STUFF.

When I was first interviewing for the arts position, I was thinking about new lessons, procedures for clean up, and behavior management. The thing that hadn't yet crossed my mind was "How am I going to deal with all this STUFF that flows into art room?"

On my desk, any given day, I might find a bucket of Mardi Gras beads, bags of toilet paper rolls, yogurt cups, bedsheets... you name it. From recyclables to someone's de-clutter pile, it's now mine to house.

I hit a wall around Christmas, knowing that I needed a better system. A clearly labeled donation box? Maybe I just get rid of my desk all together! January became my month to reevaluate the organization I thought I had carefully set up last year. What surprised me though, was my realization to start AT HOME.

Yup, it wasn't just about the art room. It was my bedroom, my living room, my car, my mind and my refrigerator. Everything needed a tune up via a purge.

My biggest saving grace and mentor was Peter Walsh, who really, I can't rave about enough. (My friends and co-workers are probably sick of hearing me talk about him.) He gave a 10 minute challenge for each of the 31 days in January via facebook and twitter and I think it saved my life. (Fo' real.) I proudly completed each of the challenges and have found that the motivation is lingering in the air. I recommend back-tracking and trying a couple of the challenges yourself.

Along with the doing the 10 minute challenges, I was also reading Peter's book, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? And to answer the question: um, yeah. It does. Peter explains how to see the clutter-fat cycle, and how to stop it.

Now that it's February, I've sought out some other organizers and de-cluttering mentors. I'm currently reading SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Julie Morgenstern. She helps readers evaluate more than just physical clutter-- habits and time clutter, too. It's really helping me see the big picture.

Anyone else have any tips or mentors they'd kindly share? What works for you at home or in the art room?