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Clutter Awareness Week |
| By Laura Bissonette |
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The fourth week of March has been designated as the time of year when we are reminded to look around us and notice what is cluttering up our lives. Clutter Awareness Week happens to come just before spring pops up and points out the grime that has accumulated all winter.
Clutter affects your life in more ways than you know. Your productivity at work is hampered by clutter when you have to search through it to find what you need to do your job. When your email and voice mail boxes get full of clutter it takes longer to find the important ones. Did you remember to answer the ones you meant to? Do you have a system to help you remember?
Your home is affected by clutter when it piles up in the form of clean laundry that ends up in the wash again because it didn't get put away; by the accumulation of more and more possessions that need to be cleaned and cared for and stored; by the newspapers and junk mail and garbage that we are bombarded with every day.
There is mind clutter and body clutter that needs to be guarded against and exorcised (and excercised). Your life can be cluttered with activities that take up valuable time but give you no reward.
Now is the time to grab a piece of paper, or better yet, a notebook, and make a list. Walk through your home and look at it as though you were a prospective buyer. Jot down repairs to be made and all the little things you notice that could be improved on. If you schedule a 15 minute period each day to work on one small project, and keep at it until it's done, your home will look better and you will feel better, with very little effort!
Decluttering has many benefits. When the time comes to do some spring cleaning, there won't be as much to clean, we'll be able to find what it is we want to clean, and we won't have to move as many things out of the way to get the job done.
With a clutter free house there is no embarrassment that comes with drop-in visitors. You can enjoy their company instead of worrying about what they might see. When your mind is uncluttered, you can focus on the things that are important to you.
Here are a few suggestions to help you "celebrate" Clutter Awareness Week:
1. Choose one area to work on at a time, such as one drawer or one corner of a room.
2. Set a timer for 15 minutes. When it rings, stop and congratulate yourself on how much you accomplished in that short time. Continue working if you still feel energetic, but don't force yourself to do more.
3. Make a decision about each item you pick up. Do you want to keep it? Do you have to keep it? If the answer to either is yes, then where will you keep it? If the answer to both is no, then how will you get rid of it?
4. Assign a home to every single item you own. If you know where it belongs it is easier to put it away.
5. If you don't need something any longer then pass it on to someone else to enjoy. You can sell it, donate it, recycle it or throw it away.
6. Start a give away box and keep it near the door. When people come to visit ask them to go through it and pick out anything they could use.
7. For storage solutions - think about how to use things in different ways. A new flat topped garbage can or similar sized container, covered with a tablecloth makes a wonderful nightstand that can hold extra blankets.
8. Ask a friend to help you clear your clutter and set a date to return the favour. It always goes faster and it's more fun with two.
9. Ask yourself why you are holding onto something that you never use. What good is it bringing into your life? If the answer is "just in case I might need it one day", then think about where you might be able to get another one if that day ever comes.
10. If it doesn't make you smile every time you see it; if it doesn't bring pleasure into your life; if it doesn't make you feel warm and happy; if it annoys you when you look at it, it's called clutter and it has no place in your life. Get rid of it!
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About The Author:
Laura Bissonette is the owner of A1 Priorities. "Helping Busy People Get Organized." For more organizing ideas see <http://www.a1priorities.com>www.a1priorities.com |
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