Decluttering is removing things permanently from your home, organising is grouping like with like and storing it somewhere (and “stashing” is a whole other beast entirely!).

If you’re living in chaos, your first step is to declutter. Don’t try to skip over it to organising (I know you would love to have it all looking beautiful in lovely matching storage but hold out a bit) because unless you declutter, it won’t last.

When you’re anxious, going shopping can make you feel better – every girl knows that . But we also all know that it’s only a short-term hit, like a drug.

Sometimes you even buy organising products to try and get around that feeling in your gut that tells you to stop bringing more stuff into the house.

But more stuff, even if it is a useful container or set of shelves, will NOT fix your problem.

The only thing that will fix your problem is taking action on what you have got around you. The only way out is to stop avoiding your stuff and face it. To defeat it, you must take action.

When you next get the urge to run away from your home and seek solace in shopping, realise that the ONLY WAY to get the home you want is to stay in it and face your demons. Sort that pile, toss that stuff, create the life you want rather than buy it.

You CAN do it, I know you can xx

Last year I gave up buying clothes, essentially. Read all the rules if you haven’t already…. I’ll give you a minute.

…..

Okay, now you’re up to date, I’ll let you know how it went.

Sad faces first:

1. I didn’t enjoy it much. I missed having new clothes.
2. I didn’t save much money, I just spent it on other stuff!
3. I cheated a little, and feel bad

Now happy faces:

1. I do feel a sense of achievement because despite cheating a little, I didn’t give up
2. I found other ways to get clothes (taking donations of gifts, going to clothes-swaps) that I will use in the future
3. I did get better at using my whole wardrobe
4. I did get better at waiting for things
5. I did have an emptier, more user-friendly and organised wardrobe
6. I did get better at shopping carefully (I spent a couple of gift vouchers and made sure they were purchases that worked hard for me!)

So, the cheating occurred in December. I had just had a colour & style consult with Natalie from Defined Image and I was looking forward to buying stuff that suited me. Mum dragged me out shopping after my birthday because she needed some things herself (bad idea). Long story short, I bought a few sale items. I was half good, though, and gave my purchases to Mum to take home with her – she delivered them after Christmas and I waited until 2013 to wear them. So I failed, but not COMPLETELY. Yes, yes, I know, I know

This year, I have certainly spent money on clothes. I went nuts in the first week (shopping with Natalie) and have eased off since (mainly because I spent so much in January that I ran out!).

I have a list of items that I want to get, and will only shop for them and not browse and buy random things just because I want new things.

So I am now getting wear out of all items in my wardrobe (Natalie also did a wardrobe audit with me and we culled what didn’t work) and enjoying choosing outfits. THAT is a big win!

I won’t be doing it again, but I will use my lessons learned well

Here I am (in 'old' clothes), out on the town with my stylist and friend Natalie

In order to redeem myself, I’m going to post this short one, then follow with an update on my Fashion Embargo for 2012. Lessons learned, and even some lessens learned, too

• Movie tickets
• A dinner voucher (or you can combine them and get a movie/dinner package)
• A baby-sitting voucher (again, combined with dinner and a movie would be awesome for busy parents)
• A voucher for some organising or decluttering (from Clear Space, of course!)
• A voucher for an assistant-for-a-day/week
• Tickets to a theatre show or sporting event that is meaningful for them
• A home-made “I’m your slave for a day” voucher (or if you prefer..”I’m your personal assistant for a day”)
• A donation to a charity (see Oxfam Unwrapped or World Vision Smiles to buy a goat, a school kit, or blankets on behalf of someone – there are hundreds of gifts to choose from)
• Flowers delivered every month for a year (or even once is just as nice..and far less expensive!)
• An annual membership for their favourite sporting club
• A car detailing package
• A spring-clean service for their home
• A gardening service (don’t do this if they love their gardening!)
• Singing lessons
• Music lessons (guitar, drums, piano etc)
• A massage
• Dancing classes
• Art classes
• Gym membership
• Voucher for a treatment of their choice at a beauty salon
• iTunes (or similar) gift card
• A homemade frozen or fresh dinner home-delivered (great for new or extra-busy mums)
• A zoo membership (South Australians click here for Zoos SA membership details)
• A ticket for an adventure such as a ride in a racing car, vintage fighter jet, jet boat, hot-air balloon, sky-diving (but be sure they’re up for it!) or something milder like a hike, canoeing or a day-trip boat cruise
• An opportunity for them to meet their hero. For my husband’s 40th I hired Stuart Dew from Port Adelaide FC to make an appearance at his party. He will never forget it!
• Take them out for the day and let them do whatever they want to do, eat whatever they want to eat and go whereever they want to go (great for kids)
• Hide a picnic lunch somewhere for the two of you and give them the GPS coordinates so they have to find it (make it a scenic route!)
• Photography classes
• A session with a stylist
• A coupon that entitles them a few hours of your time helping them organising their digital photos
• A week of full-time housekeeping (yes, please!)
• A week of a personal chef (again…yes, please!)
• Take them out volunteering for a day with you (you have no idea just how much you’ll gain in return)
• An e-book reader (so they can reduce their book clutter)

