Neat Doctor's Roundup of Simplicity & Organizing Challenges!

Happy New Year!  Every year, being more organized and living a simpler lifestyle tops many lists of goals and resolutions.  Here I round up some of my favorite organizing & simplicity challenges and lists.  Try one, try a few, or perhaps even try them all!

1)  Peter Walsh's 31 Days To Get Organized:  Peter posts these challenges on YouTube in January.  I love that there is a video each day to find inspiration in, and he makes the challenges clear and not too big to handle.  It's a great way to kick off the new year!

2)  52 Weeks To An Organized Home by Home Storage Solutions 101:  I love that this lasts a whole year, and tackles zones of the home a little at a time.  Check out the 2017 list with clickable links to each week.  If you are doing great in an area that is a focus for that week, you can easily move on to another week.  

3)  Organize 365's 100 Day Home Organization Challenge:  First, be sure to scroll down to the FREE Get Organized in 100 Days Checklist.  You could just work through that checklist.  However, if you would like access to videos, more detailed instructions, product recommendations and more support, there is a paid version as well.

If you already feel fairly organized, but could see yourself digging deeper and living a more minimalist lifestyle, Options, 4, 5 and 6 could be perfect for you.

4)  Uncluttered by Becoming Minimalist:  I love this course by Joshua Becker.  It's a 12 week course that takes you through videos and has a Facebook Support group.  It's got more of a focus on minimalism.  

5)  a simple year:  This is a program by Courtney Carver of Be More With Less (and creator of Project 333).  I have not done this program, but I have heard wonderful things.  I love that each month has a simple focus.  Of note is "August - Self Care" - something that is so important for all of us to embrace.

6)  30-Day Minimalism Game by The Minimalists:  Even the concept of this game is simple, and you get to do this with someone which makes it fun.  Here's the gist:  You both get rid of one thing on the first day, 2 things on the second day, and so on.  

Amazon's New "Give Back Box" Program

With the New Year Upon us, a lot of people will be in their purge phase, cleaning out for a fresh start.  Amazon just launched their new sustainability program of "Give Back Boxes."  More details can be found in the link below.  I would love to know your thoughts on this!  

My thoughts:  I think it is wonderful to encourage donating goods no longer used.  However, I would caution consumers to be mindful of the goods being newly purchased.  I would like to encourage the buying of goods that your household actually needs and is very functional.  For example, food, household and consumable products.  I can see this service being extremely convenient for busy families.  

Click Here to find out more about Amazon's Give Back Box Program:

Reboot Your Pinterest Account for the New Year!

It's Winter Break.  I am by a nice warm fire looking at something I have not looked at in quite a while:  My Pinterest account! I have so many pins that were quite fitting for the stage of life I was in a few years ago.  But now, many of those boards and pins are not relevant to my current stage of life. I went through all of my boards and eliminated quite a few.

Here are my final Board categories.  I was hoping to get them down to even less, but when I ask myself a) Do I see myself taking action with these items in the next year and b)  Are they relevant to my life right now, my answer is yes.  So they stay for now!

• So Fresh & So Clean (cleaning tips)
• Go Green
• My Style
• Home
• Travel Bucket List
• Garden
• Frugal Stuff
• Health 2017
• Neat Doctor:  Simplicity & Organization
• Emergency Kit
• Lemon Recipes (I have a huge lemon tree!)
• DIY Products
• Prep Ahead Recipes
• Completed Projects

All of these boards capture projects and inspirations that are very relevant to me right now and as I look forward to 2017.  It's now more of a project management tool rather than a random assortment of things I like, which can quickly become very overwhelming.  

Here are some tips to simplify your Pinterest boards for the New Year:

1)  Have a "Projects I've Completed" Board:  It is so satisfying to look back on projects you've completed throughout the years. 

2)  Limit Your Number of Boards:   Too many can be overwhelming!

3)  Be Realistic and Timely:  Ask yourself: a) Do I see myself taking action with these items in the next year and b)  Are they relevant to my life right now?  

4)  Include a Bucket List or Dream Board:  Think long term goals and things that inspire you!

5)  Once a year, reevaluate your boards & adjust as necessary:  I had quite a few categories which just were not fitting my current life.  For example,   "Sewing stuff" - I don't sew!  "Pet stuff" - I had only 1 pin!  "Workout Stuff" - I have not looked at that board in years, let alone use any of it!  I still ned to amp up my workout routine, but Pinterest was clearly not working for me in this category.  If something is not working for you, move on until you find something that does.  

6)  Be aware of the neverending scrolling! Just like Facebook, Pinterest can draw you in for large amounts of time.  Be more strategic and direct by searching for your interests directly or limit yourself to a set amount of time.

Happy Pinning!
You can follow me on Pinterest here: