Don’t be embarrassed if you feel your decluttering efforts appear to have reversed themselves. Think of the Tango, that gloriously sensuous dance – it’s about two steps forward and one step back. Each time you make a start on your decluttering, even if you don’t complete an area or room, you’ll still be ahead.

The important thing is that if you have initially cleared at least some of the clutter, and set up systems to keep your belongings organised, then you won’t usually regress back to how it was in the beginning. Setting up systems really means finding a logical home for everything. So when more ‘stuff’ comes into your home, you’ll pretty much know where it’s going to go. And as the clutter starts to creep back in, it doesn’t take so much effort to get it all organised again.

Work Plans

I touched on this in last month’s newsletter when I talked about my decluttering Guiding Principles. Once you’ve decided you’re going to start your decluttering project, do commit your plan to paper – don’t try to keep it in your head! Writing down a plan for every room, itemising exactly what needs to be cleared out, repositioned, and organised, enables you to schedule your time and be very clear about what needs to be done. You can then pick up your plan when you have a spare hour or two and decide which area you’re going to tackle. And by ticking off actions when they’re complete, you not only see that you’re making progress, but you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing what you’ve achieved.

If you want some tips on how to get your work plan down on paper, let me know. I’ve been doing this for a long time now and love to share my ideas.

Some of my clients happily work off their plan, which we create together. By keeping in touch with me, I can act as a sounding board if they get stuck, and also keep them enthused about their project. However, others are very clear that they won’t do it on their own – they need the guidance and energy created by our doing it together. And of course, it gets done very quickly because we are both focused on the project.

If it all seems too much for you to tackle on your own, and you’ve reached that stage of overwhelm, contact me. You’ll be surprised at how fast we can transform an area, and I make it a fun exercise [rather than seeming like hard work].

There are so many benefits to decluttering, saving time and money being just two of many that you’ll experience when you declutter and organise your environment. I hope you’ll give it a try. You’ll love the outcome.

Have a wonderful month.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

- Create your vision of how you would like the area to look i.e. a minimalist clutter-free room, or a comfortable ‘lived in’ look with your favourite bits and pieces on show. Your vision will give you the impetus to get started, and keep going.

- Write a work plan outlining what you’ll need to do, which can include moving furniture, investing in new bookshelves, cleaning out and reorganising cupboards and drawers.

- Decide when you’re going to put your plan into action, and do allow yourself an hour or two of uninterrupted time when you’re ready to take action so you get a good run at it.

- Take it one bite at a time! This will stop you from going into overwhelm. Perhaps you could start with just one cupboard, and work on that before tackling the rest of the room. Working to your plan means you can tick off what’s been done, and you’ll have a clear idea of what to do next.

What can you let go of this month?

At this time of year there may be a number of items you could discard, or archive:

- Last year’s diary [you may want to keep old diaries in an archive box, out of the way but still accessible if you need to refer back to them].

- Out of date calendars.

- Used Christmas gift paper and wrappings.

- The Christmas tree and decorations [these can be stored away in one or two large plastic containers with a clip top lid].

- Christmas cards [if you want to remember for next Christmas who sent you a card, make a list and throw the cards away].

- Appliance and toy boxes [unless the toys need to be kept in their box for storage].

I often think of a new year as hitting the Refresh button – a bit like cleaning house, literally and metaphorically. Do you make New Year Resolutions, goal lists, or decisions to ‘turn over a new leaf’ when it comes to any area of your life? Why not make one of those goals to start a decluttering project, bit by bit clearing what you don’t need any longer, and getting rid of that tension that can build up when you can’t find anything amidst the clutter.

And I recommend you reward yourself each time you manage to clear an area, or a room – rather than buying yourself something as a reward, you might enjoy instead a massage, manicure or a trip to the movies with a good friend.

If you haven’t already downloaded my free Special Report on my website, you might find this helpful for getting you started on your decluttering project.

