My May 14th post: Imitation…the Sincerest Form of Flattery was about developing your style through collecting images you love.  Magazines have always been a great source of inspiration for me, but as you can see from the photo, my magazine collection can get out of control quickly.

Well, I’m finally dealing with that stack + the ones that have arrived since then…recycling picks up tomorrow:  that’s my push.  Plus, I’m tired of looking at the stack: DRAINING.  I’m going to write this post as I go…

My plan: I’m giving myself 1 hour to get rid of as many issues as I can {magazine issues, that is}. Here goes…  This 1st pic is the original stack:

Original stack from the 5/14/10 post

3:35       Going around house to gather the additional mags.

4:01        Now back….quite a few {Also during this time gave boys & nephew ice cream which should = 1 hour of “not needing their mom” time + had to fold clothes – dryer buzzer went off as I was walking by laundry room.}.  Okay.  NO MORE INTERRUPTIONS.  I have 55 minutes {since it only took 5 minutes of that time to gather rest of mags I’ve recalculated my stop time!}.   Now, sorting magazines by name:

At least 90% are mine. Wow.

4:14       Magazines sorted. {No shifting blame for this clutter! It’s pretty much ALL ME – with the exception of Sports Illustrated, Lego Club, Men’s Journal & Cook’s Illustrated which makes up a tiny %}.  Now getting rid of what I just am not into – or have already read.

First ones I get rid of: This was the easiest part. I've either: 1. already read them or 2. don't care to read them {OR, they belong to other family members in which case I'll just toss anything but current issue}

4:26       That got rid of {only} 1/4 of mags.  Didn’t take too long but I have until 5:00(ish) so that gives me only 30 more minutes.  Next, I’ll tear out what I’ve “tagged” {when flipping through, I’ll fold a page or tag it with a sticky if it’s something I want to keep}.

Stuff I tore out: I'll read, file or give to client.

4:51       Okay, still have a majority of magazines left.  I’m running out of time!  Very, very quickly scanning the covers and if there is an article I just have to read, I’ll tear it out. (See pic above)

5:08      I’m on a roll…just got rid of a TON.  I’m over the amount of time I’d given myself but I’m almost there.  Give me 10 more minutes!

The hardest ones for me to get rid of (above): This is what I did: kept the latest issue of each; tore out all of the last page in O (What I Know for Sure's - I keep all of these) & kept each Cook's Unlimited (want my husband to keep on cooking!). Tossing the Bottom Line (although I wouldn't be surprised if I relapse & pull back out- just too much good info I may be missing!)

5:23      D O N E !!!!!  What’s left are my mags I am looking forward (not feeling obligated) to read.  Adios to the others!!

My recycling pile!!! So very freeing...

ORGANIZATION TIPS {related to this project}

• Focus ONLY on one thing at a time. (Multi-tasking is not the way to go.)  You’ll finish much faster AND have much better results.
• If you have kids, make sure they are settled PRIOR to starting a project.  {Also, turn off ringer/email/other distractions.}
• Give yourself a time frame. I was tempted to finish later but didn’t want to put it off again {not good for morale}.   Gave myself an extra 20 minutes – having plans at 6:00 was a motivator.  {Note:  This works for certain projects – but not others.  For example, years ago (before kids!) I was wallpapering our bathroom and wanted to complete it before my evening plans.  D I S A S T E R ! ! ! }
• After you have your pile of things to throw away, give away, etc., put them in your car NOW!!! Otherwise, they’ll most likely sit for a while then be hidden away “for a short time” since company is coming over, etc….
• Consider the many eco-friendly things {other than recycling} you can do with your stuff {including giving to those in need /  friends / places such as libraries, hospitals, nursing homes}.
• Publicly announce your plans {to spouse, friends, mom… or even the social media of your choice.  Blogging is great for holding you accountable.}
• Just because you brought it into your home doesn’t mean you have to keep it. {This goes for small $ items like magazines and much bigger $ items like furniture, clothes…}
• Figure out how to keep the same thing from happening again. For me & my magazines, I’m:  1.  canceling the subscriptions of the magazines I wasn’t that in to; 2. reading while current {when next month’s issues arrives, the previous issue is tossed}; 3. making sure I’ll actually use what I’m tearing out {I used to cut out tons of recipes.  When I started to better organize them I thought, “This is crazy – I haven’t used a SINGLE one!” In the trash they went.}
• Get to know what you love. My life mantra:  Surround yourself with what you love. During the past hour, I recalled which magazines I’d always grab when going to the pool.  {My kids can swim on their own now – I’ve become one of the moms that can actually sit back and read!} This mantra goes much deeper for me but also works well for the “simpler” things like this.  Figuring out what you LOVE helps you also know what you DON’T LOVE.  Getting into the habit of purging the latter can be an incredible habit to develop…