Friday, September 4, 2020

Organize For You

     This week I have been organizing my kitchen and as I did I realized a few things. In any space that you declutter and organize there are a few steps you should always follow. Also, decluttering and organizing are very personal things. You need to forget about what it would look like on Instagram. You don’t need to worry about how other people would set up the space. You are the one who is going to live in the space. You are the one who is going to use the space. So purge things you won’t use and that don’t serve you. Organize the space so it functions for you!

The first step you should do when decluttering any space is to PURGE! Seriously, I know I am not the only one out there with too much stuff! Purging can be hard. We can get overwhelmed. So I usually pick a part of the larger space and just do that one part. For example, if I am doing a whole kitchen I might start with spices or a drawer. When I first started decluttering I had a hard time throwing out things that weren’t broke but I NEVER used. I felt like I was throwing away money. But what is the point in taking up space if it isn’t used. I can’t get a refund at this point. Once I realized this it was much easier to let go of stuff. Check out my post on Completing the Cycle and you will see why having less, really is more. Also when you go to purge understand that all the stuff out on counters or on your desk or laying on your floor is probably stuff you use all the time. It is out because there is no place to put it or the place to put  it isn’t where it should be located. It is the stuff in cabinets, drawers, totes, closets, storage autumns, and basements that you are using. Those are the places you need to purge! For example, If your clothes are all over the floor and dresser but not in the dresser or closet, your dresser and closet may need to be purged. The other option is that your current dresser and closet don’t work as homes for your clothes. Just cause you grew up with everyone using a dresser don’t make it the right storage solution for you! Maybe you need drawers that are see through or labeled well to organize and put away your socks..Or maybe it is both that you need to purge and that you need a different system. These are things only you can decide. But, I can and will help guide you to discovering how to organize for you in upcoming posts!

The second step you should do when organizing and decluttering a space is to find the valuable real estate! This is the space that is going to be the most accessed. In a closet it may be the front of the hung clothes. In a linen closet it may be the eye level shelves. In the kitchen it might be a cabinet right by the stove.It depends on the space how you intend to use it. But you need to identify it and make sure you use it to its full potential. For example, If it is the cabinet by the stove, make sure you put pots and pans there. Put utensils for cooking in a drawer near the stove or hanging on hooks beside it. You don’t want to have to go to the other side of the room to get a spatula.

The third step you should always do when organizing can make all the difference. It is the main point to this post! Organize for your style! Next week I will be doing a whole post on Clutterbug’s way or determining your organizational style. But the big things to think about are: 1. Do I like my things out so I can see them or do I like everything tucked away to give a clean look? 2. Do I like my things to be sorted into big macro categories or do I like things in detailed categories? For example, everyone has to store some papers. Do you just throw all your bills in one pile? Or would you prefer to sort to be paid from paid ones you need to shred. Or maybe you have a tool area in the garage and you always wanted a peg board for them but instead they are in a tool box you have to dig through to use them. Maybe that is why you never work on projects anymore. Maybe your heart’s desire would be to have a clear kitchen counter. When friends come over, do you throw everything out of sight in a closet? Are you stressed out when you have lots of individual items visible? These are questions you have to learn to ask yourself so you can figure out your style! 

The fourth step is to measure your space and to decide if furniture is in the optimal place for it to function.Think about the room and decide what would be the ideal furniture arrangement. If you would prefer having a closet organizer for socks and underwear versus a dresser, get one. Toss the old dresser. Donate it if it is still useful or haul it off. Get rid of any furniture that doesn’t serve you and suit your needs. Order anything you do  need! I know that it hurts to spend money but it is worth it for the peace of mind. 

The fifth step is to fill the space again with your items. As you do this you can see if you have purged enough. Perhaps you need some tools for organizing. For example, a holder under the sink, on the door, for tin foil and other wraps. These types of items help you maximize space and utilize the valuable real estate in a space! Again you may have to spend money but there are lots of cheaper options and hacks online.

