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Clutter Clear Your Bedroom

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Here are 3 simple ways to start that can be done in under an hour!

Does your bedroom refresh you or stress you?

Transforming your bedroom into a peaceful place begins with clearing the clutter.

This is the greatest gift you can give your body, your mind, and your heart.

Marla Dee

If you were standing in the doorway to your bedroom right now, would you be happy or stressed? Is your bedroom a resting zone or a check out zone? Your body is feeling everything in your bedroom, even when you are sleeping.

Because the bedroom is behind closed doors, it’s easy to ignore the clutter that builds up there. It often becomes the dumping ground for the homeless stuff. Yet continuing to ignore your bedroom means always waking up feeling tired and overwhelmed by life.

I want to offer some simple places to start since this project can feel huge. This starts you clearing without getting lost in the details. Keep in mind we will take you through SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© for the whole room next. Choose one of the following ideas, schedule the time, turn on music and dive in. Have boxes and bags on hand for goes elsewhere, donations, trash, and goes to someone else.

HOUR OF POWER:

Set your timer for one hour and journey through your bedroom gathering all the obvious stuff that doesn’t belong there, is no longer useful, or that you are ready to let go of. Keep in mind that you are only going after the obvious and easy stuff. If you have to stop and think about it, then wait. You are only doing one hour but you might be surprised how much goes away.

CLEAR THE FLOOR:

Start at door into your bedroom and work your way around the whole area staying focused on the floor. Pick up and bag all the stuff that you know needs to leave. Don’t worry about the other stuff, it comes later. Then grab the vacuum or broom and enjoy cleaning away the old dust and grime.

UNDER THE BED:

You can start the clutter clearing by pulling out all the stuff under the bed. You want to avoid using this as a storage area if at all possible. Remember, your body is feeling all the stuff under there while you are sleeping. Once you clear the space, take a few more minutes to clean it also. You will love how it feels.

When you are done, take some deep breaths and notice how different the room feels. It can be fun to take pictures of all the stuff leaving. Let yourself take in the change and celebrate what you have done.

Now enjoy a good night’s sleep!

Your Guide Marla Dee. I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Organize Your Year

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Organizing your year begins with organizing yourself!

Your life matters in this world – your gifts, your choices, your message, your love, your thoughts, your feelings, your struggles and your growth. You are worth spending time with. So before you dive into the actions of your year and day, take the time to get clear on what matters most to you!

Marla Dee

See it. Map it. Do it. is the 3 step organizing system that works for all the areas of your space and life. Let’s apply it to your year.

Learn how here

SEE IT – Take a look at where you’ve been. You begin with acknowledging and learning from your past. Answer one or more of the following questions as they relate to last year.

  • What worked? What did you accomplish?
  • What can you celebrate?
  • What didn’t work? What dissapointed you?
  • What did you learn about yourself, life and others?

MAP IT – Next it’s time to make a written plan for where you want to go. If you were taking a road trip, you would have a general idea of your destination and the stops along the way. Mapping out your year is similiar. Just get the big pieces in place.

  • Choose one word for the year. Make it visual so you see it often and get reminded of your focus.
  • Choose your three core values for this year. You can deepen this by adding a sentence of what meaning they have for you.
  • Write down your five most important roles. Most of us have many roles and it is vital to know which ones matter most when you are making decisions each day.
  • Write the most important goal, creation or change for each role.
  • Choose a tool to write all this down you can review it often. Choose one that works for your personality, It can be paper or digital. Get creative with this so you love it.
  • Get  your  ONE PAGE MASTER MAP FORM here.

DO IT – Take the steps to get there. Now that you have your map and tool for the year, it’s time for action. Here is the system to bring your goals into your daily life, to break down the big changes to smaller steps.

  • For each month – Take 30 minutes and begin with reviewing last month. What got done, what didn’t and why? Then look at your year map and write down the 3 most important actions for this month. Use your tool to make sure you see these easily for your weekly planning.
  • For the week – Take 30 minutes, look at your month and write down the 3 most important actions for the week. Use your tool to make sure you see these often. I strongly suggest a weekly accountability partner!
  • For each day – Take time every morning with yourself, time to center and listen to what is going on inside you! Choose ways to do this that are meaningful and attractive to you. Then write down the 3 most important actions for the day. Lastly, close your day with celebrating your day and yourself.
Organize Your Year See it. Map it. Do it. Clear & Simple Steps

Getting clear on your year and what you most want!

When you are surrounded with clutter, it can be tempting to dive into the piles or stay distracted by the chaos. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start making changes. The best place to start is with yourself. Only you can decide what is most important in your life. So, before you dive into the actions of this year, take the time to get clear on where you’ve been, discover who you are now and where you want to go. Take this time for yourself and use SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© to create what you are longing for.

This eBook will guide you through using SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.© to get clear on your goals and support for the year. You will create two powerful master maps and get a system for bringing the goals into your daily life.

Getting your own PDF copy today for $20!

Your Guide, Marla Dee.

I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Letting Go of Your Old Self

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Let go of the old you to make room for the new you!

It takes slowing down to spend time with yourself 

It takes humility to be honest with yourself 

It takes courage to let go of what’s blocking you 

It takes trust to let a new you emerge

Marla Dee

This new year can be a new journey of adventure and growth for you. It is time to become the person you are ready to be, the person you have been building up to for years.

