THE "P" WORD

"I will, I will. I promise."

"I'm busy right now, "(said even to yourself).

Can't it wait a bit? Why should I do it now?

I can't even look at that mess...Scarlett was right. Tomorrow is another day!

Marilyn Shain Labendz can help straighten out any room in your NJ home

And the one I couldn't stand hearing the most: You mean to say that it bothers you that my room is a mess when you don't even go in there? Just knowing it's out of order drives you crazy?

Hardly anyone wants to live in a house that is as pristine as a hotel lobby or guest room, but we don't have to live like this:

I know that procrastination slows down progress, wastes time and leads to all sorts of messes.

This column is devoted to any procrastinator, parent or spouse of a procrastinator to help get themselves or others to the opposite "P" word: PRODUCTIVITY!

* DE-CLUTTER EVERY DAY" ...ALL DAY...AS YOU GO ALONG.

1. Bring back your cup of coffee from your desk, workplace, den etc. and put it back where it belongs. (Cleaned, of course). It takes less time in the long run than gathering 5 cups from different spots and dealing with them...(or pushing that off, as well).

De-Cluttering is our specialty. Here's what clutter looks like

2. Everyone's done reading the newspaper? Into the recycling pile...immediately!

3. If you have a basement, bring down the boxes of old clothes or books or whatever you rarely need, as soon as possible. Lessens the clutter. You can procrastinate (shudder the thought), in straightening that stuff at a later date). No basement, no garage space, no attic...go through the items and either toss, recycle or donate.

4. Avoid using any room as storage. It not only becomes unsightly but a potential for falls and injuries. Ever trip over a box and lose your balance, or worse, get hurt as a result?

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT BOUNDARIES...BIG AND SMALL

I know I can get carried away with this, but much about our space tells us about our lives. We have to define boundaries. I had a class in grad school that showed a film of people sitting down at a counter for coffee. The first thing each and every person did was to move the cup and saucer and the cutlery set up in towards themselves. My space. My stuff.

Contact Marilyn to help you set up your space neatly without clutter

Even if you live alone, or have a large family, each person needs to know where things belong, get returned to after usage. Set up your "territory" in a way that is functional and manageable.

A final note on putting things off: One December my son was given a "Procrastinator's Calendar" as a gift. He opened it...in July!

Contact me so we can make your space cozy and neat, functional and fun!

Enjoy this wonderful holiday season!