The sixth step is to live with the organization system for a while. You need to see if you can maintain it. If you can’t or don’t, then there could be a few issues to consider. One, maybe you need to purge more stuff to make it a manageable amount. Two, maybe the home needs to be moved to a different location that is more convenient. Don’t put the home where you think it should go because it seems like it should go there. Instead think about where you naturally tend to put the items. Wherever that is, no matter how odd, is where the home should be to keep you using the system! A third issue could be that while the home is in a good location, the organizing system may not be your style. Remember, if multiple people are using the space you have to find a system that is a compromise. Otherwise the other person will not keep the space organized. If there is someone in your house that needs things to be visual and macro organized, you have to make sure they can see things, even if it is just a label with a picture. Or they will never put it away! You will have to macro organize because they will never put things back in the little spots you set up. If you try to force them you will just be endlessly mad...At least if it is in a bin with a nice label, it looks organized and isn’t spilling out all over the space. Plus, you can still find the items you need. Don’t be afraid to redo a space until you find what works! Once you do you will never have to clean up that mess again! 

I hope these steps help you and you are inspired to declutter and organize a space in your home today! Come back next week to learn more about your clutterbug and organization style!


Friday, August 21, 2020

Complete the Cycle

        Sometimes something makes sense in our heads and we think we know it but we really don't get it at all! Like this, "Complete the cycle" concept. I first heard it explained to me in a YouTube video by Clutterbug. She said she read it in a Peter Walsh book about cleaning and organizing. It makes sense logically. I mean why would you do a task 90% and then decide not to finish it?

I'm not talking about procrastination in the sense that you just put doing something off altogether. But in a sense, doing something 90% feels like procrastination. Let me explain. If I have a To Do list for that day that says:

1. Wash the dishes

2. Do a load of laundry

3. Clean off Office Desk

I want to feel like at the end of the day I can mark these off that list. I want to see a empty sink and clear counter in the kitchen. I want a clutter free, organized, and functional desk. So let's look at each of these examples and talk about completing the cycle. 


When I wash the dishes I always have a ton, even if I was them every day. I wash them and I rinse them and I put them out on a towel to dry. Now some items have tiny places I can't get to and HAVE to air dry. However, most can be towel dried. I just don't unless I have another sink load to wash. I procrastinate putting up the dishes! Why!? I mean I already did 90% of the task. Then at the end of the night, I am all like, "Uh, there are dishes everywhere." Then my husband lays dirty dishes on the towel with clean ones and I get mad. Why don't I just dry and put away the dishes? 


When I do laundry I will wash clothes and the dyer isn't done. So I leave them in the washer and they start to smell. Then my husband gets mad. Plus, I have to rewash them a few times to get the smell out. Or I dry clothes a thousand times because I didn't get them out right after and they are wrinkled. Or I dry them but I am busy. So I throw them on top of the dresser. Then we have to dig to find clothes and they are wrinkled. Why don't I do one load of laundry at a time all the way to put up? Well one reason is because I did the cycle without having time to deal with it, like at night before bed. Another reason is because I feel so behind that I think I have to do it this way.  I also don't put clothes away partly out of laziness and procrastination. Sometimes I don't finish the laundry because I think it is a big job. I feel like it will take FOREVER!


When I go to clean off my desk I leave tons of stuff because it has no home. I leave it for later because I need to do something relating to it. I leave stuff because I am working on a project. I leave stuff because I have no way to organize it. I also have so many devices that I don't have a functional space to write. So even when I get rid of the trash and shred things, it still is a cluttered mess.


So at the end of the day I look at my To Do list and I don't really feel like I got any of it done. My house feels cluttered. I am depressed and overwhelmed. So now I have made a commitment to actually COMPLETE THE CYCLE. For the last few weeks I have been washing all the dishes all the way to putting them up. If I HAVE to let things air dry I got back to see that they are and put them away before bed. I found that it doesn't take as long to do this as I had convinced myself it would require. I feel SOOO much better have the counter and sink empty. Sometimes I wash the dishes twice a day to keep up with them. It's manageable though because the loads are small. It's worth it to feel this good about me and my space. I was worried about not getting as much laundry done because I can't do both at the same time due to our bad water pressure. But I haven't had that issue. Plus, I have been completing the cycle with laundry as well.

When I started forcing myself to do this, I thought that I wouldn't get enough laundry done to keep us dressed. But with no more digging out wrinkled clothes and stinky clothes everyone is much happier. We have enough clothes to dress. We also don't have piles on the dresser that fall into the floor. I don't go to bed in a messy room. I do a whole cycle. That means that I was them, dry them, hang or fold them, iron them if needed, and put then away. I never have a load in the washing machine and in the dryer at the same time. I only wash things together if they can be dried together. If something is a super small load, like my microfiber towels, that I could wash with other stuff but have to dry alone, I wash them in the tub or sink. Then I dry them in the dryer.


