A few years ago I started signing off my blog and newsletters with the line, “To a lighter load along the way.”

It’s more than just a nice phrase – it’s a daily reminder. A promise to travel through life without the weight of unnecessary burdens.

This idea came to me because of the stories I read as a child about the pioneers going across the country in covered wagons.

Their story offers a powerful lesson about decluttering, simplicity, and the courage it takes to let go.

Pioneer’s High Hopes

The pioneers had high hopes of starting a new life in a new land.

So they packed their wagons with everything they thought they would need for the journey and their new land. These were the things they had worked hard for or had a lot of meaning to them and didn’t want to leave behind.

The only problem was, they couldn’t tell what truly was a need or what was only a want. Therefore, they stuffed their wagons to the brim.

As they soon found out, the animals (horses, oxen, mules) that pulled the wagons could only handle some much weight. When they traveled along the hot dry prairies, those poor animals began to really struggle. If they were going further west, they needed to get through the mountains before the cold long winters hit. And those mountain trails were treacherous.

The only way to save their animals and keep the pioneers from being stranded in the middle of nowhere, they had to start lightening their loads.

Thus, the sides of wagon trails soon became littered with castoff furniture, books, clothing, cooking pots, and once-precious items.

It was heartbreaking but also necessary. It was a matter of survival of the animals and the humans.

In other words, they had to let go of the unnecessary to insure the possibility of the future.

A Matter of Survival

The pioneers learned the hard way. Letting go of the past was a matter of survival. They had no choice if they wanted to see their dreams of the future.

Today, we don’t face the same kind of dangers when moving.  It’s easy to load up moving trucks and carry our past with us, wherever we go.

As a result, we don’t have to worry about the past keeping us from the journey to the future.

Or do we?

We may not have wagons full of goods, but we do have closets, drawers, cabinets, garages, basements, and storage units packed to the brim. And all this physical stuff may lead us to carry the invisible clutter – guilt, regret, “someday” dreams, and emotional weight that keeps us from moving forward.

I have felt it myself.

• It has weighed me down mentally.
• It has keep me from moving forward towards my dreams.
• It’s made me think, “I should do this (declutter) before I can do that (create, relax, have fun).” 

Sound familiar?

We are more like the pioneers of the old west than we think. We can’t move toward our dreams if we’re overloaded with yesterday’s baggage.

Dumping the Heavy Loads

Traveling west in a cover wagon was the ultimate downsizing. The wagons were small so every item had to earn it’s place.

When the pioneers finally let go of what they didn’t need, their chances of reaching their new life increased tremendously.

In many ways the same is true for us today. Those heavy loads of clutter from our past weigh us down so much, they can keep us from reaching our own dreams.

It’s time to dump the heavy loads!

• Clothes we don’t wear because they don’t fit or we don’t like.
• Books, toys, entertainment items we no longer use.
• Sentimental guilt items – gifts or inherited things we feel obligated (but don’t love) to keep.

It’s not always the item that’s heavy, but the guilt attached to it.

If you truly love something, keep it and enjoy it. But if you don’t, ask yourself:

• Am I keeping this to avoid hurting someone’s feelings (even if that person is no longer alive)?
• Are their feelings or words more important than my peace of mind today?

Only you can decide which is more important. Either way, it’s time to let go of the guilt and probably the item!

All Those Little Things Add Up

Both my mother and mother-in-law had lived in their homes for 35 plus years. Since neither of them had moved or downsized, there was a lot of accumulation over the years. Even with some decluttering during those years, things still quietly added up.

After they passed away, I had to help clean out their homes.  It was difficult emotionally and physically. But it helped give me a different perspective on my own things. I don’t want to leave all my unnecessary things in my home for my children to deal with.

Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how much all these items add up. Just ask anyone who has had to pack up their home for a move. Anyone who has had to stage their home to sell it, most likely had to pack up the “extras” so it would be more appealing to potential buyers.

All those little things, even the ones we barely notice day to day, will add up.

