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This book was recommended to me by Amazon about a year ago based on another book I read.  I put it on my “to read” list, but it was just constantly shuffled to the bottom.  Well, as part of my “read 5 books that can help my business” goal on my 101 in 1,001 list I decided to move it to the top and make it happen, and I’m so glad I did.  Just to keep things real though, I have to say, I wasn’t sure I needed to read this book because I’m actually a little obsessed with de-cluttering.  I’m constantly selling things on Craigslist, organizing and reorganizing and gathering things to take to Goodwill.  I just can’t stand clutter.  I like things to be neat, orderly and in it’s proper place. (Here’s the point in the blog post where you should all feel sorry for my husband. ;-))

But anywho, so I decided to read the book.  I went to pick it up at the library. The librarian scanned the barcode, looked at the cover, looked up at me and said, “Ha, well good luck.”  I felt a bit judged, but honestly if the book could feel it would’ve felt worse than me!  That was possibly the best thing she could’ve said because I’m so stubborn that her comment just made me want to come home, read the book, and prove her wrong.  So, I dedicate this blog post to my local librarian at the Indian Land library.  You were wrong.  Shame on you for judging a book by it’s cover!

If you happen to be someone that is plagued by physical clutter this book is a must read for you.  The book really is a simple, step-by-step resource for getting rid of all clutter (physical and mental), but if you’re a physical clutter person then I think you’ll see the most change from the 7 day plan.  The author takes you room by room and talks about ways to efficiently organize your bathroom, kitchen, and closets and cut the clutter you don’t need.  She also talks about how to tackle your inbox and manage your e-mail and calendar.  We’re not just talking about taking shirts to Goodwill, this book really does cover all aspects of clutter in your life.

My biggest take away from the book is when she talks about creating a reception zone in your house.  The idea is simple – we all have a place in our house that gathers our “entry clutter” – mail, keys, purse, coats, etc.  When you enter your house after a long day at work, you want to leave the physical clutter (keys, purse, mail), as well as the emotional and mental clutter at the door.  Dropping this physical clutter at the door will allow you to enter your house relaxed and ready to focus on your home life without thinking about the burdens of your day.

In our house this entry clutter lives on our kitchen counter and it drives me CRAZY.  But honestly, I just didn’t know what to do with it.  We typically enter through the garage, and there’s really only a small hallway there.  No closet or space for mail, keys, purse, etc.  But I really bought into her idea of a reception zone and decided to make it happen.

Here’s our small hallway before (note the monstrosity of an ADT keypad right in the middle).  I actually called ADT to see about moving it but it was cost prohibitive so I worked around it!  This thing is 8 inches wide and 8 inches tall and sticks out 2.5 inches from the wall. It’s the largest keypad ever made, I’m sure of it.

I saw this post on pinterest, and it got my creative juices flowing. I decided to go with a “beachy” feel to the zone because we both feel most relaxed when there’s sand and an ocean in our lives. ;-)  For our reception zone we decided that we needed coat/bag hangers, a mail slot and key holders.  The main goal was to keep everything no more than 3 inches from the wall because we didn’t want it to interfere with the traffic in the hallway.  Also – we wanted to put something on the wall so they wouldn’t get scuffed easily.  Here’s how it turned out:

My favorite detail is easily our “ALOHA” letters – cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby that I spray painted yellow. :-)  Since Aloha means both Hello and Goodbye it’s really perfect for our beachy reception zone.  I also really love that little shelf that the letters are sitting on.  And guess what, it was FREE!  Scrap wood at Lowe’s with a perfect little groove down the middle!

My other 2 favorite details are our key holder ($6 at Lowe’s), and our mail slot.  The mail slot was actually the most challenging feature.  All of the mail boxes I could find that were ready to mount were typically 3-4 inches deep, so they’d stick out of our zone way too far and I was convinced we’d bump our shoulders on it every day.  I ended up buying a simple piece of sheet metal from Lowe’s and just nailing it to the boards.  It holds the mail in tightly and looks awesome with our rustic beach wood.
This project cost about $50 and we’re both totally in love with how it turned out.  I highly recommend Unclutter Your Life in One Week, and one more shout out to my favorite local librarian – you were wrong! :-D

Here’s a breakdown on the costs for the project:
Lumber – $20 (bought from craigslist)
Sheet metal mail slot – $9
Key hook – $6
ALOHA letters – $2 each
Coat/bag hooks – $2 each
(All paint and supplies used were left over from other projects.)

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