I'm a long time reader and I've signed up today because I need to say this: THANK YOU. The January Cure helped me in ways I've never imagined it could. I used to be overwhelmed and paralysed by the overall mess in my house, specially since giving birth to my first child 2 years ago. But I've learned with the Cure that I don't have to be a wonderwoman to put the house back on track again. One step at the time, one small difference per day and the results are here: a cleaner, more functional and refreshed house I've always wanted. The project has completely changed my views on housework and organisation. I feel proud of my place and proud to clean and organise it now. I've pinned the post Step by Step: Simple Ways to Start Creating Your Own Happiness at Home because I want to carry on with this new habit that January Cure created in my life. Thank you, Janel, thank you AT and everyone here in the comment area giving support and encouragement. It was brilliant.

Seconding the thanks for a wonderful idea. Because of The Cure I finally got three pictures framed, with two of them hung on my art wall and one put up in my office, organized my toiletries, bought my house flowers (something I plan on keeping up!), given away 3-4 books (a *huuge* accomplishment for this packrat bookworm) and a dozen pieces of clothing, put up a shelf in our guest room that had been lying around for months, got all my boyfriend's DVDs out of the basement and into a unit next to the tv, and pretty much decided on what kind of lighting we'll put in our living room. While I didn't get everything done, I plan on using the cure in future months to organize what seems like a monumental task. My sister, boyfriend and I will enjoy our "get together" this weekend and I'll be sure to relax a little more. Thanks again!

It motivated me and I did complete a few of my projects and feel more organized.
Thanks Janel and editorial team.

Really loved doing this, gave me a fresh perspective on my home and lead me to making some adjustments to make it better for me.

Thank you Janel for an excellent month of inspiration. I have been busy packing my own home up during January so the timing was not perfect but nevertheless, still helpful and I have kept all your "days" in a special file in my emails so that I can check them out when I have a new home again!

Thank you AT and Janel!! I still have a few things to finish, but I'm really happy with how much I was able to get done in a month, and the Cure changed (for the better!) the way I think about my home and cleaning. Also, it couldn't have been better timing. I just decided to refinance my condo, which will require an appraisal. When I took a look around to see what I need to do before that happens, I came up with a very short list. Although, sadly, I don't think the appraiser will be giving me any extra points for my perfectly organized and alphabetized spice cabinet :(

Many thanks - hope you do this again next year! My biggest accomplishments were going through all my stacks of paper (got rid of 40 percent!), clearing my desk - where all things without a home ended up, and rearranging some of my kitchen cabinets for better functionality. I also noticed I became more consistent in tidying the apartment each night so I could start each day in an organized space. Another benefit was a clean home when I took photos for airbnb. My project for February will be going through all my clothes, donating what I don't wear and organizing the rest. Thanks again for all the inspiration!

I just signed up to say THANK YOU two. SaneDaysAreMad said most what was on my mind as well. I have two kids, Finn 2y. and Holly1y. and I usually collapse to bed in the evenings. I could not really participate as I'm setting up my own business right now and use every minute for it, but I will rework all the great tips and tricks as soon as possible. I did plan the picture though and bought flowers and I installed an outbox and emptied it, which is a great tool! I'll keep that and schedule to empty it once a month. Thank you and best wishes from Germany ;)

I've also signed in to say a *HUGE* thank you from me in the UK. I hate January, so I signed up for the cure, hoping actions and goals would give me something to focus on. I have done so much - every room, incl medicine cabinet, putting CDs onto itunes, and taking bags and bags of stuff to the charity shop . Please give us a challenge next Jan, it has been a mind, body, home, and health and safety life saver! Thank you again. X

Thank you, thank you Janel & AT! Wow, we all did a lot! I will miss your daily email! Congratulations everyone!

I must agree, thank you so much. I was overwhelmed by the BIG picture and breaking it down into manageable segments made it less daunting. I'm a few days behind thanks to the flu but I've kept all the emails in a folder to refer back when the clutter encroaches!
Thanks again, and I too will also miss the daily emails!

What to do with all the extra space and time, oh wait I'll figure something out. Thanks.

