Day Three Complete, On to Day Four

Well I was a busy bee on Monday and I'd started my entry way last Friday - the closet anyway, so day three was rather lax.  I apologize for not getting a very good before picture on the entry way, I completely forgot to take one so I did it when I remembered and it doesn't look half bad - which was not the case prior.  Think: eight more coats (some winter), a backpack and purse I wasn't using that did not need to be on the hooks; a large box with a new pot in it and two bags of socks by the front door and; one bag of other clothes, a bike helmet, belt, two stuffies and a book bag on the bench,.  There were also about six random toys, a shirt and a single shoe of Geoff's on the floor.

Obviously, the picture does not capture that and I can't help but wonder WHY those things were there in the first place. Oh right, because my entry way is dumping ground number one.  The bench is such a great idea; it holds mitts and hats and scarves.  It gives you a place to sit and put your shoes on or take them off - but it's a "hot spot" as FlyLady would say. 

It took much less than fifteen minutes to declutter this area and I attribute that to the fact that at the entryway, most of the stuff has been recently used or soon to be used and just needs to go to its proper place.  I added the pot that had been sitting, unopened, to the dishwasher and turned it on.  I took the box out to the garage and folded it up with the recycling right away.  I opened the closet and hauled stuff out; made three piles; stuff going upstairs, stuff going down, and skates and helmets (yes winter ones) to the garage.  Easy peasy.

When we were moving into this house I knew my first purchase would be a closet organizer for the front closet. I think it cost about $40. Four kids means at least twelve jackets (though there could be more) that they need to be able to reach.  I bought the one with the shelving set too because I thought of the school backpacks and shoes. That is what I decluttered today because the shelves were being misused. 

The other side of the closet got that way from the tidy session on Friday and I didn't do anything else with it.  Until I get the kids' closets and possibly my own cleaned out, everything will just have to stay in this one.  They're hung up and out of the way for now.

All in all, this area took incredibly little time.  It was seriously a matter or putting the stuff away.  The skates and helmets did not need to be in the closet.  That was easy.  And the shelves were not really as full of stuff as they originally looked.  In my fifteen minutes, I had time to hang up the extra jackets, sort the bench stuff, clear the shelves, pile it, put it away,  AND sweep the inside of the closet and the main area before the timer went off.  Plus I took a picture of it mid-way.  Really, not so bad.

As I was reading through all of the emails I get from FlyLady, and there are a few, one thing sticks out.  First of all, this "system" is not especially designed for someone who has time to do everything; in fact, it's designed for those who don't.  Sure my entry way looks great but what else did I do today?  In all honesty, around my house... not much.  My sink was shiny when I got up in the morning because it was shined before I went to bed.  I tidied my counters right after the kids had breakfast and made sure they brought their bowls to the sink.  I rinsed them and put them straight into the dishwasher - shining my sink right after (this could become obsessive).  I tidied the living room which wasn't really all that untidy because I'd completely cleaned it the day before and maybe I tidied it again before bed. I say maybe because this is the other thing FlyLady does for me - I go on auto-pilot and grab something here or there that looks out of place in my uber-tidy space.  It's miraculous that it happened once and I feel incredibly blessed that it appears to be happening twice.

Today marked the second day in a row that the main areas were completely tidy when Geoff came home.  For me, that is freaking amazing.  And I took all the other "before" pictures of the other rooms just in case I get going on those and forget to show the absolute shambles they are in before hand. It is possible as well that the other rooms are actually becoming less tidy as I move things out of the other areas.  But the goal is not to get everything at once - it's about working on one (and only one) area at a time so you can see the fruits of your labour.  I can honestly say that I'm not looking forward to the other rooms at all.  But I will set my timers for fifteen minutes over the next few days and get into them.  Although I'm not really looking forward to the work, I am so incredibly looking forward to the end result - it's about focus.

I have to mention one last thing: FlyLady is adamant that you are not looking at what you haven't done, only what you have.  Even if you can keep one area completely lovely for yourself for a week until you can complete the next challenge, that is the best you can do as you move forward.  Keep in mind that you have a reason for doing this for yourself.  So far, I am surprisingly on track and feeling extremely proud of my accomplishments.  You have no idea yet the focus it takes for me to ignore the shape the rest of the rooms are in and feel this good. :)

Today we are still doing the entry way and dining room and since I have completed both, I am going to spend some time in Hunter's room. There is a lot of decluttering to be done in that room (but it's not as bad as my ten year old's room). Baby steps.  Fifteen minutes a shot.  I can do it.  The most difficult part is starting.  Deep breaths. GO!

Happy Organizing!