the organizer comes clean: magazine amnesty

I love to read.

I read books, newspapers, magazines, the backs of cereal boxes. Sometimes my reading material gets out of control, though, and I have to let go of things without reading them.

I have a rule about newspaper, for example. Like it or not, if I haven’t read the previous day’s newspaper, it goes in the recycle bin when the new one comes in the house. I know that newspaper clutter is something I don’t want to live with, so I don’t let them accumulate.

Start with the clutter that annoys you most

Last night I culled 10 magazines from the towering pile on my nightstand. Although I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to read them, I was tired of seeing that stack every day. I know I’m not going to read all the back issues before new ones start flooding in, so it was time to let them go. I also know that I not a failure because I haven’t read those magazines. In fact, it was a bit of a relief to see the magazine mountain leveled.

The question most people ask about organizing is “Where do I start?”

You can start on the easiest project or the most difficult, but my favorite place to start is the one that’s annoying you the most.

Clearing the magazines was not a big project, but the impact was huge.

Is there a small project you can finish this week so you feel motivated about creating an organized and productive year?

Marcie Lovett, Organized by Marcie™
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