CLUTTERBUG
TIPS FOR BEES
Bees
are the master of good intentions, but there are only so many hours in a day
and only so much we can reasonably get done. There also comes a point when we
need to admit that even though something may be useful, it is taking away space
that could be used for more important items. Here are some tips just for Bees:
·
Make
a priority list for yourself and your home. Is having a clean kitchen a
priority over finishing your scrapbook? Then make time for what is a priority
to you and finish that task before you start a new one. Write yourself
a to-do list and number it from most important to least. Do the
MOST important ones first.
·
Peg
board organizers work amazingly well for you. I don’t have the wall space
for peg board organizers.
·
Clear
bins, baskets and jars should be your go-to organizing system. I’ll get
some asap.
·
Invest
in shelving. You are visual, so open shelving is a must for you. Book cases are
a Bee’s best friend. I ordered a set of paper storage shelves to help
sort the stack of mismatched paper that is currently making my life miserable.
I can’t get to the colors I want without digging through the stack and messing
it up. It should arrive tomorrow or Tuesday.
·
Learn
to let go. Bees tend to keep things “just in case” they may need it
someday. If you don’t love it and you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it.
I’m working on this.
·
Schedule,
schedule, schedule. Your time is precious to you so make the most of it. Create
daily and weekly chore lists, a daily schedule and make sure you have a monthly
calendar that you can reference easily. I’ve been using my calendar on my
phone and alarm on my watch to keep track of activities.
·
Use
project boxes. Have a box or basket with all the supplies you need for your
current project. When you are done for the day, put the items back into the box
until you can work on it again. This way your supplies are out of the way, but
you don’t need to take everything out again to work on your project next time. Ooh,
good idea!
Want
to learn how to combine your Bee style with other bug types in your home?
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up for the free Clutterbug™ mini course below now.
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Are you looking for more Bee inspiration?
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spaces for Bees.
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FREE ORGANIZING
PERSONALITY TEST
You enjoy reading:
1. Magazines or blogs with
lots of pictures.
X 2. Non Fiction Books.
X 3. Fiction Books.
4. Newspapers or how-to
books.
You find your biggest
clutter issue is:
1. I have “stuff”
everywhere.
X 2. Paper and important
items.
3. Inside closets,
cabinets and spare rooms.
X 4. I hold onto too many
things that may be useful in the future.
Your home usually looks:
1. A bit cluttered with
things I use and love on display.
X 2. Tidy with occasional
piles of papers or things I haven’t got to yet.
3 Very clean and tidy, but
behind closed doors, closets and drawers can be a mess.
X 4. A bit cluttered with
projects or items I am still using in some areas.
I find it hard to get rid
of:
1. Things I find beautiful
or love to look at.
2. Items that were
expensive or still in good condition.
X 3. Sentimental items.
X 4. Supplies, tools and
other items that are still useful.
Your home usually looks:
1. Filled with my favorite
things and items I use often.
2. Relatively tidy, but I
sometimes have piles that I need to deal with.
3. Clutter free for the
most part, but closets, drawers and hidden areas are a mess.
X 4. A bit cluttered with
everyday used items that I leave out.
When it comes to cleaning
my home, I generally:
X 1. Have to spend time
tidying my home before I can clean it.
2. Keep my home clean and
tidy.
3. Have a pretty clean
house and I enjoy tidying it.
4. Want to have a really
clean home, but piles sometimes get in the way.
Your ideal craft room
would have:
X 1. Bright and colorful
with all of my supplies displayed in pretty containers on shelving.
2. Everything organized
perfectly in separate containers inside cabinets.
3. Everything stored out
of sight except for a few pretty accessories.
4. All of my tools
organized perfectly and easy to grab and access on a peg board.
When it comes to your
home's appearance, you prefer:
1. Bright, fun and full of
visual abundance.
2. Minimal visual clutter
and very functional.
3. Pretty, inviting with
minimal visual clutter.
X 4. Visual, functional
and organized.
What Clutterbug Are
You?
Organizing systems that
work best for me are:
X 1. Visual systems that
are fast and easy to use, like hooks or open baskets on a shelf.
2. Detailed systems that
are hidden, such as file cabinets or subdivided compartments.
3. Hidden systems that are
easy to use, such as baskets in the closet or drawer dividers.
4. Visual systems that are
carefully organized, such as peg boards or clear drawers.
My biggest organizing
challenge is:
X 1. I don’t like to hide
things out of sight; I’m afraid I will forget about them.
2. I just haven’t
scheduled time to organize some areas efficiently.
3. I tend to neglect
hidden areas in my home like storage rooms.
X 4. I hate putting things
away that I am just going to take out again later.
If a friend called and
said they would be coming over in 10 minutes you would:
1. Make a mad dash
grabbing as much clutter as you can.
2. Straighten slightly.
X 3. Wipe counters, hide
any mess and scrub the bathrooms in a hurry.
4. Finish up whatever it
was you were working on.