Lighten Your Load Now!

If you want a lighter load along the way, it’s time to start letting go.

Make those decisions now while you have the energy, clarity, and peace of mind to do it with intention.  Then you may never have to make those decisions while in a desperate point of choosing the past over the future.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors

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This past weekend I was talking to my husband about sending out Holiday Cards. It hit me that I hadn’t even started to think about them.

As I thought about why I haven’t been consistent with cards the past few of years, I realized there are several reasons for it.

Technology:

• It’s so easy to post a holiday greeting on Facebook for friends and family. But this is an impersonal way to wish people a happy holiday – Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Season’s Greetings, etc. It feels like copy and paste cheer.
• An easy but more personal greeting is to email a holiday card or text a greeting. These may be a generic GIF or a personalized message.

Organization (or lack of it):

• I haven’t been organized with my holiday planning for several years now. As a result, I’ve created more stress and guilt for myself.

Time, Cost, and Effort:

• Maybe it’s the cost of the cards and stamps (am I being cheap?) or the time and effort involved in buying the cards, stamps, addressing the envelopes, signing the cards, and then mailing them (am I being lazy?).

After reviewing all these reasons, I realized my biggest issue is simply a lack of planning and organizing. That is probably the main reason why I’ve let some holiday traditions slide.

Over the past few year I’ve “fallen off the wagon” with organizing, planning, and decluttering. That is one of the main reasons I’ve written so little on my blog or Facebook groups and pages. It’s hard to write about decluttering and organizing when I’m not practicing those habits myself.

So I decided the best way to get back on track was to revisit the holiday eBook I wrote years ago. I also looked up many of the articles and blog posts on my website about planning and organizing for the holidays. I’ve included links below to this information if you want to check it out.

I’ve also realized that when I stopped writing, I stopped holding myself accountable. Sharing my ideas, strategies, and lessons learned over the years encourages me to “walk the walk” and follow my own advice.

Thanks for reading what I write. You help my stay motivated to take steps that simplify the holidays and make them more enjoyable. In return, I hope I can motivate you to do the same.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Janice

Helpful Links:

eBook:  “Tips To Simplify and Organize Your Holidays” (on sale for $0.99)

Available at:

• Amazon 
• Barnes and Noble

Articles and Blog posts:

• Holiday Greeting Card System
• Master Gift List
  
• New Traditions Can Relieve Holiday Stress
• Clutter Free and Almost Clutter Free Gift Ideas
• Is Holiday Stress Getting To You?

The post Getting Organized Again – Just In Time For The Holidays appeared first on Cut Clutter With Scissors.

For the past few years I haven’t done a lot of decluttering. It’s not like things have piled up, it’s just that I never got around to dealing with certain projects and areas.

Why were these areas of clutter ignored?

Partly because they were hidden. And partly because I didn’t hold myself accountable to take care of them.

Hidden Clutter

Years ago I created systems that helped me keep the everyday clutter under control. For the most part there isn’t a lot of mess laying around, at least not what a visitor would see. Most of my clutter is hidden inside drawers, closets, in containers under the beds, and in my storage room in the basement.

Although these areas are “hidden” they are not really out of sight or out of mind.

• Upon opening the closet in the home office I see file boxes and stacks of papers that need to be decluttered.
• When I open a drawer in my dresser I see clothes I haven’t worn for a long time.
• Each time I go in the spare bedroom I remember all the photos hiding in the boxes under the bed, patiently waiting for me to declutter and organize.
• When I need a paper from a folder in my file drawer, I’m reminded of how stuffed the drawer is and it’s overdue for a decluttering session.

I’ve attempted to tackle some of these projects in the past but I never seem to make much progress. Everyday life gets in the way. At least that’s been the excuse I keep telling myself.

After a lot of soul searching I’ve come up with one main reason why I am struggling to take action on the “hidden” clutter projects.  I don’t have a system or routine to hold myself accountable!