I hope you find these tips useful. If you have an area in your home or office which continues to frustrate you, do contact me. I have a raft of ideas to handle any problem area. Meanwhile, have a great month and my very best wishes to you for a wonderful year.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

I don’t have room within this newsletter to go into every recommendation I would make for a master bedroom, but here are a few starting tips:

- Clear the surfaces: I know you’ve heard it before but it really makes a huge difference immediately if you sweep everything off the top of your bedside tables and drawers. Then put back only what you absolutely need, or want, on that surface.

- Make your bed a beautiful feature and try not to use it as a dumping area for laundry and clothes you don’t know what to do with.

- Sort your wardrobes and drawers so that all your clothes fit into them. And do archive out of season clothes [e.g. in plastic containers that hopefully will slip under the bed].

- Pick everything up from the floor and put it away. Nothing will make a room look more cluttered than objects scattered all over the floor.

I know this may sound easy enough in theory, and in reality you may be standing in the doorway of your bedroom with a feeling of hopelessness. If you are at this stage of struggle and overwhelm you may want to consider a session with me, even to initially organise storage systems in the room that will work for you. I can help you create a bedroom that you’ll love.

I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any area in your home or office which continues to frustrate you, do contact me. I have a raft of ideas to handle any problem area. Meanwhile, have a wonderful month.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

If you don’t yet receive Grab One’s special daily deals sign up on www.grabone.co.nz/ and check your emails on Sunday for my special offer – it will never again be this price! You might also like to forward this onto your friends and family.

Now is a great time to declutter in preparation for Summer, you’ll love the outcome.

Please note, this offer is only valid through Grab One on Sunday.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this on to anyone you feel may be interested.

Here are a few of the most common ‘dumping areas’ and the type of clutter they attract:

- Hallway table: coats, jackets, mail, briefcase, handbags, keys
- Kitchen bench: mail, opened and unopened bills, papers, newspapers, kids’ school books and bags, toys, vitamins, boxes of tissues
- Coffee tables: remotes, books, magazines & newspapers, glasses
- Bedside tables: books & magazines, glasses, water bottles, tissues

All of these items create a cluttered look to any room. The first step is to clear everything off all furniture surfaces and then decide absolutely what needs to be there, and what doesn’t. For example:

- Kids’ school books, bags and toys go into their bedroom.
- Papers and bills can be contained in a file box which can live in your home office, or a spare room cupboard, as long as it’s visible and easily accessible.
- Mail ideally gets sorted when it’s brought into the home, otherwise use a container or basket to keep mail in until it can be sorted. Dump the junk mail immediately.
- Kitchen benches are working areas so keep these as free as possible.
- Decorative boxes or magazine containers can store books and magazines which can sit alongside a couch or beside the bed.

Once you’ve cleared the areas and created your systems for where everything is now going to live, make sure you show everyone in the family. A good clutter deterrent can be a vase of flowers on a hallway table, or a display of flowers and a bowl of fruit on the kitchen island bench. People will be less inclined to dump things on a surface where you’ve created an attractive display, and they’re not going to risk knocking over a vase of flowers by dumping their stuff on the table or bench.

And finally, do you have a dumping room? Lots of homes have entire rooms which have become major clutter areas. I find these are usually the guest room, garage and/or home office. These areas may need more hands on assistance – which is where I can help you. After all, how frustrating is a room that is unusable because it’s so full of clutter? Each room in our home has a designated function, and once cleared of the clutter a guest room and/or home office are such useful rooms. Even garages can have multiple functions, aside from parking the car.

I can help you declutter any area, including the garage, with my distance decluttering service which will provide you with a step by step work plan for you to follow. I also provide email and/or phone assistance and tips as you go through the process.

Have a wonderful month.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

This may not be your type of book, but here’s one saying from the book which I think is just perfect: Come to grips with the radical concept of “enough is enough”! So beautifully simple when you think about it…

We really do have too much stuff

But it’s not just about the stuff, it’s what happens when clutter and the resulting overwhelm affect how you feel on a day to day basis.

