Helping a Pack Rat Get Organized

By Maria Gracia

The wonderful, sentimental Pack Rat. So nice. So loveable. So out of space!

Pack Rats desperately need more room, but can't bear to part with their stuff.

There are boxes of old records, books since grade school, reams of old, outdated paperwork, various decades of clothing, piles of magazines, calendars and planners more than 10 years old, old board games gathering dust, toys from children that have moved out on their own years ago, plus that horrible artwork from dear Aunt Martha, taking up every last nook and cranny of space. I've known Pack Rats that are literally possessed by their possessions!

The Pack Rat keeps everything--and won’t get rid of anything. There's an inconceivable abundance of opportunities to acquire things in our lives.

Here are 10 ideas to help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter and stress:

1. THINK ABOUT IT. Determining why you’re a Pack Rat will help you focus. Are you a sentimental person? Are your items proof of places you've been, work you've accomplished, or how much work you have ahead of you? Does the thought of decluttering seem like such a bear that you can't find the motivation to do it?
   
   

2. DON'T BE A PRISONER. Beware of being held hostage by your possessions. When your stuff begins taking over your life and you spend all your time climbing over things, looking for missing items, and fretting over where you’ll put your next treasure, you are wasting precious time that you can never buy back.
   
   

3. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL. If your children pick up on your Pack Rat style, they will have the same problem when they're out on their own. If you begin to get organized now, your children will see how important it is and hopefully, follow your lead.
   
   

4. RECOGNIZE CLUTTER. As a rule, if you don't use it or enjoy it, it's nothing more than clutter. If you don’t know what it is, it’s clutter. If it’s too nice to use, it’s clutter. Toss it or give it to someone who will use it and appreciate it.
   
   

5. MAKE IT A FAMILY GAME. Get your family into the De-cluttering Game. Make a party out of it. Play music, have refreshments, Toss-Toss-Toss. Have a pending reward ready, such as a big family dinner at a favorite restaurant after you've significantly reduced your clutter!
   
   

6. DESIGNATE A MAY COME IN HANDY BOX. If you save things you feel you may use someday, create a May Come in Handy Someday box. Place those things inside and when the box is full, discard something before you put anything else in.
   
   

7. USE THE ROTATION BOX SYSTEM. Instead of displaying everything you like at once, display a little bit at a time. Keep the rest boxed up in storage. Every few months, put a few of these things in your box and take a few other things out for display.
   
   

8. FIX IT OR GET RID OF IT. Have you ever put aside broken items with the expectation that you’ll get them fixed one day? Chances are, these items are still where you left them and they’re still broken. Immediately schedule a date on your calendar and repair them when the date rolls around or toss the items right now while you have it on your mind.
   
   

9. PICTURE IT! Take photographs of possessions you don’t want to forget, but don’t have the space for. Save the photos in a scrapbook. Keep the memory, rather than allowing the memory to take up space.
   
   

10. AVOID THE HALFWAY HOUSE SYNDROME. You know. That’s when you put things aside that you’re not sure what to do with. These temporary storage areas almost always turn into permanent storage. Force yourself to make a decision whether to keep or toss.
    
    by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!
    Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site
    http://www.getorganizednow.com

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Tips for Decorating Your Living Room

© 2001, By Helen Marakis
Portara, Inc.
http://www.portara.com

In the home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of the busiest rooms. It's also the room guests initially see and form a lasting impression about the home. Hence, the living area should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting to guests and family members. It should project a homey, comfortable yet elegant image.

The Greeks were inspired by lofty ideals of beauty. And these same ideals can be imitated and applied to create and decorate an elegant home, an elegant living area in particular. With a combination of imagination, good taste, statues and lamps, any living area can be transformed into one that exudes elegance and coziness at the same time.

There are several ways you can decorate your living area to create an inviting place and cause a lasting impression to your guests:

REARRANGING FURNITURE. Your lifestyle or taste determines what the focal point of your living area is. If you have a fireplace, you can rearrange your furniture around it. Or if you have a piano, and this is the focal point of your living area, your furniture could be set around it.

When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your living area. Does the arrangement of your furniture allow free movement and flow? Does it give an uncluttered look?

It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles. This makes the room warmer and more casual. And instead of placing large sofas directly against the wall, why not place it a foot or so away from the wall and put a lamp or plant behind it instead?

COLORS TO CREATE WARMTH. Colors have psychological effects on people and their moods. When applied in your living area, colors can intimidate, invite or irritate. Decorating using colors is also an inexpensive way of decorating because it only involves painting or papering walls.

You want your living area to be warm and inviting, and one of the warmest and most relaxing colors is green. Green has several shades and it's one of the most flexible colors around. But whatever color you pick for the color of your walls, make your carpets and furniture coordinated.

MIRRORS FOR SPACE AND DEPTH. Create space and depth for your small living area by positioning a mirror on a wall. Your mirror should reflect something pleasing to the eyes. If you have more wall space, try adding small painting on either side of the mirror.

ADDING SMALL FURNITURE. To create a "lived-in" aura for your living area, position small furniture in the room. This can be a small bench, or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals and newspapers under the table. Placing flower vases, baskets and small plants on your table also creates beauty and livens up the room.

STATUES FOR ELEGANCE. Corners and tabletops are good places for small statues. Statues, especially marble ones, provide aesthetic quality to your living area. The statues at Portara portray the Greeks of ancient times -- symbols, deities, objects associated with everyday life. The Greeks used marble for sculptures for its strength, durability and beauty. Portara continues this Greek tradition by creating long-lasting, and genuine statues and capturing the beauty of the Early Cycladic Civilization in its reproductions. Elegant yet down-to-earth, these statues lend warmth to any living area.

UNIQUE LAMPS. Alternative to statues are lamps. Place them in a corner or a tabletop and they can accentuate your living area. Second to color, light creates moods and sets the tone of your living area. Portara's lamps are not your ordinary lamps. They are unique lamps -- created from polished minerals and stones. These minerals and stones can emit light after exposure to day light or the light from normal light bulbs. When the chemicals in minerals or rocks react to light, this reaction causes the minerals or rocks to glow. The visible light emitted is sometimes very colorful and it is often very different from the normal color of the mineral. These unique Portara lamps will accent your living area.

Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows you to combine creativity, elegance and good taste. Make good use of space, accessories and furniture available to you so you can create a living area that is inviting, relaxing, homey and elegant.


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