Do you live in an environment full of clutter and want it to change?

Clutter is a battlefield! Or at least it can look and act like one. Clutter can create a set of challenges that affect not only your physical environment, but also your mental well being. Instead of the trenches and the potential landmines blowing up, clutter creates a physical state of turmoil where there are constant obstacles. Have you ever tripped over a toy or spent hours looking for your car keys amidst the mess? And mentally, it creates a state of panic and unrest. Although it may not be quite as life-threatening as a real war zone, clutter creates a different kind of discord - with yourself and the “things” in your life. There is a constant struggle with the idea of what is important, what do you need to keep, what are you willing to throw out?

Who’s the boss? You or the “things” in your life?

I used to be a terrible pack-rat. Would you believe, I kept a lock of hair from high school (don’t ask)! When I found it 10 years later, I thought to myself, “Why am I keeping this thing?” But instead of throwing it out, I kept it for another 5 years! When I dug it up, yet again, I realized that I was attaching emotion and memory to a lot of the things I keep, there was definitely value in the “things” for me, but it’s sentimental. Ironically, as soon as I realized that value - that I was REALLY holding onto a fond memory - I didn’t need that “thing” any more. I was able to let go and throw it out because I knew I would always have what was important, the sentiment.

Why are you holding onto the “things” in your life?

It may take some thinking to realize the TRUE value behind those things that you keep, but in the meantime what you CAN do to de-clutter your environment is to look at the big picture and start slowly zoning into the specifics of what you want to keep and what you don’t based on what is useful to you TODAY. Tackling the clutter from a distant “forest” view can also help you detach from the items themselves.

Here’s a simple plan to make your way through the battlefield and into peaceful territory:

1.  Map out your house/apt and start with one room or section at a time. For example the bathroom might be small enough to take care of pretty quickly, but a larger area like a bedroom, you may want to separate into sections, ie dresser, nightstands and closet.

2. Plan on how often you will be de-cluttering, weekly, bi-weekly, or if you have a large chunk of time, perhaps you can dedicate a whole weekend to clearing out several rooms at once.

3. Use three boxes to “Give Away / Sell” “Trash” “Storage.” As a general rule, “storage” are things that have specific value to you and you may need more time to decide if you want to keep it. Label each storage box with the date, if after a year you haven’t used it, needed it or wanted it, think about transferring it into the “Trash” pile the next year.

Dedicate at least 1-2 hours this weekly and within a couple of months your house will be clutter free!

Next we’ll consider working on a system to MAINTAIN that peaceful clutter free environment!

On Your Side of the Battle!
Susan
PS - After going through storage and realizing there are some things I’d like to keep whether to pass on to my children or for myself, I created a “Susan Life Capsule” but I limited myself to only 10 items or things that would fit in a specific space. The important thing that it was not cluttering my home any more. Perhaps you can come up with a good strategy for your situation as well. Let me know what you find works for you!