SoCalPam's Journal, 06 June 2018

I have been a professional organizer for several years. One thing I found with my clients is that sometimes the amount of clutter was too overwhelming. Maybe it was a senior widow leaving her family home and having to wade through everything in the garage. Maybe it was someone with injuries who couldn't transition through the house with crutches AND all the laundry to put away. There's always a valid reason for clutter and it's usually a by-product of something else going on in that person's life.

Diving in and cleaning everything all at once is something that's just for TV shows and IT DOESN'T WORK. The behavior isn't solved. I always started my clients with a small task, like taking everything out of the linen cupboard, sorting through, running the "keep" linens through the dryer with a couple of dryer sheets to shake out the mustiness, then folding it all and putting it back in. That takes about 2 hours for me.

Another goodie is taking the silverware drawer out, THROWING AWAY THE PLASTIC UTENSILS, wiping out the drawer and holder, and replacing the silverware. That takes about 15 minutes.

These are good activities for dieters, too. Stuck at a plateau? Find some 15-minute activities to do around the house. Set your timer! I play "beat the clock" with clients all the time. In the beginning it's hard... what to choose? That jumble in the drawer is daunting! You get better and better as you go along plus it keeps you busy and active (burning calories!).

Now... apply these activities to dieting. Did you step on the scale and get dismayed? Go take a 15 minute walk.

Can't figure out your fridge? Take it all out, wipe the shelves and put in only what you know is healthy for you. That might take 30 minutes to an hour.

Haul out that trash can full of fridge/freezer junk! 5 minutes + you remove temptation. I literally used to tie off trash bags and put them in the containers upside down so my clients wouldn't go dumpster diving in their own cans after I left. It's an incredibly smart way to prevent people for going after old food. Someone may eat old food, but few will eat things out of the trash can.

If I feel snacky I'll go into the kitchen (because I'm drawn there like a moth to a flame) and wipe down all the counters (including under the toaster) before I allow myself a snack. I get a little activity in and sometimes I find I'm not really hungry; just bored. Doing these jobs keeps me busy, keeps me away from food, and helps me toward my goals.

Add your ideas here!

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1384 kcal

Fat: 66.60g | Prot: 59.28g | Carb: 140.81g.   Breakfast: Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Tea, Philadelphia Regular Cream Cheese, Dave's Killer Bread Thin-Sliced Good Seed Bread, V8 Low Sodium Original 100% Vegetable Juice (5.5 oz). Lunch: Sunshine Cheez-It Original Snack Crackers (1 oz), Dr. Pepper Diet Dr. Pepper (Can), Parmesan Cheese (Shredded), Lipton Recipe Secrets - Onion Soup & Dip Mix, Cooked or Sauteed Mature Onions (Fat Added in Cooking). Dinner: Parmesan Cheese (Shredded), Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Tea, Butter (Salted), Baked Sweetpotato (Peel Not Eaten). Snacks/Other: Whole Milk, Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Lower Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar, Dannon Oikos Triple Zero - Strawberry. more...

2355 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Housework - 30 minutes, Grocery Shopping - 1 hour, Desk Work - 8 hours, Resting - 6 hours and 30 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...