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My shoulders do feel a little bit lighter already. It’s nice having a place for everything somethings and putting them it in that place. Along time ago Chris read an organizing book that said if a chore takes less than two minutes, do it right when you think of it. That’s been my motto lately – if I bring something out to the garage instead of putting it on the workbench (which is what I used to do, and then before you know it you have put 15 things on the workbench…) just put it where it goes. Right at that moment. Takes way less than 2 minutes. Done!

Another tip we have been hearing for years, but are only now using: When you come across something sentimental that you don’t really need, you are just holding on to it because of the memories it brings up – take a picture! That picture will take up 100 times less space than the actual object and you can look at it when ever you want. Just pull up the “sentimental items” folder on your desktop and let the memories come back. Alternatively, you could always dedicate one photo album to actual prints of the special objects – that might make it feel a little more real to those of you that like scrap-booking and actual printed photos.

Here are some before and after pictures. I love before and after!

The Garage: Before

The Garage: After

The Evil Mr. Kitchen Pantry: Before – see that Miller Light box. Yeah. That had been in the same spot, on the same shelf, never looked in, since the day we moved in. June 30, 2005. Seriously.

The Friendly Mr. Kitchen Pantry: After – this is such a big deal to me! I find myself walking by and opening the door just to make sure I’m not dreaming. Now when we have guests come over I won’t be afraid/embarrased to open it.

The Coat Closet: After – I forgot to take a “before” picture as I was so excited to get to it. But trust me, it was packed.

Other noteworthy accomplishments: Cleaned out my kitchen desk. That’s where I normally put all that random paperwork I don’t know what to do with: An articles with an interesting tips, Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons, credit card offers… I had a million of those.

Oh, and address labels. I was holding on to WAY too many address labels!

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There have been enough signs from the Universe lately that I am finally willing to listen.

We rented and watched this movie from Netflicks, we’ve seen random episodes of TCL’s Hoarding: Buried Alive, and we have read many books that at least mention if not dedicate a chapter or two to how much control your things can have over you. I think Chris and I are finally ready to get down to business. A fair amount of our stuff HAS to go. I am tired of spending hours each evening trying to find new places to store things because all of the usual places are packed full. I really do feel like our stuff is controlling us and I’m frankly tired of it.

OUR MISSION*: To get rid of 1/4 of everything we currently own by Thanksgiving 2010. It’s scary and yet freeing to type that, because now I have to stick to it and now I have to stick to it!

*When I say” our”, I really mean “my” mission. Chris is excited and will be a willing party and I’m sure will make it his mission too. But, when I told the boys about my mission they both looked at me with crooked eyebrows and said “Why?”

Where is all this stuff going to go? Probably the usual suspects: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Craigslist, and friends. Hey, if you are in need of a bunch of stuff please let me know!

But, if you are feeling a little more like I am right now, how about taking the 1/4 Challenge with me? On my Facebook page I’ll be posting before and after pictures of closets, rooms, etc. I’ll also post stories of the process, how many tears were shed and by whom or how good it feels to be able to *walk* into our walk in closet or actually park our cars in our garage. CRAZY. If you decide to take the challenge with us, please let us know how it is going for you and your family. We’d love to see your pictures, too!

So follow along, as the Schell/Stephens family gets rid of 1/4 of their belongings and hopefully finds their way to just a little more inner peace.

@designsponge I did the same thing 11 cavities and $3500 later I am now a Sonicare using, teeth flossing maniac. in reply to designsponge #

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Design can be used to enhance the visual appeal of a product or service. It can be used to organize complex information or give meaning to abstract concepts. Sometimes design is used to make a bold statement or to evoke a specific emotion.

Design can do all of those things and more, but the underlying quality always remains the same — to strengthen clear communication.

When USA Cycling approached us with the opportunity to design their High Performance Plan (HPP) presentation, clear communication was the driving force behind the entire project. The HPP weighs in at around 135 pages of information ranging from high-level to technical, broken into 15 sections. We were told that the bulk of the content had changed little from year to year. Our challenge? To make it easy for the reader to digest and quickly grasp the key concepts within the plan. Past attempts had been too busy and not consistent with the USA Cycling brand.

Our first step was to ensure that the base content provided a solid foundation for the design. We had our talented copywriter Tammy Oler collaborate with USAC to edit the existing plan. Throughout the process, Tammy kept the visuals in mind, suggesting modifications that would allow for better communication.

While the copy was being developed, Design Rangers worked to create a high-impact cover design and an interior layout built to let readers find information quickly. The idea was to illustrate the power and passion behind the athletes and their goals.

With final content and the base design in place, we got down to business – creating common visual cues in each section along with a variety of text styles to create consistency and to increase readability. Graphics and charts in each section were re-designed using icons and stylized elements.

The physical appearance of the piece makes just as much of an impact as the contents contained within it. We worked with a local printer to develop a package that would stand out from the rest. Custom 3-ring binders with the new cover and spine graphics were produced to allow for content additions as needed. The binder was constructed with a lay-flat design, a business card window and a pocket in the back to house additional materials. The tabs feature an easy-to-browse design and are reinforced at the hole locations and tabs themselves. The interior is was printed in full digital color on a premium stock. Design rangers also provided a matching PowerPoint template to help ensure consistency.

The final result? A clean, comprehensive guide built to inform and educate. Every aspect of the design and content were refined to make the communication stronger, and USAC is poised to present their plan with confidence.

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