Life After Clutter

So after the New York photography crew leaves, and the L.A. stylist (who, in all her childless, young loveliness, thought our family room could use a white, wool rug), real life moves back in.

Real life with real children and real schedules and sometimes, a real mess. Several times since our clutter-free story came out, I've found myself praying that none of our friends pop over for a look. Things sure can come apart in a hurry. Observe:



But what's amazing to me is how fast they come back together now. The kindergarten rule holds true: a place for everything, and everything in its place.

The published article was culled down to about 2,500 words. I turned in about 5,000. I learned so much about stuff, and how to manage it, in the course of those six weeks. I hate that we had to leave so much on the cutting room floor, but accepting the reality of limited space is one of the basic principles of getting organized.

But I have some really good leftovers to share. Check on Noteworthy next week for tips, gadgets and discoveries that we couldn't cram into those seven pages (I suggest you use the feedburner link on that blog to subscribe to updates).

And stay tuned here for the story of how de-cluttering our home un-clogged our lives.