When I put something on my To Do list like, clean off my desk, I always ask myself what all has to be done and break it up into smaller tasks. One day I may get all the trash and another I might set up a file above the desk on the wall. This way i know that I can complete the cycle or do the whole task. All the small tasks lead up to the big one of a clean and functional desk. 


If you've read all this, you are probably thinking, "That makes sense." Or maybe you are thinking, "That is so simple and logical." Or, "I know that, I do that." But do you know it? Are you really doing it? I thought I knew it too until I decided to find a way to save time in my day. Another way I have heard people say this is that if you do it right the first time, you don't have to keep doing it over and over. I guess that is sort of what I was doing with my laundry. So save yourself the headache and do it right the first time. Finish or complete the cycle.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Starting A New Purge

  

    A few years ago I decided to do a big purge at the house. I tried to get organized. I wanted to keep a regular cleaning schedule. But then my son was born. He is three now and that makes it easier to take care of him and the house. So now I am once again undertaking the task of purging, organizing, and cleaning our home.

    Before I jump into this new task, I think we should talk about what I did in the last attempt. There were things I did well and things that didn’t go as well...Last time I started with the add on porch. It was so full of stuff that there was barely a winding path between my front door and the door into the main house. My husband would let no one visit our home. We were ashamed and tired. Seeing all the clutter made us tired. The idea of starting was overwhelming. Where should I start? I knew my husband had an even harder time than me letting go of things. If I accidentally got rid of something would he kill me and make me stop? What was I going to do about all the projects and half done crafts I had piled in there? So I started watching cleaning and organizing channels on YouTube. I started reading books on it. Eventually, I wrapped my brain around two ideas. One was that all that stuff may seem useful but if it is buried then I can’t use it. Second was that everything I own is more to take care of in some way. Things on shelves have to be dusted. Projects put more on my To Do list. The more clothes I keep the more I have to store in the off season or wash in season. Then I started explaining the things I was learning to my husband. It took awhile. At first I was only purging my things. But I would tell him about it and how good I felt. He would see the space I was making and he liked it.Slowly he got on board and purged some stuff. He didn’t like me making all the trips to donate things. He really hated going to the dump with a few things. But slowly we purged the whole house. Then I spent a while arranging rooms. My husband hates when I decide to move furniture or change where stuff goes in a room. His personality wants to be in charge of those decisions. Plus if something is out of sight it is out of mind for him. I thought he was just being a butt about not wanting me to organize stuff. A few arguments and YouTube videos later I realized he needs to see things to remember to use them.

    One of the YouTube channels that helped me understand how to organize the house was Clutterbug. I will be writing a separate blog about her way of explaining organizing styles to me. But here are some key things I learned about me and my husband. I like things slightly visual and pretty. He likes things VERY visual. I can handle containers with lids and he will not use a lid on anything.I like things perfectly organized into specific little ways. He likes things organized but needs them in big macro type systems where he can chuck things into bins. Once I understood this I just thought about what I was organizing. If it was an area we both used often, I organized it VERY visual with baskets he could see the contents of and where he could easily put things back. Things that could be seen because they are private like underwear I labeled with my Dymo labeler. But I found that his eyes glassed over it. This year I am going to try bigger labels with a stock photo of boxers. If it was a space only I used I would do more detailed systems. Since only I cook I put pot and things where and how I wanted. But I put silverware low and visual. I wish my cabinet with plates and cups was lower and had a glass door. But they are all really high or really low. I put all my projects into cube organizing with big labels so I can see what I have to do and get it to work on easily. Plus cube organizing uses vertical space and gives me more floor space.. I turned the porch into another gaming space, a YouTube studio, and an Etsy shop.

    So why am I back to a hoarder mess 3 years later? Simple. Kids have lots of stuff. My husband got into guns. I bought lots of stuff for my Etsy and YouTube. I never cleaned or purged in those 3 years. Since my son has been born I haven’t been cleaning or organizing anything. Laundry and dishes have been out of control. So now it is time to purge and get back in control of my home and my time. I will be taking you guys along on this journey. So buckle up.We got a long and truthfully probably hard ride ahead.But the end result will be SO worth it!

