Recognise - Often the hardest thing to do is recognising that you need to do something about the mess you are living in!  Don't try and tackle a the whole house in one weekend, break it down room-by-room over a number of weeks; it's much easier to manage this way.

Remove - when deciding what to remove, buy 4 large plastic bins (rectangle ones with wheels and a lid) and dedicate one each to Remove, Repair, Recycle or Retain. The bins can later be used for storage around the home.  If you have lots of items to remove, consider a mini-skip - it is gone straight away and you don't have ponder about what you've thrown out!

Repairs - be realistic about items for repair, it is really worth it?  Set yourself a timeframe for addressing all the items in your Repair box and make sure you stick to it - at the end of the allocated time, the item should go into either the Recycle or Remove bin.

Recycle - always keep an old fashioned plastic garbage bin (complete with liner, leave the full pack of liners in the bottom of the bin) in the laundry for all items for charity. When it's full, simply lift out, re- line your bin and take it to your favourite charity.

Retain - start by arranging the clothes you currently have in your wardrobe on hangers the facing the same way (ie hooks all facing inwards or all outwards), when you wear an item turn it around - at the end of the season remove all the clothes that have the hangers facing the original direction.

Re-Arrange - feeling creative? Draw boxes (to scale) that represent all of your furniture and a scale outline of your home, this way you can re-arrange furniture around your home on paper before you start. Don't forget to leave space for doors to open and access to windows.

Review - each item in your home will have a logical location, ie all paperwork and stationery items in the study/office area, all clothes in your bedroom, all cosmetics in the bathroom. Move them accordingly so they can be easily found.

Receptacles - it is cliché but there really should be a "a place for everything and everything in it's place".  Invest in really good storage items from trays for paperwork to bookcases that can be used for just about everything!  Storage boxes and trays are now very much a decor item so will only go to improve the final result of your de-clutter project.

Re-Organise - if an item isn't in the first place you think it will be, when you do eventually find the item, move it to the first place you looked.

Resources - if it's all too hard, don't despair - there are resources available to help you.  Blair Lifestyle Management can provide such a service and help you Reclaim your home. 

Adele Blair

www.blairlifestyle.com.au 

Coaching in all it’s different forms- life, business, career- originates out of the field of Sports Coaching. In 1974 Timothy Gallwey wrote a book titled The Inner Game of Tennis which wasn’t so much about tennis but about the inner qualities of the tennis player which drive him to win. In sport and in life there are two opponents; the other player, and the self (self referred to here as our own beliefs and self talk about what we are capable of). The tennis player, and the player of life, has to compete with both.

Through this book people began to understand that as human beings, our level of achievement in anything be it tennis, business, wealth, or happiness, is in direct proportion to what we really think of ourselves deep down. And so personal coaching for the mind was born and is now used throughout the world to bring out the best in individuals and corporations, and unleash the human potential for excellence.

I believe life can be simple and easy. That we can live a life of peace and happiness. That we can be free of complication and confusion.

also believe that to allow life to flow easily and effectively, the foundations have to be right – there has to be order and organization around you to let you live your life with purpose and vision.

Everything has to grow from a seed and for everything to grow well and healthily, the environment and foundations have to support and nurture every step of the way.

I ask you, how can your life support you, if the environment around you is falling apart?

When you are building a house the foundation and the structure have to be solid and stand firm, otherwise the house will fall down.

It is the same philosophy with life!

Ever been through a period when you couldn’t see a real clear future or the future that you could see wasn’t all that great?  I have and being a visionary person this is not a good thing, I can assure you. In this article I’m going to share 4 tips from my book “Destiny Designer” that may help you to create a compelling destiny. They are:

• The Power is in the NOW!
• Discovering your TRUE NORTH
• Tapping into your Potential
• Let your mess be your message

I thrive on the big picture. As long as I have an idea what my future looks like then life as I know it is ok. If the picture fades or becomes distorted in any way, shape or form then so does my perceived sense of certainty. Now, if there happens to be a total black out, then along with my perceived certainty, goes any perceived sense of security I may have held about my life. I say ‘perceived’ because really, can we be certain about anything in the future except maybe death and taxes?