by kathilipp | May 7, 2018 | Clutter Free, Spring Fling |
Day five of the Spring Fling and it’s time to get crafty … and organize the office area (or your craft room).
Oh, you crafters. I appreciate your talents and gifts deeply. But your natural desire to stash and hoard has made it so you can barely pull out a project and enjoy your creativity.
And those of us with offices. How is it that we can crush the business world by day, but fear a giant pile of papers crashing down on us at night?
It’s time for both groups to reclaim our creative space!
It Gets Better: Organize the Office or Craft Area
While my office is not what I want it to be, I can function in there (and that’s a lot more than I could say ten years ago).
My mom, who is an amazing quilter, has taken her decluttering to a new level. She refuses to start a new project until she has completed five she already has. I’m so proud of her and the steps she’s taking to become Clutter Free.
Instructions:
- Set up your three boxes/totes and two bags.
- Start with one area at a time.
For offices and craft rooms, the questions are: “Will I use this?” and “If I want this, where would I look for it?”
Bonus:
Want to stay Clutter Free when it comes to projects? Commit to finishing five current projects before starting anything new.
Share Your Fling
After you fling, either tell us about it or share a picture in the comments. Remember, each day (at the end of the Fling) there will be one winner, randomly drawn from the comments, who will receive a copy of The Cure for the Perfect Life from Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. So share below and tell us about your fling.
by kathilipp | May 4, 2018 | Clutter Free, Freedom, Home, Spring Fling |
Day four of the Spring Fling and it’s time to hit the books …
Of all the things that people have a hard time getting rid of, I think books are at the top of the list.
As an author, that feels like a very good thing.
But as a woman who is working to make the world a Clutter-Free place, I need to stop being selfish, worrying about my residual checks, and challenge you to release some of those books back into the wild.
It Gets Easier to Clear Books
I have reduced the books in our house from twelve bookcases to three. Yes, in some cases it did feel like a crime. Books are wonderful and awesome—if someone is reading them. But just having books for the sake of owning them doesn’t improve your life or the lives of people who could be reading them.
I have a list of books that I will just keep. Books that I reread on a regular basis, reference books, my favorite writing books, a few cookbooks, and different Bibles. Some of the books I plan on keeping for the rest of my life (or until I change my mind…)
- Celebration of Discipline
- The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio
- Wesley the Owl
- The Good Good Pig
- Entreleadership
- Getting Things Done
- On Writing
- Born Standing Up
- Yes Please
- America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook
- The Betty Crocker Cookbook
- Bird by Bird
- More with Less
- Several books my friends have written (which I will not list here because I don’t want to leave anyone out)
Instructions:
– Set up your three boxes/totes and two bags.
– Start with one bookshelf.
– Do NOT pull all the books out at one time (in some homes, this could be dangerous).
Do you love it? Will you read it again? If you haven’t read it, and want to, create a shelf for “To be read” books and put them in the order you want to read them.
Bonus:
Want to stay Clutter Free when it comes to books and media? Commit to reading what you have before buying new. My challenge is to read three books I currently own before buying a new one.
Share Your Fling
After you fling, either tell us about it or share a picture in the comments. Remember, each day (at the end of the Fling) there will be one winner, randomly drawn from the comments, who will receive a copy of The Cure for the Perfect Life from Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. So, share below and tell us about your fling.
by kathilipp | May 3, 2018 | Clutter Free, Freedom, Home |
Day three of the Spring Fling, and it’s time to get serious … Let’s clear out the bathroom!
I’m not so worried about your sentimental attachments in the bathroom. (“But I can’t throw away that bottle of Axe Body Wash! I have to keep it — it was the last time my son smelled good.”)
But if you are anything like me, your bathroom can easily get filled with “just in case” items.
I am a worst-case-scenario kinda girl.
“What if we run out of money and I can never buy shampoo again. I don’t want to regret throwing out that six-year-old bottle of Head and Shoulders my cousin left here.”
What if I lose my job and I can’t buy lipstick again. Even though this color makes me look like an extra on the Walking Dead, it’s better than nothing, right? I should hold on to it.”
I get it. I’m a sick, sick woman.
Those things in the picture? Those were all from my kids’ bathroom.
No kid has lived here in over a year. But I kept it all — just in case.
Did I mention that I’m a sick, sick woman?
I bet you may have had some of these thoughts as well. Otherwise, why would you have six containers of foundation and only use one?
It Gets Better
One of the best things you can do to reduce clutter in your bathroom is become brand loyal. If you are a product junkie, always trying out new lipsticks, hairsprays, etc., it’s easy to keep six different kinds of mascara around because you’re never quite sure which one is the best. Find a product that works for you, and when you start to run out, buy another one. But stop buying products you already have.
Instructions:
– Set up your three boxes/totes and two bags.
– Start with one drawer or one shelf.
– Do NOT pull everything in your bathroom to sort it out. Take it one drawer, shelf, or basket at a time.