And not only do we already have too much stuff, we regularly go out and buy more! Now I love shopping. I don’t shop often so when I do I relish the whole experience. I am quite practical though when I shop, and I ask myself:
- Where is this [object] going to live in my home?
- Do I have room for it?
- Can it replace something that I’m tired of and ready to throw out?
- If it’s an item of clothing: do I have things to wear it with?
- Do I need it?

It doesn’t take the fun out of shopping for me, and if I love the item I’ll buy it anyway. However, I do regularly declutter all the areas of my home so I’m not really at risk of over-accumulating. But for lots of people, there comes a time when their ‘stuff’ overtakes the home and it’s no longer fun.

Here’s something for you to think about this month: if you apply Pareto’s 80/20 principle, where could this make a difference in your home, or your life? If you only wear 20% of 80% of your wardrobe how many items of clothing are cluttering your wardrobe unnecessarily? If your kids only play with 20% of 80% of their toys, are there toys you could give away/donate? If you apply this idea everywhere, and take action, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Here’s another quote I love: “I resolve to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution” Andrew Carnegie.

Why not have some fun with this idea, imagine your home, office, wardrobe, garage… as fabulous uncluttered areas. How would that make you feel? Think about it. And if you’re not sure what your first step should be – call me – you won’t know what a difference I can make until you contact me. Spring really is just around the corner – a decision to declutter is a wonderful way to begin a new season.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

Sorting the Garage

Is your garage beautifully organised with plenty of room for parking and storage? Or does your car sit outside, a victim to the elements, because the garage is packed with clutter and stuff? Believe it or not I love doing garages – it’s so satisfying when the job’s done and the garage is finally functioning well. Here are a couple of ideas to get started:

• Use the walls: stack storage containers up the walls as much as possible so you’re not losing valuable floor space.
• Invest in some heavy duty hooks and hanging systems so you can hang bikes, wet suits, brooms etc.
• If your workshop is in the garage have your bench clear and hang your tools on a board.

Garages can become a great storage area if they are well organised. If you’re not sure where to start contact me.

Did you know…

That only 4% of New Zealanders donate blood. And transfusions number around 42,000 each year. I have been donating for over three years and find it immensely satisfying to know that by donating just four times each year I can benefit as many as 12 Kiwis. Our blood really is ‘worth bottling’. If you think you might be interested you can find all the information on NZ Blood’s website: www.nzblood.co.nz .

As always I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Have a wonderful month. These glorious days remind me that Spring is just around the corner.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

Organising handbags

This tip is for us girls who like voluminous handbags, but struggle to keep them organised so that we can find what we want. If you’ve searched your handbag for house keys or a ringing cell phone you’ll know what I mean. The clever little plastic container below [given to me by my clever and very organised sister-in-law] organises everything beautifully, and it’s so easy to pluck out of one bag to transfer to another. And as it’s transparent it’s easy to see everything at a glance. I also steer clear of handbags with black lining as it’s impossible to find anything unless you virtually put your head inside…

Organising briefcases

Whether you have a hard briefcase, or one of the soft slouchy bags that strap over your shoulder, it can still become a jumbled mess of papers, files, bills, etc etc. I’ve found the best solution here is to invest in a few L-Shaped Pockets. They’re firm plastic sleeves which are open along the top and one side so it’s easy to slip papers in and out, and again because they’re transparent you don’t have to label them, it’s immediately obvious what’s in each file. I suggest you get a few different colours so you can colour code the types of papers you keep in your briefcase – it’s a fast way of being able to retrieve what you’re looking for in seconds.