I too will miss the daily emails! Of course I didn't do everything but I'm so proud of what I did do: created a landing strip and outbox, cleared out tons of useless papers and bathroom stuff, hung art, got a new rug runner, enjoyed flowers and had a fabulous party that was so easy and stress-free! And I have a master list I can chip away at throughout the year.The cure made January unexpectedly lovely. It was so motivating to have a community - I really enjoyed all the posts/blogs/diaries.

AT and Janel are so smart! I'm prepping for the party tomorrow and I am noticing a whole new layer of stuff I somehow missed. Looking through the eyes of my guests, I see even more details and if they aren't too onerous, I'm dealing with them now. Sure, my friends probably won't notice these details or won't care if they do, but its a great exercise for me.

Big surprise of the Cure: after I sat in my living for 10 min and simply imagined how I want to feel in the space, the next day I found a chesterfield sofa for $30 at goodwill -- the sofa of my dreaming!!

Thanks, AT!!

Janel, thank you for the January Cure posts and your other posts as well.

I have to say even though my house was already mostly tidy and organized I did also benefit from the CURE. I purged a few more things, organized my closets more and even bought a new lamp. I know how I finally want to finish my office now too. Which I will do in the next couple of weeks. I am feeling even better about the shape of my home and can't wait until it warms up to enjoy the outside too. Maybe there could be a spring CURE for the outside?? Thanks AT & Janel

My favorite part was getting fresh flowers every week. It really helps spruce up a bare looking home after the tree and decorations are gone! I also purged about 3 or 4 bags of this and that, dusted in a few places that hadn't gotten dusted in a couple years (like picture frames and the baseboard in the bedroom), and flipped the mattress. Most importantly, though, was that I wrote down the qualities that I want my home to have--as a place to make memories, be cozy, and welcome guests. That keeps things in focus (e.g. does this book do any of these things? no? bye bye)/

YAY! I must say I am not done, but I learned a lot along the way. It may sound silly, but this month I learned that I only must put simple, attainable goals before me, and I must focus on one at a time. My chronic ADD kicks in anytime I am working on anything, but following the goals established for everyday helped me a lot. This should be our new tradition every January. Thank you!!

Woohoo!! Congrats to everyone on finishing or near-finishing! It felt great to complete the Cure and the apartment is more enjoyable to be in. I'm going to use the momentum and continue to be careful about what we bring in and keep it organized and clean.
See you all next year!

http://shoes-off-please.com/2013/02/01/the-january-cure-is-officially-complete/

I didn't participate fully in the cure because I thought I was "done" - lol, yeah right! But the January Cure inspired me to get the hall closet painted and organized, re-paint my entrance hall and landing strip, slipcover a chair (which I've never, ever done before!), organize my sound system better, move some paintings around so I notice them again, and host a potluck. \m/

Another thanks from me to Janel and the AT staff. My favorite exercise in the Cure was sitting for 10 minutes in a place where I don't usually observe the apartment, to get a better perspective on what needs to be done. It really changed how I saw my space. I still have to work on redoing my closets, but it was a relief every day to see how many things I was already doing right in my apartment. It's so easy to focus on what I haven't finished yet that I needed this internal pat-on-the-back. Good luck to everyone who has a gathering planned in the next few days! I hope there's a post so Curers can record how their events went.

Thank you Janel, AT and everyone commenting! I feel so happy when I open my door each night ... and when I wake up and no longer have to see the hideous particle-board shelves full of boxes I couldn't seem to get around to sorting through. I took care of the boxes last weekend and put the shelves out on the curb for garbage pick up on Sunday night. Having that corner of my room empty is just about the equivalent of having a new room. That eyesore has been weighing on me for far too long. I finished both of the projects I took on for January -- clearing and decorating my entrance hall and decluttering and organizing the cabinet/shelving unit/hutch in my kitchen. Finished the hutch last night -- threw out or found a better home for so much stuff I now have 1 1/2 empty shelves! What a fabulous month. I've done more work in these few weeks than I would have imagined possible and am energized and excited to continue the process.

My celebration is on Sunday, so tonight and tomorrow I'll be prepping for that. Can't wait to have my friends see my new digs!

