redecorating Tuesday

Ahh, Tuesday. 
Tuesdays have now become my designated "me-day" when I get to do stuff just for myself.

Today, I've chosen to spend some time redecorating this forgotten little space. It's still a work-in-progress though... it's amazing how nit-picky I am with colours and fonts. I simply haven't been able to get the right "feel" out of the typography... but there were only so many choices I was given. Also, yes, I know it's ironic that the background graphic is that of winter, whilst the blog is about springcleaning... but I thought it was a nice philosophical touch to the space. :) Okay, that, and for the fact that I couldn't seem to find any other nice background that made the space look as...clean?

These days, my time has been somehow sucked into a whirlwind of work, thoughts and emotions. It's a strange phase in life I've entered - perhaps it's a normal season of life everyone eventually gets into. I haven't been quite too "on-task" with physical springcleaning projects as I've a whole list of priorities and goals that I have this year - including quite a few reading and working projects - and I have been clocking most of my waking hours to ensure that I stay on track with working toward accomplishing them.

The office has been renovated since the last post, and looks like a completely new place...though there's still quite a bit of unpacking and reorganizing to do. I'll have to put up photos another day though as I have to organize those too. But here's some pictures from the old office and the process of tearing down.

Starting with photos of the mainoffice...

and this was on a normal day.

From the door.

Files and boxes and stuff everywhere.

More boxes and stuff.

It always looked this cluttered.

Even from this angle.
 Look at that disgusting floor!

The library area...okay, I think we were doing some sort of packing that week.
Still, I can't believe I met clients in this space! :(

The walls were lined with all sorts of stuff.

This was toward my office. :( More clutter.

My old space on a generally good day.

My space on a bad day...okay, actually this was in the midst of packing for renos.
Still, it looks terrible!

The "other side" of my "office".

Yep, this was the space we worked in. :/ And yes, I'm glad we renovated.

Here was the start of the tearing down of the central wall.

And here was the start of putting up the new partition.

Shall put up photos of the new office at the end of the week...when I finally properly unpack and organize everything. :)

I'm going to start reorganizing the way I blog here too.
Shall come up with a blogging plan so that I can tend to each one just as well. :)

Writing this post has somehow given me the happies, and a lot of motivation and excitement about tidying up the office. Can't wait to get to work tomorrow.

I LOVE CLEANING!

major springclean preparations

It's been a while since I've last written here as I've been writing in other places regarding other bits of my life that I've been straightening out.

Tomorrow's Springclean plan.
Organized and furnished with spaces
for recycling, for things that need fixing,
as well as a table for our vehicle to be parked for
easy loading of things to be given away. :)

I'm up late today and now find myself writing here as I'm organizing for a major springclean of my factory and preparing for some major renovations and office reorganization. I've been going through stacks of paper as I sketch out spaces...after lots of understanding of our operational processes, storage needs, strategic goals, budgets (argh! budgets!) and all sorts of other details that I've needed to put this whole project together. I've been planning the reorganization of walls (including considering which ones to hack and which to put up), the movement of different furniture, the reorganizing of their uses, measuring, imagining, planning colours and aesthetic detail...it's been quite the feat! I can't wait till it's all done though!

Tomorrow will be the day that my ops team, and VERY amazing helper, will be clearing out our upper store and outer storage cabinets. I'm so excited! I can't wait for the before and after pictures because I know that it will be such a blast - especially that we're finally ready to throw a whole bunch of things out/give them away. And what perfect timing - it's Chinese New Year springcleaning season! It's going to be such a workout! :)

The plan for tomorrow will be a major springcleaning of the two areas, then it'd be down to a lot of measuring of other areas and spaces - including our finishing room, pastry room, staff area, and the office - and some furniture fitting if we can get that done. Then it'd be planning for all the budgets, schedules, and springcleaning tasks for these two weeks before the festive season.

Will come back with the awesome transformation pictures.

SPCG December 2012 Checklist

Sorry! Been so busy I forgot to post this!

After a busy month of November, I've taken quite a bit from the month of November in the spirit of Thanksgiving. There's just something about gratefulness for all things - the big and little - that is really nourishing for the soul.

So sorry that I'm posting this late that you might have to do a little cramming for the first few days of December (as will I =_=), but I promise to be more organized for January! I'm excited for December as we walk through the month of preparing for a fresh start next year. Out with the old, in with the new!

Looking forward to the setting of resolutions too! It makes me tremendously excited! :)

This is it.