Bonus:
Want to stay Clutter Free in your bathroom? Commit to using up what you have. Only buy a new bottle of shampoo once you’ve used up the rest of the shampoo you have on hand.
You say, “But I would never use that old bottle of Head and Shoulders!”
Then throw it out. Only keep what you will actually use. This goes for makeup as well. When you run out, you can buy a new bottle, tube, or jar guilt free. Not only will this save you space, it will also save you money.
Share Your Fling
After you fling, either tell us about it or share a picture in the comments. Remember, each day (at the end of the Fling) there will be one winner, randomly drawn from the comments, who will receive a copy of The Cure for the Perfect Life from Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. So share below and tell us about your fling.
by kathilipp | Feb 1, 2018 | Clutter Free |
About this time last year, I thought I was a Clutter Free queen. My house wasn’t what I would call “Pinterest Perfect,” but it worked for our family and we didn’t mind drop-in visitors. Then I was asked to lead the Lenten Clutter Free Bible Study through a private members-only Facebook group. The study walks participants through what Jesus has to say about our stuff. It digs deep. Many of us find our Clutter Free journey like peeling back layers of an onion – there is always more that lies beneath. I went into the bible study thinking I would get a handle on some cluttered corners in our home. Instead, I spent six weeks decluttering my head and heart.
I discovered fears I didn’t know I had – fears of poverty, scarcity and of losing control. Fears that my husband would consider me spoiled or wasteful. No matter how often I decluttered my pantry, it would inevitably reach a point where it was bursting at the seams yet again. Why? Because I was terrified that something would happen, and we’d have no money for food. I would stockpile food, even food we didn’t like, without realizing it. I had clothes that were neither my taste nor my style cluttering my closet because I feared letting them go. If someone offered to give me something, I felt obligated to say yes. Who was I to think I was too good for someone else’s generosity – even if it was the product of their own decluttering?
By the end of the six-week study, other than the closet, my house didn’t look much different. I, on the other hand, had changed completely. I learned to trust God to provide what I needed when I needed it. I was able to joyfully release the canned sardines that had been sitting in the pantry for years, as well as the ill-fitting clothing from my closet. I also learned to trust God to provide for my stuff. I stopped worrying about what could or would happen to the things I released. I no longer fret over which charity is most deserving of my donations or feel obligated to sell belongings to recoup costs. I just focus on releasing that which no longer brings me joy, and I trust God to sort it out according to His plan.
The study changed our online group as well. It didn’t take long for us to realize that the work of Clutter Free was bigger than just six weeks. We needed a 24/7 year-round support system for those continuing their Clutter Free journey and for those who were just beginning. Now known as Clutter Free Academy, our group is a thriving community of 3,800 members who all grapple with Clutter in our heads, hearts and homes. We say we’re the kindest corner of the internet because we are all about support and encouragement without judgment or shame.
Are you ready to find out what Jesus says about your stuff? We’re walking through the Clutter Free Bible Study once again. Launching on February 14, the study includes videos, resource downloads and the 24/7 year-round support of the Clutter Free Academy Facebook group. Join as we dig deeper together to explore why we acquire what we don’t need, keep hold of stuff we don’t use or love, and how all of that makes us feel.
To be a part of the study club, get access to our online videos and booklet for just $14.99 (regularly $25!) between now and February 14, 2018 with coupon code: CFBSFEB18. Click here for lifetime access to the study and join our private Facebook group for daily encouragement from Kathi and Tonya for Lent this year.
________________
Tonya Kubo is the illustrious, fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter-Free Academy Facebook group. She and her husband, Brian, are raising two spirited girls in the agricultural heart of California. She writes about fighting the demons of comparison, clutter and compulsion on www.tonyakubo.com.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTonyaKubo/
by kathilipp | Dec 12, 2017 | Clutter Free, Podcast |
Don’t overlook the impact that mealtime can have on the people in your life. Listen in as Kathi Lipp interviews Author Sally Clarkson, who shares about the importance of being intentional with meal times so you strategically leave an imprint that is a legacy for your children and will bless them the rest of their lives. Create anchors and habits in your day and at family mealtimes that nurture and prioritize relationships in your life. Feast and celebrate. Be a joyful heart and celebrate every day you have been given.
For your chance to win 1 of 3 copies of The Lifegiving Table, comment below:
If you could have people over more regularly, who would love to have over for dinner?
Sally Clarkson is the beloved author of multiple bestselling books, including The LifeGiving Table, Own Your Life, The Life Giving Home, Desperate and most recently, Different, with her son Nathan. As a mother of four, she has inspired thousands of woman through conferences, resources and books through Whole Heart Ministries (www.wholeheart.org), Since then, she has advocated relentlessly for the power of motherhood and the influence of home through her Mom Heart conferences (www.momheart.org), speaking to audiences on several continents.
Make your table a place where your family and friends long to be—where they will find rest, renewal, and a welcome full of love. In The Lifegiving Table, Sally shares her own family stories, favorite recipes, and practical ideas to help you get closer to the people you love . . . and grow in faith together.