I second this... The diffence is sooooo noticable.. My husband loves the new me (Fresh flowers at the weekend and turning over a new leaf from my hoarding days) I haven't acheived all the purging I wanted to this month, too many rooms/lofts/shed/even the car! to go through - slowly getting there.... I feel I have changed my ways and look at my home in a wonderful new way. I have always loved the feel I get walking into a holiday rental with a fantastic eclectic taste and space to breathe. This is what I have endevoured to create in my own home and up until following the Cure, hadn't known quite how to fully master it. I am on the road to a wonderful new home, me and future - Thankyou Janel and to all at AT. :) You are all worth your weight in Gold .

I agree with every single person who posted above me! Thanks SO much. I was feeling down about our rental house, and it already looks so much better. I love having people over anyway, but it will be even more fun when they see the changes we've made!

The master list was one of the biggest helps - thanks for everything! PLEASE can we do a mini-Cure in the summer?

I agree with Lilac....January is an awful month, especially where it can be bitter cold. The CURE activities made the month go faster, as well as more productive!

I am convinced I would follow a daily or weekly guide to keeping up at home.... the CURE, all year long?! Yes!

Thanks Janel & AT!

I've also signed up to comment just to say THANK YOU. I got a late start on the Cure, so I'll still be working this weekend instead of celebrating, but I have gotten so much done already and am so motivated to keep going! It has been amazing to see and hear everything that everyone has gotten done in the recaps and the comments, one project at a time. I think the calendar has been my favorite part, and I might continue making my own going forward. It's much harder to slack off when it nicely displays what I'm supposed to be working on that day. And I also echo the votes for more Cures in the future!

Yes Mini-Cure plese - email us to get us going again !

I didn't do everything on the list (I am physically incapable of following rules) but I got rid of clutter and really evaluated what I liked and improved my home as a result of the exercise, particularly the inspirational and brave contributors. enjoy your indoor hulahooping

Thanks - this was great!

After reviewing my list from early January, it's amazing how much has been finished. The only tasks I did not complete were due to cost -- we are saving up to buy a few items.

The cure had great timing. We moved in November, and after the initial push of unpacking and decorating, my progress had slowed. This helped me finish some open projects and do one final round of unpacking and organize in each room.

THANK YOU!!!! Thanks to the January Cure and all of the hard work of Janel and the rest of the AT team, I have gotten so much up and out of my home. This cure has created momentum for the rest of the year. If my home looks this good after only 1 month, I can only imagine the beauty that will be there at the end of the entire year.

Even though I dropped out half-way, I am really pleased with everything I did this month. Thanks for the inspiration! It has been really helpful making a list of thing I want to do, because it made me focus on what I want my home to be like, ideally... I wrote down things that I never thought about before, things that aren't causing major problems but that - once changed - actually make a big impact on my day to day life. And the outbox is genius. I'll keep it! Hopefully you'll have another Cure coming up, somewhere in spring. Maybe a short one about spring cleaning?

This has been a great experience and I've accomplished a lot this month. I'm nowhere near "done" (is anyone ever done??) but I am making progress and that's the important thing!

I've been telling everyone I know all month long about the Cure and how awesome it is! Can we do this again in about six months? Please????

Can we still send in before and afters? Is there going to be a reader submission before and after?

I'm still finishing up two things that I wanted to get done last night. I am waiting for certain frames to be back in stock! Really frustrating but super close to being done.

I agree with Erica11216. I would like a whole post dedicated to before and after shots, maybe a week from now when my space will be done! Pretty please!

Dear Janel, AT, and other Curators, Thank you so much. I had to change my big project from painting the bathroom to really reorganizing and cleaning the kitchen, and I'm so glad I did I cannot believe the difference. The organization and storage in the kitchen is so much better and I was able to give away three HUGE boxes of kitchen stuff (does one really need five Dutch ovens?). I'm ashamed to say just how old some of the food that got pitched was. Some days I was so tired I could barely crawl into bed; but at the same time I felt reinvigorated and recharged. Some of the tasks I set myself still need to be done but they really feel doable.