In order for the new to come into being, you must start with releasing the old stuff, your old self. It is impossible to bring in new when the container is already full. Nature insists that we clear space first. Before your dive into what you want this year, it is essential to let go of what is now past time.

Letting go takes presence, courage and support. Get real with yourself. Why hold on when the new you is ready to emerge. Are you willing to take time with yourself? Grab a favorite pen and notebook. By reflecting on the queries below you will receive the insight that is waiting.

What am I holding onto?

Where have I been stuck? 

What is causing me pain? 

What needs to change?

What am I ready to let go of? 

  • Pattern
  • Habit
  • Belief
  • Place
  • Role
  • Commitment
  • Person or group
  • Old way of being

Do you need support to let go? If so, what kind? Now give yourself permission to have it.

Once you have done this, take time with your body, your heart and your head to release the old self. Breathe, feel, walk, run, or whatever your body wants. On the other end of this release is freedom.

Lastly, close down this time with yourself by fully taking in this new freedom. Open your body, mind and heart. Feel the open space and let the new come in. Now you are ready to start exploring what you want next.

Join us for a whole month of organizing your new self for this new year.

Your Guide Marla Dee. I love teaching the Clear & Simple Way to live free of clutter and get organized at last.

Time for Slow. Time for Simple.

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This blog was written by Kate Fehr of the Clear & Simple family. It’s well worth a read as the summer flies by too quickly.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It also bring me to reflect on what has become my focus and to step back a little and slow down. We all get caught in the hustle and bustle of life and demands of work. A little reminder to slow down is always a good thing. So sit back, slow down a few minutes and read this lovely blog.

We could all use a little big dose of slow and simple.

I was sitting outside my son’s basketball practice reading and enjoying a new book. I overheard two parents reconnecting after being away for the summer. “How was your summer?” The woman asked politely. “It was great, but went by so fast! How was yours?” The man inquired. “Oh my gosh, so fast. I think it was the fastest summer ever and I was not ready for school to start.” She replied.

I sighed deeply in empathy for I have also experienced just how fast life goes by. On the other hand I also felt grateful for Our Simple Summer that rolled by at a sweet pace; something I know was very intentional on my part.

As I lamented over the “too fast” culture we live in, I continued to notice scenarios before me as parents zipped in and out of the parking lot, some dropping kids off and some picking kids up.

  • One mom talked aggressively on her phone as her son climbed in the car and they drove away. Been there.
  • A father was urging his son to hurry up and tie his shoes to get into practice. Been there.
  • Another woman pulled into a spot, tapped her fingers impatiently while watching the school door. After about 15 seconds she jumped out and ran into the school to retrieve her son. Been there too.

After many layers of simplifying our stuff, our time and our lives, my family’s approach looks very different than what I witnessed. We leave the house with more than enough time to get there. Our phones are put away so that we can be present with each other to talk, sing and laugh all the way. We arrive early giving us a bit more time to connect. As my son hops joyfully out of the car and saunters into the gym, I push the driver’s seat back, kick my feet out the window and dive into a book.

This particular day I was reading a fantastic book called In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed and was on chapter 8, Work: The Benefits of Working Less Hard. Over the last 6 months my soul has been begging me to bring my work life into alignment with our minimalist energy. The combination of this book, a couple of months of summer sweetness and experiencing the fast-paced madness of my fellow humans, has created a great urgency in me to make this happen right away.

Barely making it through the day over-stressed, overly disconnected, under-nourished and under-inspired is certainly NOT the kind of life I want to live. How about you?

With lots of love,
Kate

3 Step System for Kids School & Precious Papers

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Yes, you can have fun with your kids and their school papers using this 3 STEP SYSTEM!

One school year is over and another one is ready to begin! So what to do with the huge pile up of art, reports, awards and all those papers that come home throughout the year. Here is a simple system you can do now to clear out the last year and then be set up for this coming year.

Marla Dee, creator of the Clear & SIMPLE Way, has been helping people for 18 years. And she comes from a family of 10 children so she gets the chaos that kids can create and the desire to keep those precious pieces of art!

Step 1 – Get a bulletin board or display area for each child for the treasures of the week to be seen!

I have been blessed to work with hundreds of moms through the years. And I have heard over and over again – “Where do I put all the art work and school papers?” When your child has a chosen place to put the treasures, your child feels seen and proud. But you can rotate the pieces weekly or monthly. Once you take them off the board, go to step 2.

Step 2 – Choose a container, about the size of a file tub, which can hold the papers all year long. Once the papers come off your child’s board, ask which ones do they still want to keep and then place them in the drawer or tub or cool container. They will still be there throughout the school year and if you run out of space, it is a signal to go through a release a layer. Now check out Step 3.

Step 3 – Schedule a day with your kids for paper play. It is time to do STACKS© (sort, toss, assign, contain, keep it up and simplify) on the paper. The key is to make this last step FUN. Put on music and have snacks. Then let your child take their tub of papers and dump it out on the table or floor and spread them all out. Enjoy the time as your child relives the school year. Honor this time with them by listening to the stories. Next, ask your kids to choose their FAVORITES – the TREASURES!! Then 3 hole punch them and put them in a big binder. Last, you can let them decorate the front, or pick a favorite and slide it in the front sleeve.

*** The best part is now placing the binders in your child’s room so they can relive those memories for years to come.

Have you tried this system? Please share your stories with me at info@clearsimple.com or www.facebook.com/clearsimple.com and I will give you a prize. I want you to get organized and have fun doing it – Marla Dee