Johanne's Journal, 26 September 2010

You are special. Do simple things for yourself that makes you feel special. Feeling good about yourself will help you tackle those things. 

I'm somewhat of a clutterbug myself...I tend to avoid cleaning up messes the bigger they get just because I know it will be such a big time investment. One thing you could try is to do some goal-setting (got this from a book on organizing I read once); pick one area of your house, preferably the area that you use the most. It doesn't even have to be a whole room. Give yourself a timeline to get that area cleaned up & organized & come up with a plan to get it done. For me it was my desk. Since I work from home, somehow every piece of paper that comes into the house ends up on my desk. I took the time to write down what was working & what was not, what needed to be within easy reach & what could be put away, & ended up making better use of the space that was already there. The theory behind a smaller project like that (vs. cleaning out a basement or something) is that it can be done quickly & since it's used frequently, you'll be constantly reminded of how great it is to have a clean & organized space. I guess I approach my weight loss in the same way by setting small goals to focus on rather than dwelling on the total 116 lbs I'm trying to lose. Lose 116 lbs? I can't do that!!! But I can lose 5. After that I'll worry about the next 5, & the next...anyway, I do agree that after really doing something about my weight, I am more motivated to make other improvements in my life. You deserve to have that beautiful, serene space you want, & you will get there, one step at a time. :) 

Johanne...I am WAY to familiar with the clutter!! I read somewhere to set a time for 10-15 minutes and just get things cleaned in that amount of time!!!