It is Day Twenty-Nine of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Decluttering Challenge. Are you still feeling motivated? Do you have a lot more to accomplish on your list?
Last Thursday I was invited to speak to an amazing group of women, who call themselves SISTAS, and have been gathering together monthly for five years. The story of how they came together was inspiring and their commitment to each other and their monthly group is extraordinary. They support, motivate and inspire each other to do an activity together each month.
I looked through their yearly scrapbooks they make each year to document their adventures together. They have zip-lined, done murder mystery nights, cooking classes and even the Tough Mudder together! They are moms, wives and caregivers for family members of various ages, yet they find time to be with each other and make time for themselves.
Keeping Balanced
One of the most important aspects to staying organized in your life is keeping balanced. You need to be responsible and keep up with the daily duties of life, but you also must play and have fun. Whether with friends or your kids, you are never too old or nor should you be too busy to have fun. When you feel emotionally balanced your home will too.
The wonderful host for the evening, Michelle, invited all of the ladies to bring five things they could donate to my talk. I LOVED this idea. When the women were done getting organizing tips from me, we all went to the display table to see everyone’s items. Everyone looked through the treasures that had been brought and made some trades. Other items went to donation. There were a lot of great laughs too!
I have done this with some of my girlfriends with clothing. We have all gotten together, cleaned out our closets and traded items. We had a great time exchanging jewelry, accessories, coats and other clothing. Everyone left with something new and got rid of plenty of old.
Finding Support
You need support when organizing. It is always much more easier to have willing participants helping in the process. Having an honest friend to bounce ideas off of, or just tell you that that shirt doesn’t look good on you anymore, can be fun. My colleagues are often great sounding boards for items and ideas in my own home. A new set of eyes always brings better ideas.
The SISTA’s were one of the funniest and most enthusiastic groups I have ever done an organizing workshop for. I love that they are continuing to support each other with emails and pictures of their own cleanout projects. Some of you have told me that you are keeping each other accountable during this challenge. I love it! Keep up the great work.
Happy Organizing,
Kristin