Big Spring Fling Fiesta

By Sue Crum Ed.D., Professional Organizer

Last month I gave specific suggestions on looking around your home to see what items no longer serve you and what you could donate. Hopefully, with the longer days and later sunsets you have been motivated to start small and create some breathing space in your home, be it clearing out a junk drawer, a dresser drawer, a kitchen drawer or a small closet. Just making the decision to live with a little less but use what you have can give people a sense of calm and happiness that was not present before.

If you missed last month’s article, think of where you might spring into action with de-cluttering and organizing a space of manageable size. It could be a section of a home office or a corner of a dining room table; it could be your wallet or ladies, your purse. Empty the contents of the small de-cluttering project and sort the silly from the serious stuff; then, return items assigning them a specific home or space.

For those of you who got in the swing of spring last month and tackled something simple, hats off to you for this accomplishment. During the next 30 days keep an eye on that space you cleared and spend a few minutes every day or two just straightening and quickly returning items to their proper home. I call this the “Jiffy Lube Tune-up” step. It will not take but a few minutes to tweak the space since you’ve already de-cluttered and organized it last month.

With spring finishing up and summer right behind it, consider moving on to a bigger spring fling project. Many of us have house guests in the summer because our weather in San Diego is spectacular. Others of us may not have the guests but summertime is when we want to live lighter, walk more and get by with less:  less big meals, less layers of clothing, less fancy meals and less structure to our days.

Is there a big project you have been putting off for some months or years because there just hasn’t been the right time to do it?

Can you schedule time between now and the 4 ^th of July to tackle that with a team?

If not now maybe you could set a goal between now and Labor Day or now and Thanksgiving.

What’s important is setting a deadline. Some of us have garages packed with everything but the cars; others of us are paying month after month on storage unit rentals that are housing possessions we no longer use and only vaguely remember what those items look like.

These kinds of projects are not for the faint at heart. They require a team approach. Think about who you could recruit to help you. Perhaps a relative or two comes to mind, especially if some or many of the items belong to that person or persons. Some of us don’t have relatives nearby, so think about a neighbor or good friend. There are many teenagers who are too young to get a part-time job and they may live in your neighborhood or be the children of your friends, eager to earn a little spending money for the summer. With a group helping you the task will not be so daunting. Develop a plan of action and then dig in!

If you would like to clear up a garage or storage unit and can’t think of anyone else who could help you, our Rapid Response Team approach might be just the answer:

This month in honor of Mother’s Day, I am giving a 12% discount off of the regular Rapid Response Day (Mother’s Day is May 12 ^th ). Contact me no later than May 31 ^st and say you want to book a Rapid Response Day sometime in the future but want to take advantage of this special offer. Call me for details at 760.803.2786 and say “I want to hear about your Rapid Response Day program with the 12% discount.”

“Indecision becomes decision with time.” – Author Unknown

Sue Crum is an international speaker and founder of De-Clutteryourlife.com and the owner of the RED team.  She consults and shows people how to de-clutter and organize their lives for better productivity. Her forthcoming book, De-Clutter Your Life – 50 Ways to Organize Your Life, Home or Business so that you can be More Calm, Focused, and Happy , will be available later this summer.  Call her to speak to one of your groups or help you with de-cluttering and organizing. 760.803.2786. To receive her latest EBook, Red Hot etips List for De-Cluttering Your Life , sign up at www.de-clutteryourlife.com . You will also receive monthly RED Hot etips for energized and efficient people and learn where Sue is next presenting.