Healthy Habit: Decluttering

I remember reading an article years ago that said you can't invite new things into your life until you clean out the old. So I enbarked on a two year journey of decluttering my life. I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to be close to the end of the process and how many laughs that I had a long the way. Ask your friends how they manage their underwear drawer and you'll see what I mean.

You can probably guess why the decluttering process took so long given that I was asking my friends for underwear management techniques. I needed a strategy for every drawer and cabinet before I could start the project. And then I had to make the time and have the energy to do it. My kitchen was one of the last frontiers of this project.

I tackled my kitchen project on Christmas Eve day. While others were scrambling to buy last minute gifts and cook dinner, I was cleaning and organizing like a mad woman. I am not kidding. My neighbor bumped into me when I was on my way to the hardware store for storage bins. I had decided to organize everything by type so that when I cooked everything that I needed would be in one bin. She thought I was being overly "ambitious" but that didn't stop me. I was just so determined to get it done. It really didn't take that much time and by the end of the day, I was so pleased with the outcome (and myself). I felt great!

Besides making me feel more energetic, being organized actually saves me time and money. Before tackling this project two years ago, I always bought more stuff before I really needed it. It was just such a big waste. Now I know what I need and when I need it. How awesome is that?!