Here's a list of what I accomplished:
Bathroom
All four vanity drawers cleaned and sorted
Old makeup thrown away
Cabinet under the sink cleaned and sorted
Floor washed
Sink, mirror, bath, and toilet: cleaned
New toothbrush holder, soap dish, and tray

Kitchen
All cabinets (except for the "good" china cabinet) cleaned, sorted, and reorganized
All drawers cleaned and sorted
Old food thrown away
New glass storage containers
Food transferred to glass containers
Stove, hood, refrigerator, and oven cleaned
Floor cleaned and waxed
Three large boxes of kitchen items given away
Counters and sink cleaned

Utility Room
Green house window washed
Plants watered and rearranged
Planters and pots cleaned and sorted
Floor washed
One box of playbills and programs pitched
Cleaning products sorted and rearranged
Cat supplies sorted and rearranged
Cabinet cleared
Old cleaning products pitched

Living and Dining Rooms
Floors washed
Stained glass window niche cleaned and rearranged
Metal-clad table cleaned and polished
Orchids bought and arranged
Many items put in temporary storage
New wastepaper basket

Bedroom
Fresh linens and duvet
Floor washed
Furniture cleaned
Scattered bits and pieces gathered, organized and put away

Study
Bookshelf above my desk reorganized
Art rearranged
Cushions on the Taos daybed plumped every day
Floor and rugs vacuumed

Upstairs Bathroom
Four medicine cabinet shelves cleaned and organized
Old products and medicine thrown away

Miscellany
Photo reframed
Additional frames purchased

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Erica 11216 and Jess L. (and everyone else) - YES, please feel free to continue to send the before/after pics to the januarycure@apartmenttherapy.com email address. We've got a few posts in the queue from those submissions already and will continue to check that mailbox in the coming weeks. (February IS Home Projects month on Apartment Therapy, after all!)

I agree with all that SaneDaysAreMad said. I am happier and so is my family because of what you've helped me do. I was reluctant to commit at first but now I am so glad I did! My sister and mom came over to see all I'd done & help me celebrate and they were inspired, too! Thank you!

And, thanks for all of the really kind "thanks" on this thread. I really appreciate it and will pass it on to everyone who was involved on this end. I've definitely got my thinking cap on for the next Cure!

The Cure 'intent' has been valuable mainly because it's stuck on my mind (as a positive thing) and the visual results are motivating. Yes, there are missed areas & some stuff stuffed in the closet (when company came the other day). Just for Cur-iosity, I need to look up and read about the Cure of 2012,

I think you must all collectively have hypnotized me. Not only did I have my church group here last night, I called my sister & invited her & the BIL over for chili Sunday noc. I think we're going to have to sit at my dog grooming table (Yes, I'll cover it) since I normally eat at the counter, & have only 2 stools. I do have an IKEA mudhus (?) table, but you couldn't seat 3 people at that without a shoehorn.
Didn't do everything, but did a lot, & very happy with the way it feels.. My Project was the mudporch, retrospectively a silly choice for the Midwest in January--it's not heated. I do have most of what I need & a plan for when it warms up. :)))

Thank you Janel! The Cure was a bright spot for January bleakness. I put a picture up that had been languishing for a year, weeded a couple drawers of files, new red bath mats, flowers from the corner florist(love I can walk there), oiled my shredder, sent 9 bags of stuff to Purple Heart, and my husband got the floors vacuumed into shape.

Thank you! I did about 10% of everything. However, it helped motivate me and I plan to keep on going. When faced with a big mess, sometimes you just don't know where to start. By even just getting some of it done (kitchen drawers, medicine cabinet, flowers and making plans), it has helped me know that even the little helps and there is a difference. On to my February Cure!

Thanks to all at AT, the great posts (you inspire!), Janel and Maxwell (for writing the original book). I did what I could during the weekends and the house looks great. I loved it before but I love it more now. And I did manage to stick with using my landing strip. Big hurray to me. That list of projects is still quite long. But I do feel I learned to approach tasks around the house in a new way. It's all good. I'm actually planning another project off that initial list this weekend. Looking forward to the next cure.