SPCG DECEMBER 2012 CHECKLIST
Date	Day	Exciting SpringCleanMyLife Task of the day!
1	SAT	Consolidate the cards you have written this week and post them!  (And check them off that list you made on the 24th as they are posted! It'll help keep you motivated to keep writing and finish!)
2	SUN	It’s time to start shopping for your 2013 Calendar or planner refills. Might as well scout around for Christmas presents too.
3	MON	Make a list of the things that you'd like to do before the end of the year and in preparation for the upcoming festivities.
4	TUE	Make your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day plans today (e.g. make dinner bookings and set the date with your friends/loved ones). If you're hosting a Christmas party, remember to send the invites out today! Make sure you include the date, time, venue, directions, dresscode (if any), and anything else your guests need to know (like whether they need to bring food or drinks, or whether there are specific rules like "no-pets" or "no alcohol").
5	WED	Tackle the closets today! Weed out outgrown childrens clothing or clothing that you don't quite like anymore or have not used in the past 6 months. Donate them to a worthwhile charity like the Salvation’s Army.
6	THU	Declutter your emails. Unsubscribe from all the subscriptions that you don't really read/follow. Sort, and delete away everything you don't really need anymore. E-clutter is still clutter!
7	FRI	Finish and mail out all your Christmas cards! You'll be glad once they're all out!
8	SAT	Clean out your vehicle today. Give it a good vacuum and wipe the dashboards down. Maximize your petrol consumption by dropping by the petrol station and get you water, oil, and tires checked too. If you don't have a vehicle, tackle an area in your house you've been wanting to declutter for a while.
9	SUN	It's Hanukkah! Light some candles in your favourite scents around the house and just enjoy a peaceful evening.
10	MON	Check your calendar for any birthdays, anniversaries or special events for 2013 and transfer them into your new calendar/planner.
11	TUE	Go through your personal paperwork at home. Shred all the documents you don't need anymore and sort the rest. Prepare new ones for the new year.
12	WED	Organize the photos and memories that you've taken this year and burn them into a CD. Consider which are the ones you'd like to print out for display or for your personal/family photo album.
13	THU	Finish up your Christmas shopping. You'd be glad you finished early. Print out those pictures whilst you're out.
14	FRI	Unclutter one hot spot in an area guests will see, such as a coffee table, dining room table, kitchen counter top or side table.
15	SAT	If you haven't already, wrap and label any holiday gifts. You'll be glad you started early!
16	SUN	If you're hosting the holidays at your house, make sure you start making food in advance. No stress!
17	MON	Consolidate everything needed to host any celebrations at your house such as extra napkins, desserts, and other food items.
18	TUE	Start thinking about your goals and/or resolutions for 2013. Make sure they are "SMART" goals. Write each of them on an index card. Then sort the cards in order of priority. Remember to come up with the means you need to be able to accomplish them (e.g. If you need to join a gym or find a buddy for motivation to lose weight, make sure you write it down.)
19	WED	Have a random pizza party (no turkey allowed!) and watch your favorite movie.
20	THU	Finish up any homemade gifts (even cookies can be stored for up to 3 months in air-tight conditions). People will appreciate the effort you put into it.
21	FRI	Buffer Day! Do last minute tie ups for the festive season!
22	SAT	Have a holiday celebration with some of your friends. Go out for dinner, or simply for hot chocolate or coffee if you're on a tighter budget this year.
23	SUN	Get in the car with your loved ones and check out all the holiday decorations in town. (Especially along the Orchard Road, Tanglin, and Marina Bay area.)
24	MON	Get out and join a Christmas countdown with friends. Sometimes getting into a jostling jolly crowd can be quite an experience. Alternatively, get out with your significant other and have a private countdown together somewhere.
25	TUE	Merry Christmas! May this day be a very blessed one for you and your family. Spend the day enjoying the people you love. Don't forget those who are far away from home too.
26	WED	Relax! This is the day to do absolutely nothing.
27	THU	Send out thank you emails/SMSes for special gifts you received.
28	FRI	After all your Christmas cooking and baking, give your kitchen counters a good scrubbing.
29	SAT	Do a SpringClean activity of your choice! (Some suggestions: decluttering the computer files, cleaning out some drawers, or tackling the kitchen/bathroom cabinets.)
30	SUN	Sleep early today! You won't be getting as much tomorrow. (Not to mention you have to look your best for the New Year Party! (Or at least just to have the energy to cross over the New Year with loved ones.)
31	MON	Review your new year's resolutions and get ready to follow them starting at midnight. Celebrate for the New Year is almost here!