The 10 Minute Tidy. Shannon McGinnis

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      How is it Possible to Tidy in 10 Minutes?

      We live in a fast-paced society and everyone is busy. Stress and overwhelm can override our ability to be more organized. However, I believe that you can become more organized, less stressed and have more time to do the things you love, if you spend just 10 minutes each day, or even every other day, implementing these 108 tidying tips! Tidying saves time and money in the long run, and you will be amazed at how being more organized will transform your life.

      The 10-Minute Tidy is filled with clear-cut organizing tips that will help you to reinforce positive life habits in order to create greater ease, flow and fun in your life! The more open and spacious your home is, the more energy, love, money and happiness will flow to you and through you. By implementing these tidy tips, you will enjoy a renewed sense of beauty and appreciation in your home.

      You can quickly and easily tidy your home—just use a timer to keep your organizing projects manageable. Have The 10Minute Tidy become a nightly routine for every member of your family! Play 10 minutes of the same music, around the same time each night, while everyone picks up their bedrooms and the common areas throughout the house (Tip 42). This fun family habit is an opportunity to tidy your home at least once every day. Every working parent knows how great it feels to wake up to a clean kitchen so make a nightly habit of doing all of the dishes (Tip 24). Even if you live alone, or don’t have kids, implementing the tips in this book will help you be less stressed! When you have your most important items on your landing pad (Tip 2) everyday, you will know right where your keys are when leaving your home in a hurry. It’s also important to only keep the things you love or use and get rid of the rest (Tips 10 and 62). Life is easier when you know where things go! Remember to celebrate and appreciate your accomplishments each time you complete a tidy tip (Tip 108).

      Now it’s time for you to implement these organizing tips, just 10 minutes at a time. Ready? Set? Go!

      Getting Started

      “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do [it] is increased.” RALPH WALDO EMERSON

      You will learn how to be more organized by following the 108 tips in this book. By no means is it necessary to follow these 108 tips in any particular order. I recommend reading the Table of Contents or Index and selecting one tip or topic at a time. Start with what seems quick and easy to do and work up to the tips that feel more challenging to you.

      Organizing is a habit and a process; by repeatedly using the organizing tips in this book, you will train yourself to stay more organized, automatically. For example, if you are always losing your keys, you can develop the habit of putting them in the same place (on your landing pad, Tip 2) each time you come home. Getting into the habit of implementing the tidy tips will help you feel better and think more clearly as you progress through the book. I invite you to enjoy the positive shifts that occur for you along the way.

      One definition of clutter is: something that you haven’t made a decision about or haven’t taken action with. Clutter is the stuff set aside, piled on other things, or just randomly placed because you didn’t know what to do with it. Make decisions about the things in your home, be intentional about where you put each item, and you will quickly eliminate chaos and create order in each room of your home and in your own mind.

      Help children develop responsibility for keeping the entire house tidy by sharing with them the proper place to return objects; whether it’s the remote control, their school books or their toys. Being organized allows everyone to stay in a rhythm of positive routine and consistency. Studies have shown that children increase their capacity to learn when their environment is clean, well organized and uplifting.

       Reality TV shows like Neat, Mission: Organization, and Clean Sweep have introduced the concept of hiring a Professional Organizer to the general public. If you are feeling totally overwhelmed, know that there is help available to you and your family. As adults, we may be organizationally challenged; but by working with a Professional Organizer, you and your family will learn how to successfully implement organizing concepts. Organization provides a road map to help individuals and families cultivate project planning, time management, and other strategies to help everyone succeed at home, in school, in the workplace, and in life. Appendix C has information on how you can find a Professional Organizer near you or visit me online at www.10minutetidy.com.

      Once you start to get organized, it’s much easier to stay organized. Also realize that just as “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” you will not be able to clear years of clutter in a single day or even a month. Just begin with one tip right now. Simply open this book to any page to learn motivating, clutter-clearing solutions. The decision-making skills that you develop as a result of practicing these tips apply to every aspect of your life. Be consistent in developing your organizing habits and you will be amazed at how your home and your life will be transformed. Enjoy the process!

      Tip 1 Take 10 Minutes to Visualize Your Clear, Organized Spaces

      Yes, before you begin to do the physical organizing, it’s important to visualize the clean, clear organized spaces of your entire home. The phrase that comes to mind is: “If you can see it, you can achieve it.” So, before you begin your first 10Minute Tidy, sit comfortably in your favorite chair and settle your mind.

       Start by taking a deep breath and releasing all of the tension in your body. Take another deep breath and release all of the old stale air in your lungs. Take one more deep breath and settle your mind. In your mind’s eye, imagine the way your home will look when everything is put away and you are surrounded by clean, clear, organized spaces.

      What does each room look like? Imagine the clear horizontal surfaces of your kitchen, desk and floors. Feel the mood of each room as you are walking through. Smell the freshness of each space. Feel the joy in your body as you are able to glide easily and effortlessly throughout each room.

      You can have this! You deserve clean, clear, organized spaces throughout your home.

       Come back to your body in your chair knowing that in just 10 minutes a day, you can create this feeling of joy, peace and beauty. It can be easy; this book will provide you with simple steps to create the home you love to live in.

      Tip 2 Create a Landing Pad

      “It is a simple task to make things complex,

       But a complex task to make them simple”

       UNKNOWN

       A “landing pad” is a phrase my client Jeff introduced to me. A landing pad is the place where you can come into your home and drop your stuff. This is where you always keep your purse, fanny pack or wallet. Your cell phone plugs in, your keys hang up, and your pockets get emptied all while standing in the same place.

       Your landing pad is a very personalized space that you create and designate as your own. Each person in the household will have a different landing pad. Your landing pad may be in the kitchen if that is close to where you enter your home. Someone else’s might be in the office so that it’s away from the common areas of the home. Also, each child needs his or her own hook to hang up their backpacks and coats.

      Having a designated landing pad area is very important for creating new organizing habits. It is much easier to always put your keys on a hook if you can drop all the other things that are in your hands first. It’s also faster to get out the door when you always go to the same spot for all your important items: keys, purse, sunglasses, and whatever else you take with you regularly. Create your landing pad now.

      Tip 3 Clear Off Your Landing Pad

      Once you have created your landing pad, you also need to clear it off so that you only keep what you need there every day. The key feature of the landing pad is that it is an open space for you to put things down when you get home. Therefore,