All of these things either save time or space or give a unique experience and memory. Far better than adding to our cluttered lives, don’t you think?

It’s quite common for our cars to get a little messy inside.

This weekend your mission is to clear out the junk and make sure you’ve got all the things you need in your car.

1. Empty out the rubbish.
2. Take out things that don’t live in there and out them in their homes inside the house or garage.
3. Give it a bit of a wipe down and vacuum if it needs it.
4. Make a list of things that are handy to have in the car. It may include: tissues, rubbish bags, shopping bags, maps, first aid kit, spare sunnies, books, notepad, pens, a bottle of water (for the radiator, not to drink), spare hats, spare umbrella, sunscreen (essential in our hot Aussie summer!) or anything else you find you need when out and about.
5. Find suitable storage for those items (you can get special organisers for the car or just make up your own) and put it all back in.
6. Try to make a habit of tidying your car whenever you get home and teach your kids to do the same with the back seat.

Source: http://www.design-decor-staging.com

Back due to popular request is the Clear Space Christmas Countdown Planner. Download it here: Clear Space 2012 Christmas countdown calendar

It’s a simple “one task a day” planner that isn’t fancy or complicated. It doesn’t promote perfectionism, nor does it have unrealistic expectations of you.

It’s just a no-frills, get-it-done kind of thing!

Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Lookbook.nu

This is a guest post by Natalie Tucker. I needed help with my Fashion Embargo (it’s really tough!) so I have called in the expert!

We have enough clothes in our wardrobe right now to last us the next 3 years, but we see a model wearing something fabulous and of course she looks amazing (why wouldn’t she, this is what she is paid for) so we go out and buy that exact same item or even the entire outfit.

Okay, so do you now look amazing? Or rather, you feel completely depleted because somehow it just does not look the same on you?

STOP! Let’s not do it anymore!…it’s time to make a stand!

Why don’t we try only wearing what suits us by using clothes that are currently hanging in our wardrobe, you can do it…so come on.

First of all, take some time to make a date with yourself and your wardrobe, spend 3 hrs on a Sunday afternoon trying absolutely everything on. Below is a guide of items that will have you looking up to the moment, interesting and most of all effortlessly stylish, yes, EFFORTLESSLY STYLISH! Because we all know that really, this does actually take a great deal of effort.

• Pull out all of your interesting tops, printed, unique design, unusual collars, fabulous fabrics, button down shirts and lay them on the bed. These are your foundation pieces because they are worn closest to your portrait area (your face). Everyone looks here and often, you never get a second chance to make that first impression!
• Grab a blazer…now this could even be just a denim jacket, we all have at least one of those. Try and find one in a colour that makes your top STAND OUT…this means that it will not be black on black or grey on grey. Harsh, I know, but colour is what keeps life interesting.
• Next step, put out all of your pants, skirts or jeans. As long as they are in a different colour from both your interesting top and your blazer/denim jacket,you will look fabulous. You now have a great ensemble…but wait, there is more…
• NOW TO FINISH! A shoe or boot that is related to your top. It can be the same colour, have a print relationship or just simply be the same depth intensity (dark top, dark shoe…light top, light shoe). If your shoes do not meet this criteria, just find one in your hair colour, you will be book ending your outfit with pizzazz. If you are blonde, in Winter, tan will do the same trick. If you have dark hair, mahogany adds that spice of life.

If you would like to receive some more visual inspiration, just head on over to my Defined Image facebook page. I will give you a daily pic of what I am wearing and maybe, just maybe, you may have some of these items already hanging in your very own closet. I hope to see you there.

3-tier trolley

I’ve decided to add product features to my blog, and I hope it helps you in your quest to get more organised. Many of my clients buy an organising product without thinking about its intended purpose so I thought if I help you do the thinking first, you won’t have to buy anything unnecessary!

The first product is rather exciting – I couldn’t wait to try it out!

The narrow trolley (pictured is the 3-tier version – it also comes in 4-tier) is a clever way to gain storage in an otherwise unusable spot. It’s on wheels, so it can be moved in and out of spaces easily – this means you can even put heavier items in it without having to strain to pull them out.

Some possible uses for it:

• Keep pet food and accessories in it (this is what we use it for) either in the kitchen or laundry.
• Put all your cleaning products in it and wheel it around with you when you clean (and then hide it away in a narrow space when you’re done!).
• Take off the wheels and put it in the under-sink cupboard for some extra shelf storage that doesn’t get in the way of the pipes (note, it could be too tall for some cupboards).
• Use it as a portable nappy-change station. Slide it behind a piece of furniture in the room you do most nappy changes in so you have everything on hand when you need it.
• Keep tall bottles that won’t fit in the pantry in it alongside the fridge.
• It’s great for storing craft materials like paints, cups of pencils and paintbrushes and tubs of glitter, sequins, pins, eyes, pipe-cleaners….the list goes on!
• My husband wanted to grow seedlings in it. I talked him out of it (not that it’s not a good idea, but I’m sure there is a cheaper way to grow seedlings!)
• Keep your washing items in it between the washer and dryer (powders, softeners, bleach etc) – great if you have no room for over-head storage or want to keep the top of the dryer free for folding.
• Spare soft-drink, water or juice bottles that you aren’t refrigerating yet.

What I wouldn’t use it for (feel free to try anything though!)

• Toys (it’s not stable enough and most toys aren’t the right shape)
• Paperwork
• Small stationery (you’d waste the vertical space)
• CDs and DVDs (same as above – they’re too short and although they’ll fit, they’d waste space)

Other stuff to know about it:

• It has nice tall shelves, so even the tallest bottles and jars will fit in it easily.
• Note that it’s specifically designed for small spaces – if you leave it out in the open it could tip over if you have heavier items in it (or small children who tend to look one way and walk another) because it’s tall and narrow with a high centre of gravity.
• Note also that the wheels are quite small, so they work best on hard surfaces. They don’t get along overly well with carpet.
• They also don’t turn, so if you have a spot that you can’t put it all the way out straight in a line, you might want to re-think the space (although it will happily slide sideways if you force it to).
• It washes easily, and is easy to put together and pull apart if necessary.
• It’s strong and solid, not flimsy.

You can get this particular one online at Lifespace – no need to even leave your comfy chair!

Here is ours in use:

Hidden away in the laundry ...

... and voila! There's all our stuff when we need it.

It’s New Year’s Day, a time that many of us decide we will make some resolutions to change for the better, and that 2012 is going to be better than 2011.

More money, more friends, less stress, less fat, more fat, more joy, more holidays, less travelling, more clothes, less clothes, more stuff, less stuff, new car, new house, new partner …*takes deep breath*… new friends, no more new friends, more muscles, less crying, better parenting, better job, no job, see family more, see family less, help more people, get help more often, quit smoking, drink less, eat more meat, eat less meat … the list goes on!

Most people want to improve themselves or their lives to some degree; we’re all alike in that way.

Most New Year’s Resolutions fail (I won’t go into detail, but there are stats supporting that sweeping statement!). So I recommend that you just don’t make any. But no, you cry, how will I improve if I don’t make a resolution to? Easy – you take action. A resolution is just a decision to do something, and decisions don’t get you anywhere.  To change, you need a goal, some determination and action. Action is what gets you over the line!

Here’s a few tips:

1. Choose a theme (“financial freedom” “healthy living” “learning journey”). You can’t change everything - it just doesn’t work. Pick a theme for 2012 and base your goals around it. Don’t stress, though; if you want to lose weight AND learn French this year, that’s fine!
2. Restrict your goals to only a few (maybe 3?). Brainstorm a list then trim it down to the most important ones to you. Keep the rest to review next year.
3. Write your goals so they are as specific as possible, and preferably measurable (eg – fit back into size 10 jeans, or get debt down to $50,000, or finish a graphic design course)
4. Once you have a few specific, large goals, break them down into some smaller goals so that you have a plan of action to follow and not just a vague notion (ie, visit dietitian, decide on exercise routine, start routine, change diet, lose 5 kgs, lose 10 kgs, fit a size 12, fit a size 11 … )
5. DON’T give up altogether if you stumble. Just start again! Perseverance is the key.

Share your theme for the year with us – what are you focusing on? (In case you were wondering, mine is “Acceptance” – rolling with the punches, flowing with the current and being grateful for all I have).