods. Keep paper plates and party supplies in large plastic bins with tight lids so that they do not get dirty or crushed in between events. Be sure to label the bins so you know what’s inside.