The BEST Organizing Tip (With the Weirdest Name)
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We’re mid-way through the month, how are you doing with the decluttering and organizing challenge? I’m feeling great about how things are shaping up over here, the house is alternatively a mess as I take things apart and looking great as I put it back together, lather, rinse repeat for each room. We’re SO CLOSE to the finish line, and that’s when the frustration can set in. Because decorating and organizing is a blast and all, but I’m chomping at the bit to be creative again. Paint some walls. Rip down some blinds. Makeover some furniture. You know, the fun stuff!
Which brings me to my point. I’ve been reading Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy (fantastic book, a must-read if you’re looking to get more done in less time) and great advice started hitting me from page one. It applies to organizing, bear with me!
“Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction knowing that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.”
Wait, what? Frogs? Replace ‘frog’ with that one big important task that once finished will make you feel accomplished and have the greatest positive impact on your life. Such as, decluttering the garage so you can finally fit a car in there during the cold winter months. Ahhhh, now does it make sense?
“The first rule of frog eating is this: if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first.”
Darn frogs! If I had to choose between cleaning the dirty cluttered garage in the middle of winter (ugh) OR starting a new DIY project (yay!), I’ll go for DIYing every time. However, I can’t find any paint brushes because they’re buried in the garage. And I have to climb in my snow-covered car to get new ones and now I’ve just spent money on something I have but can’t find. Clearly, I need to eat that frog and clean the darn garage.
So glad my kids can park their {multiple} cars in here. Must be nice.
Check out my Benetton bag, circa 1986. It’s now VINTAGE, thank you very much. (oh god, I’m now considered vintage!)
So we did. We identified our three most challenging areas, and went for it.
First the basement (so cold), then guest room/ office (filled with papers), and closets (overflowing). One by one, we ate our biggest frogs. Our biggest tasks that we’d been procrastinating.
As I went, I piled the smaller frogs on this table so I didn’t get sidetracked. Not as ugly as the big ones, but close. They have a face only a mother could love, let’s say. And now I’m making my way through these frogs.
It’s so easy to start with the “fun” tasks, the easier ones. But nothing feels as satisfying as eating that ugly frog and moving on.
Cleaning my boots? UGLY FROG. But now I can wear them in public! Dirty one is on the left, clean one on the right. I did finish both but had to snap a boot selfie first. A bootsie?
Although I’ll admit I mayyyyy have done a little of this after my big frogs were done. Hey, one month without picking up a paintbrush was torture!
It was my reward for my progress so far. And now? Onto our playroom, bathrooms, and my overflowing recipe box.
If you happen to see me with a paintbrush, I’ve either eaten my organizing frogs or thrown them out the window. I’m hoping for the former.
PS- I am LOVING the ‘ugly frogs’ you’re sending me on Facebook, all the photos of areas you’ve organized! Keep it up, it’s so fun to do this together!
What’s your ugliest organizing or decluttering frog? What’s your plan to tackle it?
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