With the house clean, clear, and provisionally organized, what's next?
It's always been my goal to have every drawer, every shelf, every cabinet and box and closet cleared, with the contents assessed and either tossed or organized. I actually got a good head start on this when I cleared and organized the craft closet last month, in addition to the work done on the cabinets in the master bath this week.
This weekend, I plan on doing a quick inventory to determine exactly what is left to do. If I had to guess, I'd say I still have a good 50 or 60 boxes tucked into my closets. Some of those boxes hold practical and useful supplies: camping gear, holiday ornaments, office supplies that haven't found a more permanent home after we traded our former desks-with-drawers for sleeker but perhaps less practical drawerless models. But a good 20 or 30 of those boxes are holdovers from my pack rat days, so I have my work cut out for me.
Meanwhile, there is progress to maintain while I develop the habits and systems to keep things tidy. I also need to re-visit my Dread List and update it a bit. And then there are all kinds of small organizing projects--some of them kind of fun--that I've put off: updating my address book, pulling together an emergency pack for the car, organizing the mountain of take-out menus and recipes that have collected in the nooks and crannies of our bookcase over the last few years. I'm also looking forward to playing with different calendars and productivity software available, and hope to customize a system that will be easy and fun to use.
What do you hope to achieve this fall? Is there a project or two that would make a big difference if you were able to see it through? Why not start this weekend, even if it's just to sit down with a steaming mug of coffee or a nice cup of tea and jot down a few thoughts. What would motivate you and support you on your Quest? Take a few minutes to visualize your goal and what it would feel like to achieve it. When you're ready, use the energy and excitement from visualizing your goals to make them happen. A half hour, an hour can make a huge difference in almost any project. Recruit family members to help if you can. Play music, have fun, identify healthy, no-or-little cost treats to reward yourself afterward.
You can do this. Go ahead; make it happen!