Can You Be Organized at Christmas?

I love organization. I hate clutter.

My mom jokingly says at get togethers that you cannot leave anything sitting around, otherwise I trash it or put it away. I just can't stand stuff lying around for no reason at all. I am not always the most organized person, but I strive to be.

At the beginning of the year I read Kathi Lipp's book, Clutter Free. Clutter Free is an incredible book with practical, easy to understand and follow advice on freeing yourself of clutter and getting organized. Now, Kathi has an amazing follow up with her book Get Yourself Organized for Christmas.

If you've lost your Christmas joy because of the hustle and bustle or you just want to learn to organize your holiday season better, this book is for you. With 21 projects, Kathi teaches you how to put together a holiday binder that you'll use year after year, determine a budget that won't break the bank, gather your elf supplies, get your gift list together, collect recipes and prep your kitchen. Everything you need for Christmas. She also includes an easy guide to cleaning up after Christmas. But most important, Kathi reminds us that:

When we're in charge of making Christmas miracles, we are so busy creating the Christmas that everyone else wants, we forget to step back and look at what's important and meaningful to us.

Don't be so busy or disorganized this Christmas that you fail to enjoy the true meaning; the birth of our Savior. Don't be so frazzled that you fail to pause and take time out for your loved ones. Step back, take a breath, and get Kathi's book to help you organize your holiday.

Clutter Free in '15

I love organization.

I love simplicity.

I hate clutter.

When I saw Kathi Lipp's new book, Clutter Free, I could not wait to read it! I always love getting new tips and ideas for organizing and getting rid of clutter. While I *try* to remain clutter free and organized all the time, I am not perfect and there is always room for improvement. And through Kathi's book, I did find my area that needs major attention: books! But we will talk about my book issue later on.

Kathi says:

When my house is so messy and cluttered that I don't want to do the things I believe God has called me to (loving my family, working, preparing meals, spending time with Him), then there's a problem. On the other hand, when I'm spending so much of my time making sure my home is perfect that I don't have time for those things God has called me to, there's a problem as well.

There are two sides to clutter, hoarding and disorganization/organization. The first side is having clutter and not wanting to or knowing how to deal with it. Whether we realize it or not, clutter effects how we live. When your kitchen is cluttered, it makes it hard to want to cook dinner for your family. When the living room is cluttered, it makes it difficult to relax and laugh together. When the house is such a mess, it is uncomfortable to have guests over. Kathi points out in her book that when we have clutter, we often spend more money than we need to because we don't always know what we have already. There are so many negatives to having clutter.

The other side, the side I struggled with for a long time, is dealing with the house so much that you are not doing what God has called you to. For years I cleaned from sun up to sun down. When I was home, I was cleaning. I realized that I was missing out on so much and never able to relax because I was always worried about the house. My husband and I finally put a rule into place. After dinner, everyone helps with dinner clean up, then everyone relaxes. No work. If there is laundry to be done, it will have to wait until tomorrow. If the carpet needs vacuumed, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Evenings are for family in our home, not cleaning.

Right now, where I struggle is books. I love to read and I read every single day. While I love devotionals and inspirational books, I also really love Christian fiction. I much, much prefer a real book in my hands than an eReader. And while I love the library, the books I read take many months to come in at our local library. So, I buy books. Because I buy my books, I have way too many of them. My husband jokingly tells me that if we ever needed fire kindling, he is going for my books. He also tells me to read slower to make it worth it to spend the money. I have book shelves and cabinets in our family room that are full. I've passed a few on to friends and I've tried selling a few at garage sales. But it is really hard to part with a good book!

This year I want to be intentional about dealing with this. This means I have to either a) wait for the book at the library instead of buying it, b) buy the eReader version instead of paperback or c) give books away. All of those are hard for me, but all are better options than having hundreds of books I will likely never read again cluttering my home.

Is clutter effecting you? If you have it, it is. If you are on the other extreme end of cleaning all of the time, it is still effecting you. Kathi also tells us:

I want you to sit down and read your Bible to get spiritually fed  without  being  distracted by all the piles screaming at you for attention the entire time. 

I want you to play games with your kids without first having to tell them, "We'll do it after I clean the house.

I want you to be able to focus on what really matters instead of focusing on, well, what doesn't.

Whichever side you fall on, Clutter Free is a must read. Kathi will inspire you, encourage you, and tell you like it is! Check out Clutter Free and remember that enough is a beautiful thing!

Join Kathi on her Clutter Free Facebook page for lots of great stuff!





Linking with:
Woman to Woman's Word Filled Wednesday