Planning Inspiration (Week #2 Challenge)

 I love quotations. I have always loved quotations - the ones that everyone has heard a million and a half times and the obscure ones that are found at just the right moment. I used to write them in notebooks and read them when I was feeling low or victorious or just needed to hear something inspirational. Now I am going to post them here. I hope they bring you inspiration as well in your clutter-free journey.

#1

"To be prepared is half the victory."

Miguel de Cervantes 
Woohoo! That means this week I will be half way there already! Take that clutter!

#2

"One step at a time is good walking."

Chinese proverb

I often try to get to far ahead of myself and then life gets frustrating. I'm working on it!

#3

"A good system shortens the road to the goal."

Orison Swett Marden
I sure hope that the road to a clutter-free classroom is shorter than I think. If it seems too long, I will refer to quote #2 again!


Now that I'm inspired, on to the clutter plan!

(When I started writing out this plan I was immediately reminded of a book I read a couple years ago that I adored. The book is "It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh. I am taking a lot of my ideas from the book and also Jodi's questions from Clutter-Free Classroom. I would highly recommend checking out both!)

Here are Peter Walsh's ground rules:
1. Everything you own should have value, either because it's functional or beautiful or you just love it.
2. Every item needs a place where it "lives."

3. Focus on one thing at a time.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/home/12-Ways-to-Unclutter-Your-Life#ixzz1jqkJyr5d

These are Jodi's guidelines from Clutter-Free Classroom.

So basically I am basing all my clutter decisions on these guidelines. I will be breaking down each area of my room into workable sections and setting up a calendar for days to de-clutter each section. (I find that I have to commit to dates on a calendar to really get myself to stop and do it!) If each item does not pass the above guidelines, it's gone!

From there I plan on doing a combination of donating, recycling and giving things away. I will first leave items in the teacher's lounge and our school library to hopefully find a good home. Then I plan on putting items on FreeCycle. (This is a great resources for getting items off your hands and into the hands of people that might actually be able to use them.) Anything left after that will go to DI (Deseret Industries), which is very much like Goodwill.

I am feeling very good about this plan and am ready to put it into action. I am looking forward to the feeling of breathing easier by simplifying and I hope that also translates to the example I am setting to my students. I think it's very difficult to get after them about clutter when I am the worst of all!

Wishing You Well!

:Des