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I have a friend with the sign Simplify above her kitchen sink. Another friend was tell a group of women that she has signs all over her home that say Simplify. Her husband asked her, “What does Simplify mean to you??” We all laughed about that and the sign that used to say “Simplify, Simplify” with the second word crossed off.

As a professional home and office organizer I started thinking what does Simplify mean to me? Does it mean only having as much food in the house as we eat in a week, does it mean only having only so many cleaning products on hand, does it mean only so many clothes, so many decorations for holidays or for the home?  Does it mean not buying anything new for our homes? Does any of this ring a bell with you?

Simplify does not mean that our homes need to look like a model home all the time and looking very sparce and empty. For instance we can have more than one photograph out on the table, we can have more than one or figurines decorating our home. We can have a room full of craft, sewing, scrapbooking resources. To simplify is to get rid of clutter and have a place for everything and everything living neatly in its place. Or having the right tool for the project we are working on and being able to access that readily.

I recently did just one simple thing which has simplified my life and it has nothing to do with clutter. I am vertically challenged (5’3”) and can’t reach high places without dragging up a chair or ‘stretching my gizzard’ as my mother used to say. (I know we don’t have gizzards). I bought a small, space saving, portable, sturdy stool to stand on to reach high places. Now I don’t grumble and complain when I have to reach something out of the cupboard or on closet shelves. It was so helpful to have a stool always at the ready I got the bright idea of having one downstairs as well instead of spending the time to go upstairs everytime I needed it. Just this one simple thing has simplified my life and has made my life so much easier and actually happier.

To me that is what Simplify means. Enabling us to be more productive, have less stress in our lives, and as a result  be happier.

Check out Marilyn's interesting and fun blogs at http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips.