It’s the first week of our 30-day clutter challenge, and I’m starting with a confession:

I have a magazine-collecting problem.

I said “have,” but it really should be “had.” When it came to my magazine piles, I needed to become my own client. I realized that I couldn’t start the 30-day clutter challenge without also challenging myself with regard to my own nemesis: interior design magazines.

I worried about sounding preachy or authoritative without being willing to expose my own vulnerability. So, I set out to help myself as I would help any of my clients: with diligence and ‘tried and true’ methods to attacking clutter.

To begin with, I needed to set up a system. So, I identified the 7 main categories for which I use magazines and labeled my manila folders accordingly. These categories were:

1. General Ideas/Inspiration
2. Paint Colors
3. Current Special Interiors Projects
4. Newsletter Ideas
5. Travel
6. Full House Articles
7. New Resources

From there, I carved out the time to focus on the task at hand, and sat down to get it done. I believe in making things as accessible as possible. So, I decided to put on my favorite Netflix shows, pour myself a cup of tea or two, and powered through the project. It turned out to require less muscle than I thought, because it was enjoyable.

I pulled every interior design magazine together in my house and leafed through each one, ripping out the pages that spoke to me and immediately placed them in their designated folder. It took a few nights, but in the end, I was able to recycle over 90lbs of magazines, while keeping 7 files of inspirational material. Just some of the benefits of undergoing this project include:

• being able to lay my hands on an idea in seconds (rather than searching through stacks and piles to try to remember where I first saw something),
• the visual clutter in my home is cleared out, leaving me feeling more free and unencumbered, and
• the psychic clutter in my mind has also been cleared, which has given me more room to feel and be inspired.

The freedom we feel when we tackle the clutter in our home is immeasurable. Managing my magazine piles was my clutter challenge. I invite you now to do the same with yours, whatever that may be. Whether it’s magazines, clothing, dishes, food, or toiletries, join me this month as we move through the 30-day clutter challenge together. You’ll be so glad you did. I know I am.

All my best,
Claudia