How I Held Myself Accountable In the Past

In the early 2000’s I found Flylady online. Her daily emails helped a lot. Through her, I was able to find a local Flybady group that met monthly. Although that larger group didn’t last too long, there were 5-7 of us that created our own monthly group. We encouraged, inspired, and help hold each other accountable with our decluttering projects. Unfortunately, we have only met a couple of times since the pandemic.

In 2008 I started this blog with several goals in mind.

1. I wanted to share the lessons I had learned over the years on how to declutter.
2. I also wanted to write books and create a profitable business with the blog.

The first goal I was fairly successful with. I focused on writing what I had learned by doing decluttering projects and sharing that info. I knew the only way I could share this info was by either actually doing the projects or at least researching enough to create systems that could help.

Blogging regularly helped keep me accountable. So did posting info on my Facebook pages and groups.

Unfortunately life circumstances got in the way of the second goal above. As a result, it got harder and harder for me to stay motivated to blog and write on a regular basis.

How to Hold Myself Accountable Now

Since blogging on a regular basis helped me in the past, I believe it’s a good tool that can help me with addressing my hidden clutter. I will have to live the stories by doing the work before I can write about them. It will probably take me awhile to get back into the routine of decluttering along with regular blogging.

Since blogs take a lot more time to write, I also plan to send out quick updates by an email newsletter (maybe weekly) on my progress with decluttering the hidden clutter. This way I can hold myself accountable to take decluttering actions on a regular basis.

If you would like to receive the newsletter, please sign up on the sidebar of this blog post.

I also plan to get back to posting on my Facebook page and Facebook groups. They’re an easy place to get a conversation going which will help me and also help you. Connection to others always helps with keeping ourselves accountable.

Cut Clutter With Scissors Facebook page

Controlling Paper Clutter Support Group (Facebook group)

Clutter -Use It or Lose It (Facebook group)

It’s A Journey, Not A Destination

I learned a long time ago that decluttering is a journey, not a destination. Somehow I lost that concept regarding my hidden clutter. I want to embrace that concept again to help take the pressure off having those high and perfectionist expectations.

A journey implies that we are traveling along a path. We get to choose what luggage we carry with us along this path. If we have less luggage to weigh us down, we can enjoy the journey and experience more adventures along the way.

When we are constantly weighted down with unnecessary stuff (both physical and mental) it’s hard to fully experience those adventurous opportunities when they come around.  We may not even see those opportunities when they are right in front of us.  Our vision and brains end up being blocked by so much stuff around us.  This is simply because we couldn’t let go of the old to make room for the new.

For years I have ended my blog posts and newsletters with the saying, “To a lighter load along the way”. It’s time for me to start following my own advise.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

The post Unhiding My Hidden Clutter appeared first on Cut Clutter With Scissors.

The days are getting shorter. The weather is cooling down. The kids have been back in school for 4-6 weeks now. Halloween is Creeping Closer.

Soon you’ll be seeing ghosts, goblins, and witches showing up all over the neighborhood streets.

Are you ready for the invasion?

Preparing for Halloween

There’s a lot to do to prepare for Halloween. Over the years I’ve written many blog posts and even an eBook about how you can prepare for the holiday.

With costumes, decorations, trick-or-treating, and parties, you want your children and yourself to enjoy it as much as possible. But it’s also important to make sure everyone stays safe. That means having costumes that are safe to wear. It also means decorations are safe for trick-or-treaters coming to your front door or party guests in your home.

Below are the links to the blog posts and the eBook on Halloween. There are lots of tips and ideas to help you have a safe and fun holiday.

Posts on Safety.

Halloween Decorating Safety Tips

Halloween Safety Tips For Children’s Costumes

This is a series of posts I did a few years ago.

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 1

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 2

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 3

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 4

Countdown to Halloween Series Part 5

Here are some posts with quick tips from the eBook.

Halloween Tips From eBook – Tips 1-2

Halloween Tips From eBook – Tips 3-9

This eBook has all the tips from the above blog posts and lots more. The link below will take you to a page with the Table of Contents and links to purchase it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

How to Have a Fun, Safe, and Decluttered Halloween

Are you getting in the spirit of Halloween yet?

Have fun during this SPOOKY holiday!

Janice

The post Halloween is Creeping Closer appeared first on Cut Clutter With Scissors.

Taking actions gives you energy. Wow, that sounds backwards!

Whenever you want to start a decluttering project, do you find yourself doing the following:

• You tell yourself that you are too tired and lack the energy to take any action to start decluttering?
• You  don’t feel like you can do the job right (lack of confidence) so you don’t even start?
• Are you spending a lot of time researching on how to declutter instead of taking actions?

If you’ve been waiting for enough energy, confidence, knowledge/skills, or inspiration before you start taking actions, then you probably have been waiting a long time. It’s time to let go of this backwards attitude that is weighing you down!

The truth is, the more actions you take, even itsy bitsy tiny ones, the more energy, confidence and knowledge you will gain.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

If you’re like me, it’s easy to believe the above excuses are true in any current moment. There are plenty of other excuses we use to stop ourselves from taking action.

If you truly want to accomplish something like decluttering the only way you will do it is to start taking actions right now. Not later when you’ve had a good night’s sleep, (if that is something that ever happens). Not later when you have the confidence or knowledge to do it. You learn by doing!

I’m inspired by what other’s do and and I know you are too. But if we don’t take actions to actually declutter some of our things, all that time researching and looking for knowledge and inspiration won’t do us any good.

Planning, Planning, Planning

Many times when we start to declutter or simplify our home and lives, we look around and work on a plan for what actions we should take.  We get out our notebook (paper or digital) and start writing down what we think should be done in each room.

Those piles of papers on the counter or table are glaring at us. How do we deal with them? We need a plan.

What about all the books, games, toys, etc. laying on the couches, chairs, and floor in the family room. Now we have to figure out a plan on what to keep and how to store those items.

Then there’s the pile of clothes on the floor next to the bed. Maybe we should plan to buy a nice basket that will fit the decor to put the dirty clothes in. Maybe we need to plan to buy nicer hangers so we can hang up the clothes that don’t need to be washed after one wearing.

As we look around and plan out the actions we should take, that overwhelm feeling is brought on by the sheer volume of actions that are needed. We become paralyzed. All this planning seems useless!

Then we throw our hands up in the air and give up. What’s the use? We don’t have the energy to tackle the mess. We don’t have the confidence that we are even capable of accomplishing our goal of decluttering it. All the knowledge and inspiration we got from other’s words and photos doesn’t help us because we are not like them.

“Just Do It”, Or Not

Back in 1988 the shoe company Nike came out with the slogan “Just Do It.”  That slogan became so popular that it was easy to apply to most things that required you to take actions.

However, the underlying message was that if you couldn’t “Just Do It”, there was something wrong with you.

That became a high standard that some of us struggled to reach.

When my children were young, I had a good friend that had children similar to the ages of mine. Her house was almost always clean whenever I would go over there.

• The dishes are washed and put away.
• The only toys out are the ones the kids were currently playing with.
• No clutter laying around on furniture or the floor. Even magazines are stacked neatly on the coffee table.

I was frustrated and felt like a failure because my house never looked that clean and uncluttered. One day I asked her how she did it. Her answer was, “I don’t know, I just do it”.

Well, that didn’t help me much!

I had all kinds of excuses. The kids needed my attention. It was hard for me to stay focused on one thing at a time. I was taking actions but I was all over the board with them. Nothing ever seemed to get completely done.  Sometimes the rooms would be cleaned up but by the next day the clutter was back.

Yes, I knew then that I was different. I couldn’t figure out how to “just do it”.

It took years to figure out I was no less capable than anyone else when it comes to tackling my clutter. I just needed some tricks and tools to help me stay focused enough to let go of the clutter and keep the house organized and clean.