I prefer my everyday used
items:
1. Out where I can easily
use them and not misplace them.
2. Organized properly and
put away.
3. Out of sight, but still
fast and easy to find.
X 4. Visible and organized
properly for quick access.
I remember things best
from:
1. Visual pictures and instructions.
2. Reading and researching
about it.
3. Someone showing me how
to do it.
X 4. Figuring it out on my
own.
Pick the sentence that
best describes you:
X 1. I struggle to put
things away when I am done using them.
2. I am a bit of a
perfectionist and I prefer minimal clutter.
3. I like my home to
appear spotless, but I shove things where no one can see.
4. I like functional
spaces that make doing hobbies and working easier.
I like my favourite things
to be:
1. Out where I can always
see them so they don’t get misplaced.
2. Stored or displayed
properly so that they will last.
X 3. Neat and tidy and
displayed in an eye pleasing way.
4. Organized in a visual
and functional way.
I like to decorate my
home:
1. With bold colours and
artwork.
2. With minimal, neutral
colours.
3. With current design
trends.
X 4. With useful,
functional pieces.
I would like my home to
be:
X 1. Fun, bright and cozy.
2. Functional and minimal.
3. Beautiful and minimal.
4. Practical and
efficient.
Add up your answers. Are
you mostly a 1, 2, 3 or 4? You may also be a combination of
all of these organizing
styles!
1 – 6
2 – 3
3 – 4
4 – 9
You may find that, though
you are a combination of all the four styles, one stands out to
you in particular. You may
also find that you tend to fall into a different category based on
different rooms in your
home or in your workplace. This is typical, but I can assure you
that there will be a clear
frontrunner for your organizing style as you learn more about
each of these different
Clutterbugs.
What's
Your Organizing Style?
WHAT
CLUTTERBUG ARE YOU?
If
you answered mostly 1, you are a BUTTERFLY!
If
you answered mostly 2, you are a CRICKET!
If
you answered mostly 3, you are a LADYBUG!
If you answered mostly 4, you are a BEE!
A Butterfly is a
macro-organizer, which means they are time oriented and
like to focus on the big
picture, rather than the small details. Butterflies
prefer an open organizing
system (no lids) with broad categories that are
clearly visual. Clear bins
and baskets, without lids, on open shelving are
their go-to organizing
solution.
A Bee is
micro-organizer, which means they are task and detailed oriented.
Bee’s prefer a detailed
organizing system with lots of categories, but they
need these systems visual.
Clear, sub-divided containers on open shelving,
peg boards and hooks
are their go-to organizing solution.
A Cricket is
micro-organizer, which means they are task and detailed
oriented. Crickets prefer
a detailed organizing system with lots of
categories. Sub-divided,
stacked bins inside closed cabinets or closets are
their go-to organizing
solution. While a Cricket craves visual simplicity, that
desire is sometimes
overshadowed by their need for perfection. Because of
this, they often pile
papers or have current projects and to-do lists visual.
A Ladybug is a
macro-organizer, which means they are time oriented and
like to focus on the big
picture, rather than the small details. Ladybugs
prefer open (no lids) and
fast organizing solutions that are out of sight. Bins
and baskets, without lids,
inside closed cabinets or closets are their go-to
organizing solution.
Learn more about the
different organizing styles at www.clutterbug.com
The above
mini course led me to another organizer and her husband who had a “1-hour
course that would change your life.” It only confused me, and it lasted 35
minutes with 25 minutes of sales for their other courses. Very disappointing.
As I was
finishing the videos in the mini course, I was concentrating on the Bee’s style
of organizing and several ideas popped into my head! I’m so excited about it.
I’ve been
stacking my bins with nails on the table to my right at my Color Street desk.
When I need to add or remove something from the bins, it’s a game of shuffle
bin, which has not been ideal, but it seemed the only solution. I now have
pretty photo boxes (similar to shoe boxes) for the sets, and the lids are
removable, so I can put them under the boxes and have the bins open to grab or
add. THEN, if I put them on the shelf behind me, I can just turn around and
grab them. What a genius idea! I’m so excited. I have to reorganize that whole
space. I’m so excited!!!
My day was
pretty busy yesterday. Very productive! I feel good about how things are
progressing.
I found out the
changes I wanted to make in my house would cost $150K! Time to find someone
else, don't you think? I replied that it was too rich for my blood. So,
instead, I'll tackle projects one at a time starting with the most important,
working toward "just right." We (David and I) managed to discuss
finishing the deck and adding party lights, taking my bed (my great
grandmother's) apart so the rails could be shortened. Then we'll rearrange the
bedroom when the rails are back. He fixed my kitchen faucet, which started
turning itself off almost a year ago.
I also started
reading a fascinating book, Twelve Ordinary Men, which is about the Apostles
and how Jesus picked them. I'm really enjoying this one. I know -- I have about
8 books started. My goal is to finish all 8 before I start another one.