I hope you find these tips useful. If you have an area in your home or office which continues to frustrate you, do contact me. I have a raft of ideas to handle any problem area. Meanwhile, have a wonderful month.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

Speaking of giving away I read an inspiring email from Marci Shimoff [an American coach] yesterday on just this subject. Here’s what Marci wrote: “This is a feng shui ritual that consists of giving away or throwing away 27 items a day for 9 days in a row – that’s 243 things! Everything we own carries an energy with it; as we let go of old energies, it clears the space for us to open to greater new energy. It’s a ritual which will have you feel lighter, clearer, and more excited about what you want to create next in life. So here’s what you do:

1. Each day for 9 days in a row give away or throw away 27 items. Notice what you’re hanging onto, not because you love it but because you’re afraid to let go.
2. Stand in your closet and touch or try on every piece of clothing. Ask yourself whether you want to carry that into your life ahead. If not give it away or throw it away.
3. Clear out old books, vitamins or medicines you no longer need, kitchen items that are worn out.
4. Fix items that are broken or get rid of them. Put your loving attention on everything in your environment to see whether it represents who you are now.

Then notice what happens in your life and watch for miracles. As you let go of things that carry old energy, you also strengthen your ability to let go of old feelings that no longer serve you.”

So here’s a challenge for you – why not join me in taking on this ritual for 9 days. I have already started and yesterday donated 27 items of clothing and earrings I no longer wear to Hospice. You can make a list of areas in your home, or office, where you know you can clear out items. My list includes the pantry and kitchen cupboards, magazines & books, old makeup and the vanity unit in my bathroom, office paper & clutter, CDs and tapes I no longer listen to, and I’m going to clear out files in my computer too. I’ll let you all know next month how I get on with the challenge, and I’d love to hear from those of you who decide to take it on with me. As you can imagine, I keep my home and office fairly clutter free however when I started making a list of areas where I could declutter even more, I realised that I’ve still got stuff I have held onto which I’m going to enjoy giving or throwing away.

Teamwork

How do you get the family to participate in your decluttering efforts? Here’s what I suggest:

• Have a family meeting and tell them what you’d like to accomplish by decluttering; tell them why and what the advantages will be for them.
• Get their suggestions, this is a good way to get them thinking about it and shows you value their input.
• If you’re going to declutter/organise kids’ rooms see if they want to help, and make it a fun and lighthearted experience.
• If you do the room/s on your own, walk the family through afterwards; show them how the new storage systems work and explain how much easier it will be to find things.
• You may also like to implement a chores schedule [I’ve attached a template example]; it’s a good way to encourage participation.

Best wishes and have a fabulous month.

In Joy!

Angella Gilbert

P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella@gioia.net.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone you feel may be interested.

They can subscribe via this link: RSS Feed

Here’s a question to ask yourself – “Where is the clutter and disorganisation impacting your life?”

Imagine if you could experience a difference in your life with something as simple as the decluttering and organising expertise which I offer. Contact me – I can help you make that difference.

Sorting your computer files in “My Documents”

This may sound basic but I’ve been working with enough clients and their computers to know that many of us don’t take the time to sort the documents we’ve created, and filed, on our computers. If you’ve wasted valuable time searching for a particular document on your computer you’ll know the frustration I’m talking about.

It’s very simple to set up Folders in the My Documents area of your computer, and is the same principle you would use in creating a manual filing system. Ideally you will have your main Folders set up which will then contain sub-folders. Here’s how to set up a new Folder:

• Click into the My Documents menu
• Right click in the white area of this menu to display the drop down menu
• Click on “New” and then across to “New Folder”
• The New Folder will be displayed under My Documents and will be highlighted to enable you to name the Folder
• To create a sub-folder within that Folder, click on the Folder you’ve just created and in the blank white area go through the same process as above

Here are a few examples of Folders you may like to create:

1. Your business folders [you can create a main Folder for your business then create sub-folders for all the different areas of your business]
2. Financial / Tax files
3. Personal
4. Travel

The main thing is to create Folders [or categories] for all of your documents so that you have a logical filing system which you can readily access in seconds.

A transformational seminar

Visit Sally Anderson’s website for information on her next transformation weekend course. I’ve done Sally’s training, the results are spectacular, and I totally recommend it. If you think you might be interested you’re welcome to call me to talk it over.

In Joy!
Angella

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