Happy Lunar New Year!

This year's Lunar New Year preparations had been busy but it was quite relaxing at the same time because we started the decluttering and cleaning up much earlier than the past few years. In the end, I had extra time to put up more decorations around the house. 

I love the feeling of decluttering and throwing away things that we no longer need. Somehow, it made me feel lighter in the spirit and I'm so happy about how neat and nice the whole house looks now! It really feels like a great start to the new year.

Here's wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year!

Organising the Medicine Cabinet

I've slowed down considerably with my decluttering and home organising project. Getting the momentum up is a little challenging after the family holiday and catching up with work post-holiday. So I decided to start with something small - the medicine cabinet.

Before: It's untidy and things were not easily accessible.

The tools: A rack from Daiso adds an extra shelf and makes packing neater. 

I also bought two white plastic containers, which were also from Daiso (see pic below).

After: Things are neater now and more easily accessible. One of the white containers hold the vitamins the family takes in the morning; all I have to do is to take it out before breakfast and put it back after use.

It's a small start and I'm happy to get things going again! I hope to get the project done before Christmas and look forward to starting a new year with a really neat and clutter-free home. How about you? Have you been doing some decluttering as well? Any great tips or tools to share?

Decluttering: Finding Clarity, Creating Inspiring Spaces

I’m on a major home decluttering and home reorganisation project.

I’ve done decluttering in the past, but often, things are good for a while and then the stuff starts to grow again. But this time, I’m determined to make sure things will not multiply quickly and the house stays organised.

Somehow, I think being a busy mom helps. With time being such a precious thing now, I don’t want to waste it going around the house looking for things, or organising them ever so often. I also don’t want to spend unnecessary money buying stuff that end up to be of no use and take up space.

Instead I want to have more time to be with my son and for myself; I want to have more space in our house; and I want to teach my child how to be organised and the only way to do this is to be a good example for him.

So far, I’ve managed to sell off some things I don’t use and while I’m not making a profit from it, I’m happy to at least have some extra ‘pocket money’. I’ve been on the project for about two months now and I don’t know how long the whole process will take. I will continue until I’m fully satisfied with the results.

But I must admit that sometimes the decluttering can be an emotional struggle. Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, many things that we’ve accumulated are imbued with certain emotions or memories. So while I may be letting go of the physical objects, something is also happening on an emotional level – when the ‘junk’ is being dumped, I’m also in the process of letting go of unfulfilled dreams, fears and insecurities and it can a real challenge sometimes.

But as I continue with paring down the belongings, I felt like layers of dust being removed from my soul, and like a veil lifting off my eyes, I feel I can now move ahead with greater clarity and focus.

I recently wrote this on my Facebook:

My goal for life now: Having less stuff but living a richer life. Craving less things and learning to appreciate what I already have.

With the decluttering, I hope to create a living space that is filled only with things that are truly essential and useful; invoke positive, happy feelings; will nurture me and my family; and help us fulfill our dreams and goals.

Are you curious of what I’ve achieved so far? This is a picture of an area I had cleared. I like reading here.

This space of mine is also featured on mom blogger Corsage’s blog. You can read the post and see more photos.

I know for some people, they like having an environment filled with little mementos, but I learnt that minimalism resonates with me. I like spaces with little ‘visual noise’ and enjoy serenity and peace in the space I live in.

  

How about you? What kind of environment do you thrive in? What sorts of space inspire you? 

Home Organising: How to Organise Earrings

I'm currently on a decluttering and home reorganising project. I've delayed this for a long while. Besides the lack of time, the thought about all the stuff that needs to be cleared was just a little overwhelming.

Then recently, I picked up from the library a book titled 'Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck'. It's written by the renowned organising and time management expert Julie Morgenstern. After reading just a few chapters, I was totally inspired and found the much needed motivation to embark on the decluttering project. To date, I've sold some home appliances I wasn't using anymore and feel so good about the extra space in the store room. Even the air in there feels different now. At the same time, I'm beginning to reorganise things at home, having done a bit of work in Kenan's cupboard. I've also just moved on to some of my own stuff and one thing I did was with earrings: