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It’s a Girl!

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STUFFology-101-held-by-giraffe-in-high-chair-20140412_launchOur baby is born! The official launch of STUFFology 101: Get Your Mind Out of the Clutter book took place on Saturday, April 12th in Palmdale, CA. Family and friends were there to support my book spouse and co-author, Brenda Avadian and me. It resulted in a wonderful day for me especially, a first time author.

To be honest, it all felt like a dream. The process of writing the book and getting it published was a long one, and of course there were bumps along the way. So when the day finally arrived and I held the little book baby for the first time, I still was not completely convinced that it was for real.

Many of us have a dream of writing a book, but are not necessarily prepared for what it takes to get there.

Life goes on while you write. You work at a regular job to pay the mortgage and keep the car running. You have to cook dinner, cut the grass, and do other household chores. You have to take the kids to school and soccer practice. You have to visit your parents out of town on the weekend and go to the weddings of family and friends. All these things take time. You don’t magically get more time just because you decided to write a book.

In reality, these were my experiences. I thought I understood how time works, but I really didn’t. And that’s okay. We often don’t truly understand something until going through it ourselves. Keep at it and persist until you are done. Do not quit.

Your best laid plans for completing the book will be interrupted. You might have a family emergency or a hose will burst and your laundry room will flood. Something will happen that will take you away from the book. React, adjust, and continue writing IF you want your book to see the light of day.

You will need to work with other people as you write. Depending on the publishing path you choose—you will work directly or indirectly with a cover designer, editor, interior designer, printer, and more. Be courteous and professional with each of them. Here too, something will happen to slow you down. Be patient. Persist. Finish.

I am lucky; I have a co-author to push me along when needed. I have a supportive wife who understood that I needed time to write, which would limit my time with her and our daughters. Make sure you have a support network in place when you embark on your book project.

I learned many things through this writing project and am grateful for the experience. I am the proud dad of STUFFology 101: Get Your Mind Out of the Clutter. Our book baby is ready to be held in your arms.

 

I've "Bin" there before

I’ve “Bin” there before

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I've "Bin" there beforeClutter builds up over time. It creeps along, unnoticed at first. Then one day we almost trip and fall over that stack of stuff next to the couch.

We try to avoid the clutter creep. We try to outsmart it. We store things in bags, boxes, and storage bins. Out of sight, out of mind.

Then the different containers of clutter pile up too because we haven’t really done anything except move our stuff around. What is a packrat to do?

I am guilty of doing this. I tend to set things down in front of a bookcase near the stairs. These are items that I need to review, donate, discard, and so forth. When the bins stack up I can’t find the book I need on the shelf behind my stacks of bins. Then I know it is really time to de-clutter!

04062014_Front RoomClutter removal is a process. I go through each bag, box, and bin, sorting everything. Three choices: keep, donate, or trash. Sometimes it takes a while to go through all that stuff. That’s okay, just start. One bin at a time, bit by bit.

Once the process is completed, the bins are gone. I can see the bottom shelf of the bookcase. There is the book I was looking for!

Old habits die hard. I still set things down in front of the bookcase from time to time. But I no longer let boxes and bins pile up. I’ve bin there before, but I won’t be again.

 

04062014_Play Pool 1

I can play pool, now

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04062014_Play Pool 1I can play pool now that we moved that stuff,
Into Beth’s room temporarily, looking pretty rough.
Not actually a solution, but it works for now,
Need to figure out a better way somehow.

But now that room is a mess,
Causing me grief, I must confess.
Procrastination only increases the clutter everywhere.
I prefer a clean house, I really do care.

Sort it I must, that clutter must go,
How long will it take? There is no way to know.
Until we start going through each box with care,
It will sit unused in her room, so unfair.

There is stuff I don’t need that others can use,
Just like that new pair of baby shoes.
Donate with purpose, and do so with haste,
These things should not be sitting here going to waste.

Slowly but surely the bedroom is cleared,
Sorting through stuff is easier than I feared.
We can use this room for guests, and play pool too,
I would have de-cluttered sooner if I only knew.

Finish what you start to keep clutter at bay,
Just do a little bit when you can every day.
You’ll be glad you did, feeling light and free,
Staying clutter free is the way to be.

To see the pool table before it was cleaned click on: Why can’t I play pool?