How to Take Actions

I had already started reading books on organizing before my friend told me she “just does it.”  After that I really stepped up my research by going to the library and even buying as many books on the subject as I could find. Back in the late 1980″s and early 1990″s there weren’t a lot of books out there. And the existence of the internet was years away.

But I kept looking and learning and experimenting (trail and error) until I found a few tools and techniques that worked for me.

One of the best tools I found was the handy kitchen timer.  I found if I set the timer for 5, 10, or even 15 minutes, I could stay focused for that long. It became a game to “beat the timer” and clean up one area. That game helped me take action, which in turn help me get some of the results I was looking for.  It also helped me learn not to be such a perfectionist. There was no way I was going to complete most of the clean up jobs in such a short time frame. And I learned that was okay.

The goal was to just start taking actions, make a little progress, move forward.  It was hard at first to accept I was not a failure if I couldn’t complete a job from start to finish in one setting.  That was my perfectionist talking, and she was wrong!

The Mind Plays Tricks on Us

When we look at a mess we want to clean up, that little voice in our heads starts talking back at us.  “There is no way you will get the mess cleaned up in 5, 10, or 30+ minutes. So why even start!”

We have a tendency to over estimate how long it will take to accomplish even a simple job.  The dinner dishes was always a huge struggle for me.  I would look at the sink full of dishes and just shake my head. In my mind it felt like it would take forever to get them done. I was tired. I knew I had more energy in the morning (I’m a morning person) so I would shrug my shoulders and leave it.

When I started using a timer to take action, I would tell myself that I had enough energy to do 5 minutes. Whatever dishes got done during those 5 minutes was good enough for that night.

Well, once I started doing that, I was amazed at how much I was able to get cleaned up in 5 minutes. My mind had been playing a trick on me saying it would take forever, but reality proved to be different.

The timer help me get the kids to pick up their toys. In their little minds it felt like a huge job. But somehow they managed to get most, if not all the toys picked up in that short of time.  When they were older they complained their homework would take all afternoon and evening, I would set a timer for 15, 20, or 30 minutes. They found out that most of the time they could complete the homework during that time frame.

Why a Timer Works For Me

I am one of those people who can’t seem to develop and keep routines, especially in some areas like cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. Even after years of practicing, I still struggle. I have not idea why. But I’ve learn to accept that this is just who I am. And that’s okay.

But that doesn’t mean I can or will accept living in a cluttered and unorganized home. I just need to figure out what tools and techniques work best for me.

As I said before, the timer has been one of the most consistent tools that has worked. I think it’s because it allows me to stay focused on one task/project for a finite amount of time. There is a start and there is a finish for me. That doesn’t mean I complete the task at hand. It only means that I took action on it. Sometimes I do complete the task. Sometimes I’m motivated enough to set the timer for another 5 or 10 minutes to continue working on that task.

I’m using the timer to write this blog post. Thirty minutes at a time helps me focus my brain on what I want to write.

I use the timer to file papers, or declutter a drawer or closet.

The timer is my personal coach that keeps encouraging me to “just get started”.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

It took a long time but I learned not to beat myself up because I wasn’t the kind of person who could “Just Do It.”  I am who I am. It’s what I have to work with. Once I started finding tools and techniques that work for me, I started having success with decluttering and organizing. It took a lot of trail and error, and still does. However, I’ve learned that taking actions, no matter how small, will lead to more actions. It’s not always easy to remember but, I’m not a failure if I can’t do things the way others “just do it”.

There is nothing wrong with you so don’t beat yourself up for it. We are all unique and need to learn how to declutter and organize our own way. And that sometimes means doing a lot of trial and error actions before you find what works for you and what doesn’t. Plus it’s important to realize that sometimes a tool or technique that works now may not always work in the future for you. Our lives change over the years and so may the actions needed to keep our homes and lives decluttered, organized and simplified. It’s the end result that matters. How you get to that point and keep it there will be unique to you.

You can “Just Do It”, only when you are doing it your way.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice Scissors

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