I continue to be a fan of the cure, and the room by room to-do list has been an amazing tool, but it occurs to me that after my Super Bowl party I will have to start all over with the floor deep clean. This was a great kick in the pants for me and I plan to keep with it.

Loved the January Cure! Even though I got quite a bit behind the last couple weeks, I'm happy about the progress I did make and that I finished my big project - a day early! I'm planning on keeping the momentum going and try to pick up some of the assignments I missed in February and will pick another big project to accomplish this month as well - a 1 year old slowed me down, but I think I can accomplish everything on a bit longer timeline. I will miss those daily emails - would love another Cure later this year.
I started a blog in January as well and reported on some of my successes (along with a lot of baby pics) - it's my first month, so it's not as fancy as other blogs I read, but I plan on improving on it in February as well!
conleyandfriends.blogspot.com

Jane et al,
Thank you - thank you - thank you.

How can we go onwards and take this momentum into our other projects, etc? A huge aspect of The Cure was being able to read the success and challenges we all had. As someone who had/has anxiety about starting a project (I never hung artwork b/c I thought I wouldn't get it right) having the calendar was a form of 'accountability' that was helpful. Will AT be putting something together to continue this momentum prior to a 6-month design (or whatever it will be) cure in the summer? I'm worried that I will freeze or even regress!

I can not believe how motivating it was to engaging an online challenge/project with the AT team and perfect (online) strangers/communicty and find it so motivating and inspirational. WOW! My house is better in every room-addressing sore spots and making everyone room more enjoyable. A nice blend of cleaning/ organizing / and just plain more aesthetically pleasing. Thanks So Much!

Oh man this was so rad. I really want to stay motivated and keep doing the things on my checklist. I am still moving art around (I think I've just about reached the saturation point for art on the walls - might not be able to get that awesome Totoro print) and planning on how to paint the living room. But now is the time of year when I have to start weed-whacking about once a week, so we'll see how much time I have to get things done. Thanks everyone! I've really enjoyed reading your posts and following along. <3

This cure was so well timed! More please!

After years of renovations, our wedding, and summers on my husbands boat [due to renovations], we [I] finally unpacked! I must have purged 75% of the junk I'd boxed up. there were a few items i was glad to see, but for the most part, the predominant thought was why on earth did I keep that? so wonderful for most of it to be gone on to other homes. I gave stuff to friends, charity, and set on the curb for passers by to take just about nothing went to landfill.

Though it is still a work in progress, and my projects list is still very long [and costly], I feel on the right track to enjoying my space for the first time in years. the built ins in the living room have organized office binders, matching storage bins, and books & photo frames instead of parts and power tools and ugly dirty mismatched storage bins & boxes. The dining room table hosted a big family meal, instead of being covered in mail, my laptop bag, and other items moved to the landing strip. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Being able to follow along with the AT community, and keeping family friends posted as to what I've been doing gave me the needed support, organization of activities, and push, to really dig into the list of things that had been put on the back burner for so long.

Great Idea - the January Cure! Love your concepts and ideas. These winter grey are getting me down. Do you have anything for Feb. I still feel like a need a cure...

The timing of this was so perfect! I moved into an apartment from a house in October, and between finding places for everything, and celebrating Christmas, by January I was ready to hone in on specific problem areas and start some decorating. First off, making a master list of tasks to be done was very soothing because I realized what had to be done was doable! I've got some pictures up, sorted out my problem corner of the dining room, and have a plan for winnowing out my books and CDs. Now I'm going to choose another task from my list. Thanks for the kick start!

I started the cure a week a little over a week ago, and have got so much done already. Today I cleaned the kitchen for almost 5 hours. Still not done, but it feels so good to have clean cabinets and get rid of old food.

On Monday I am hosting a book swap, and whatever is left afterwards will go to a local second hand shop.

It is so much fun to read and follow everyones progress here, very motivating.

Love from Norway.

Thank you to everyone at AT! Also, thank you to everyone who posted: it was so inspiring to read about your progress (and occasionally, the lack thereof, which was sometimes even more inspiring and relate-able). Even though I didn't finish - and knew from the beginning that I'd be dropping out when my classes started - I feel like I accomplished so much. Will we be able to do this again, maybe in the summer?

thanks so much for the january cure! the parts i did have made my little pad a happier, cleaner, cuter place. i like it all over again! it was fun to know so many other people were doing this (or, like me, partially doing this). it was the push i needed to do things i wouldn't have completed on my own, and i really appreciated the nice guidance/emails. thanks and thanks!!

I may not be done yet, so the Cure is continuing into February for me. But THANK YOU THANK YOU for making my January fun, keeping me on track, and keeping this great community going! My project list is still a mile long but I've done a few things that make me so much happier with my home!

I was trying to explain the January Cure to the friends who were over tonight (reaping the benefits of and celebrating the Cure's impact on my place with me). It's about changing your relationship to your apartment I said. Things didn't completely transform, but some stuff got a lot better and bottom line: we feel better about each other, my apartment and me and we have some good strategies to work together.

About a 1.5 ft. stack of paper files have been recycled, a couple boxes of clothes and household items are being redistributed at Goodwill and my floors are clean clean. I've got fresh flowers and a new herb garden that's thriving (and has already paid for itself, twice) after a month. Haven't gotten the new art up on the walls yet, but pals gave me some good advice and I'm ready to get going.

And our gathering tonight may have launched a regular eating club. So many benefits to participating in January Cure that will resonate through the year - woot!

My friends have just gone home after my cheese and rosé wine tasting soiree. It was a great afternoon. I loved showing off my spectacularly clean house and renovated balcony that was my big project.
Thank you Janel and all at AT. I'm loving this new, clean and organised relationship I'm having with my apartment!!
Looking forward to the next project (although I really need to finish the kitchen from this one).
Leone
Sydney Australia :)

As so many I didn't get everything done (a weekend to myself to deep clean the kitchen? I wish!) but I loved The Cure and did get a lot done. We had a party yesterday and while I did find myself prepping for the party for three days straight only to clean up again today, it was so worth it and so much fun. Also The Cure just changes your mindset and makes it easier to just clean and organize things as you go or whenever you have half an hour, instead of just putting it off or getting used to it. Right in the middle of baking two cakes for the party I reoganized my baking cabinet while one cake was in the oven. Feels so good to accomplish even the little things!

Thank you Janel and AT, this has been a lot of work but at least for me so much better than the previous mini-Cures. Can't wait to do this again later this year! Still a lot of things to finish, but they'll get done in time.

I have decided to write since my experience is somewhat unique. I am currently in Germany where I will be until the end of February. Nonetheless, I really wanted to participate, so I made a document of “the Cure” and will do it in March, when I get home, and have my celebration in April. Each day, I added the posting, as well as comments I found pertinent. I made a detailed plan for each part of my home, so that when I get back, all I have to do is follow along. Additionally, at the beginning of January, I began to organise and put order in all my computer files and photos, which have been a huge mess for years, and will work on this until my return home. Thank you so much, A.T. and Janel, as well as all of you who wrote your helpful comments.

Thank you so much, AT and Janel! My brunch ended an hour ago, my guests have gone home, kitchen is spotless. I am sitting in my little apartment, and every place my eyes land is clean and put together. Inside every drawer and cupboard is the same way. One of my friends at brunch walked into my place and looked around for a minute. He came back out to the living room and said, "Yeah, this is how a house should look, no clutter anywhere." Cool. Cheers to everyone who participated!

A massive thank you for that extra motivation in January! The cure triggered something in me.. I too didn't get my entire list done, (it was ambitious!) but I'm just super grateful in what I was able to achieve. Half my wardrobe disappeared, shelves were regained and re-organised, deep cleans etc.. Looking forward to continuing a 'cure-like' mentality from here on..
Xx

Many thanks! Today I dropped off my last box of recycling and paper to be shredded and getting rid of the outbox was so freeing. The monthly reminders inspired me to clean out my hall closet (4 years worth of clutter), create a lovely landing pad, and empty files that I hadn't looked in in years. It feels good!

P.S. The three HUGE outboxes are gone.