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Life Lessons from Music

          I grew up listening to a mix of rock and country music. I didn’t realize at the time, but those songs taught me about love and life. They taught me what to cherish and how to live.
          For example, old rock is really good at teaching you how to love. Loverboy's This Could Be the Night taught me that sex was not just about sex but about "making love." 38 Special's Caught Up In You taught me to fight for love when it is true love! Their song Back to Paradise taught me that it is up to me to "make it real." Hold On Loosely taught me that no one, no matter how loved, wants to be smothered. Both people have to have their own lives and identities.  But Starship's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now taught me that if you are with the one you love, the world, life's circumstances,  doesn't hold a lot of power over you. You can overcome them together. Huey Lewis' Power of Love taught me that love can hurt and it can heal. It can make you laugh and it can make you cry. It's the most powerful force on earth! When love made me cry I would always listen to The Dance by Garth Brooks. "Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain. But I'd have to miss the dance." Tom Petty's The Waiting and Diana Ross' You Can't Hurry Love reminded me that you can't force love. You have to wait till "fate leads you somewhere to the one that has your soul." just like it says in Deana Carter's That's How You Know It's Love.
           Music taught me self confidence. When I felt weak or inferior I could listen to it and raise my self confidence. For example, Martina McBride's Happy Girl taught me that "the world won't change just cause I complain." and that I had to CHOSE to be happy! Whenever I was afraid to try something new I would listen to Standing Outside the Fire by Garth Brooks. "Life is not tried it is merely survived, if you're standing outside the fire!" 
            When I thought I couldn't do something, I failed at something, or I struggled to do something, I knew exactly what song would motivate me again! Tom Petty's Won't Back Down would immediately run through my mind! "I got just one life in a world that keeps on pushing me around, but I'll stand my ground." When I was training for my 5K I always played Paul Stanley's Live To Win while I ran. When the big day came and I was a quarter of a mile from the end of the race, I wanted to quit. But then I heard, "step by step and day by day till there's one last breath to go.."
           Sometimes I wonder if my life is really making a difference. I need a little inspiration to keep writing. I need help remembering why I write. Then I remember that I should to quote a friend, "Be a light everywhere I go." I remember what I learned from Randy Travis' Point of Light. "There is a darkness that everyone must face. It wants to take what's good and fair and lay it all to waste. And that darkness covers everything in sight until it meets a single point of light. All it takes is a point of light, a ray of hope in the darkest night. If you see what's wrong and you try to make it right, you will be a point of light."
         Sometimes I get overwhelmed. I feel like there is too much on my To Do list. I can't decide how to prioritize my time. When that happens I listen to Toby Keith's My List or Boston's Peace of Mind. It reminds me that spending time with God and my family should always come first. It reminds me to live and not just tick off tasks. After all like Billy Dean says, "We're only here for a little while." While we are on the subject, I Hope You Dance and I hope you Live Like You Were Dying. Tim and Lee Ann knew that you had to make the most of each moment because life is short and precious! Like Bon Jovi says, "It's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever."
           I grew up poor. Sometimes I think that I could have become very materialistic. But I never did. Maybe it was cause I listened to songs like Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and Silver and Gold. They taught me that "Silver and gold might buy you a home, but things of this world, they won't last you long. And time has a way of turning us old. And time can't be bought back with silver and gold."
          Tom Petty's Free Fallin' is a great song to blast when you are free of something or after a break up. The guy shouldn't feel bad because he "broke her heart." But there is also nothing wrong with being the "good girl, loves her mama. Loves Jesus and America too." Every year, every September, I play Alan Jackson's Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning. It is the perfect song to lead me into the holidays. You see the holidays are about being with family and being thankful for life. Alan Jackson's song reminds me of what I am thankful for in my life. It reminds me not to take it for granted!
           I am a country girl. I was raised in the country. All the men in my family played an instrument, a stringed instrument, they "picked." I remember pow-pow playing his banjo. I remember dad playing his guitar. Even my uncle Tim playing the mandolin. All those values they raised me with are sorta wrapped up in that music. It makes me think of Alabama's Mountain Music. I remember watching the sunset from our porch all the time and the talks I had in my head and with God during them. Is it any wonder that I wanted my future to be like Tim McGraw's Where The Green Grass Grows.
          I have mentioned God and Jesus enough that you have probably figured out that I am a Christian. Sometimes I am facing a problem so overwhelming to me that I can't see how to fix it. More than once I have done stupid things I wished I could take back. My Nanny once told me with things like that you gotta "put it in the Lord's hands." If you don't know what that means just listen to Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take The Wheel.
          All this music touched my life, shaped me into who I am. It gave me strength and wisdom. Words I could call on in a time of need. Music I could express my emotion through. If my life was a movie. It would have one killer soundtrack!







Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Changing My YouTube

           If you weren't aware,  I also have a YouTube channel called Planet ShanChan. On that channel I would post videos about anything in my world. Apparently, that mostly was Happy Planner and Minecraft videos.
          Recently I decided the best thing to do was to split the videos into two channels. They will both be Planet ShanChan, but different topics. The original channel will be planner related videos. The new channel will be Minecraft videos. I am even going to take my old YouTube channel about Japan and add it to Planet ShanChan.
          So this is a huge process! I am actually using Procreate on my Ipad and drawing a logo and all new cover art. I have to transfer all the gaming videos to the new channel. I have to make videos explaining the changes.
           I also want every video on all the channels to have endcards. I have to changes all the links listed on Social Media. Plus, I want all future videos to have a video introduction. I am going to rethink my posting schedule AGAIN.
          I am trying to add some quality and a professional look to videos. I have bought a small green screen. In two days I am ordering some lights. Vlog style and teaching videos will be awesome now!
          I have a lot to do. This will be a work in progress. But I will communicate as much as possible with everyone!

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Copyrighting My Stuff!

          When I was in high school I submitted some of my poems to a contest and got them published. Over the last few years I have been adding all my poems to a site called Booksie.com . I had been adding them there because doing so sort copyrights them. Which basically means that because they are up with my name and date they are legally visible as mine. Plus this website, unlike some, allows you to retain ownership of things you post. 
           But I wanted them to be officially copyrighted with the US government. So I found a website called copyrighted.com which helps you get your stuff copyrighted. You can also pay monthly or yearly to copyright things like this blog or your website.
           Now I'm also looking into tradmarking the name Planet ShanChan.  Then I can make products for the site with a logo on them. Plus that would be the name of my Etsy shop. So I would like to own the name and make it a brand.
          But figuring out how to do all this and reading about it makes my brain hurt! That is why I decided to use the copyrighted website. Right now I am reading about how to self publish a book. It is all so overwhelming! I think it is going to be a long process but I am super excited go through the process! 

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Why I'm Always Creating Something..

           I made a decision awhile back to be a major online presence. I would have a Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, a blog, a podcast, and an Instagram. You name any social media and I would be there. I wanted to be known, to make a mark on the world! I would write poems and short stories to start. Then fantasy novels. People knew the names J.R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien. (Humm, maybe I need to start doing my name like S.L. McCaskill!) People would know my name. People would escape the cruelty of their daily lives and find hope and wonder inside the world I would create in their minds. That was, is, has always been, and will always be my dream!
            So I am always writing, filming, singing, and creating! Stories burst out of me and I rush to get them wrote down before they fade.  But for years now one story has been growing inside me. I think of it whenever I can daydream, as I drift to sleep, and whenever I am inspired by something. It was a way to comfort myself and escape the stress of life. But I recently decided that I had to get it out of my head and share it. That it was there because I was meant to share it.
          I use a Happy Planner to plan my life and track my son's development! It is beautiful! I love the act of planning in something pretty! It restores my soul and gives me peace! Of course, it also inspired em to start making my own customized and designed stickers!
          In high school I learned how to sew and quilt. I made a quilted baby blanket that I was SO proud of for my cousin! That sparked my interested and all I wanted to do was create quilts!
          In high school I took art and fell in love! I am always doodling and drawing and even painting or using pastels! It is amazing to watch my vision come to life!
          So why am I always creating something? Why did I want so badly to be known? Simple, while there is some pride in creating, the real reason is giving. I love to give people gifts. Especially ones I know they will love! Even more sop if they are BIG! Drawings, stickers, quilts, and stories are all me trying to give something of lasting value to the world! Something that they will treasure! That is why I am always creating!