From the monthly archives:

September 2009

Clear Your Clutter and Free Your Life

by Carolyn Chadwick on September 24, 2009

cleared house

a fresh look is created by using the natural light from outside and pale colour on the walls…. and minimum use of furniture.

 

a more cluttered look

I am drawn to two different design looks: the cluttered look and the uncluttered look. I love the cluttered English Country Home look where slipcovers are the norm and seagrass was first used. Even if it looks more cluttered it is still very ‘ZENNED’

Whatever your clutter problem the answer is the same: make a decision to clear your clutter and then take action to clear your clutter.

Without action, the decision is meaningless. Without the right decision any action is undirected.

Physical clutter is the debris that is strewn around your home and work environment: papers and files in piles on the desk and floor, dirty clothes, washing up, unopened mail, half finished projects… the list is endless.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, break it down. Decide to deal with one room at a time or with one type of clutter at a time. Set aside some time to start, just half an hour initially will get you moving without seeming overwhelming. Set a timer and work at clearing the clutter until the timer goes off. Then you can give yourself a small reward like a cup of tea before tackling another 30 minutes worth of clearing up. Or leave it for today and do another 30 minutes tomorrow. Remember you are in charge here, not the clutter.

And then there is mental clutter: trying to remember everything – appointments, making phone calls, picking up the dry cleaning, and so on. Here the answer is even more simple – write it down! Not on scraps of paper to add to the physical clutter but in a diary or planner. Get your life organised and develop a habit of always noting everything down in your diary or planner as it arrives in your life.

Then develop a habit of checking the week ahead every morning. Keep your mind free for useful creative thought that moves you forward with your life and your projects.

Most importantly, remember to reward yourself for taking action on the clutter in your life. Knowing there is a reward at the end makes the clearing up much less irksome. And cultivate a tidiness habit – get into the habit of putting things away after you’ve used them rather than leaving them around to mount up and you’ll never need to do a major clear up again.

Emotional clutter is when you spend your life wondering ‘what if’. What if we hadn’t split up? What if I’d married someone else? What if I hadn’t been sacked? The What Ifs keep you anchored in the past. They get in the way of moving forward with your life today, and they sap your energy and enthusiasm for today.

One way to cope with emotional clutter is to meditate. Relax, be still, and focus on some one thing in the present – you can use a candle, or focus on your breathing or repeat a single sound. Don’t be concerned at the thoughts that will crowd in but gently put your focus back on that one thing in the present.

Just 10 minutes a day of this type of relaxed meditation will help clear the emotional clutter from your mind.

As you clear all of this clutter from your life you will find you have more energy, more time and more space to enjoy today and prepare for a real fun tomorrow. And you will find you are able to move forward with any stuck projects or new challenges.

So, get more out of your life by clearing your clutter now.

Don’t hesitate to contact me to help you get started….

You house is designed to give you joy and beauty… it’s designed2b beautiful for you!

Yours, Carolyn

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Lovely lazy sunday morning in bed

by Carolyn Chadwick on September 20, 2009

Lovely lazy sunday morning

I love sunday mornings… waking up mostly in your own time…. if kids do not have a sporting activity… and getting a hot cup of coffee served by them in bed!!!! I love it…

Then whilst sipping my coffee I turn pages of interior & lifestyle magazines…dreaming and drifting away!

How do you spend your sunday mornings?

You are Designed2b spending some sunday mornings in bed reading and drinking coffee!

Enjoy,

Love Carolyn

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You have to take risks…. dairy, deary, daily!

September 18, 2009

Sometimes certain things happen to you in life for a reason… after I had published my last blog post on making choices about  a diary…. rakku1 from twitter had noticed my confused spelling of the word… I had to laugh out loud at re-reading my post…. it was really funny that I had completely muddled [...]

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The complications of choosing a new diary for 2010!

September 18, 2009

This month I decided to really get myself very well organized in advance for the new upcoming year 2010… it sounds so cool and exciting! and treated myself to a nice diary from Oilily (a popular Dutch fashion brand) … then a couple of days later I entered into this gorgeous bookshop in a [...]

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Beautiful new accessoires in the shop

September 12, 2009

Autumn is slowly peaking it’s head round the corner of end of sumer…. today is yet another beautiful day, but the leaves are beginning to show signs of yellow….
Time to snug down in the evenings on the couch with a warm throw and candles all over the house… Lit as soon as the [...]

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