By now you’ve probably heard of the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, right? It’s basically a guide to decluttering written by Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo. I was seeing it again and again in my Instagram feed and heard it mentioned in a few of my favorite podcasts. The more I heard, the more it sounded like people loved it and truly found it life-changing or they just didn’t get it and couldn’t get through.

I became obsessed with knowing which camp I fell into.

At first, I had a sort of love-hate relationship with the book. The kind where sometimes you’re all nods and warm fuzzy “hell yeahs!” and the next you’re envisioning yourself throwing your Nook directly at your window because watching the glass shatter would bring you so much more joy than reading one more sentence (Kondo’s whole method of decluttering centers around holding something in your hands and deciding whether or not it brings you joy).

But then it started to sink in a little. To sort of melt into the folds of my brain and really make me think. This book isn’t just about cleaning. It’s about life. It’s about consciously choosing joy every single time you make a decision. That’s where the whole “life-changing magic” comes in.

I’ve been mighty quiet around these parts lately. I could pretend it was because I’m busy getting ready for our annual mini vacation next week, but that would be utter bullshit. The truth is, I haven’t even started thinking about getting ready for it—which is making me itch a little now that I am thinking about it.

Luckily for me (and you?) I just put together a guest post for the thredUP blog where I shared a printable list of ten pieces that can get you through an entire week’s worth of fun and sun (yes, really). I even made it printable, for anyone who wants to feel all official and physically check off their list.

For more info and a sample wardrobe that’s completely interchangeable, head over to the thredUP blog… and then come back here and tell me what you think! 😉

Is it doable or have I gone straight up cray cray?

The number one clue that I’m feeling totally overwhelmed is that I start talking about cleaning, organization and efficiency.

Please note that this week’s newsletter (that’s a link to it, for anyone who has been on the fence about signing up) was filled with spring cleaning tips and that this week’s first blog post is dedicated to efficiency.

Perfect, I am not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few tricks up my sleeve that might help my partners in imperfection.

Below is a list of six tools I rely on heavily when I’m trying to get my shit together.

Way back in September (seriously, it feels like forever ago!) I wrote a post on how I need to organize my life. One of the biggest reasons I did that post was because of the state of my office (well, office may be too grand a word for the corner of my bedroom that has become my work space since my little bean’s birth).

It was and still is a complete disaster. I don’t know about you, but messes can really get to me when I’m trying to work. I can’t concentrate completely when I’m surrounded by clutter because it distracts me (honestly, it’s a wonder I get anything done considering the state of my house on a regular basis… just ask my husband).

I think my biggest problem is letting little things go (like the mail or papers sent home from school with my daughter). Little things become big things when they pile up. My work space is just one big mess of little things.

I wish my office looked more like these gorgeous spaces (see Pinterest for sources):

Don’t these spaces make you drool?! They’ve sent me into an online window shopping frenzy. I love office products in the first place, but now I’m on the hunt for relatively inexpensive, clever office organization solutions. Here’s a little taste of what I found:

spice rack :: drawer organizer :: baskets :: 5 drawer cabinet :: birdcage
shampoo rack :: cardboard organizer :: paper sorter

These ideas have totally inspired me to tackle my mess. I might (might) even go crazy and tackle one of these DIY projects (lord knows I have a hefty collection of empty boxes left over from the holidays!).

What is your work space like? Are you messy like me or does everything have its place? And if you’re neat, please share your secrets! I need them!!!