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Yet underneath it all, they
are simply comfortable with the familiar.
Many people would love to have
an organized environment, but keep procrastinating while their
piles of stuff and their guilt/fear/anxiety increase! Here are
Ten Tips - - some really simple steps to help you get started
on a cleaner house, head, and life:
1. Make a list of every closet,
drawer, etc. that needs to be cleared. For example, master bathroom:
8 drawers, one linen closet. Home office: 6 desk drawers, 5 filing
cabinets drawers, sofa stacked with papers. This crucial first
step is not to overwhelm you; quite the contrary, it’s to
give you the big picture so you can break it down into easily
manageable baby steps. Allow yourself all the time you need…..one
or two hours a day or a week. This entire project may take you
weeks or even months to complete. But you will feel better every
single step of the way…..just imagine the burden being lifted
by simply starting! Some couples and families find creative ways
to do this together.
2. Next, prioritize which area
needs to be tackled first. If you are close to bankruptcy, you
might want to handle your office first. If your spouse is researching
divorce attorneys because of the bedroom clutter, you might want
to start there. Get your list in order, and choose one room,
one area to make your debut. Pick your favorite time of day and
day of the week to work on this project. Write it in your calendar/datebook/Blackberry
and honor this date with yourself as if it were as important
as a DDS or MD appointment so you are psychologically geared
up for it. If letting go is already difficult, why not set yourself
up for success by making it easier in every way possible? Enroll
a friend of family member to help you, but only if he/she can
be lovingly decisive. If you have children, allow them to help
you. Know that you are modeling excellent behaviors for them
to take on and pass on to their children. You are training them
to be more decisive, organized, and let the small stuff go. Wear
comfy clothes, put on your favorite upbeat music, and have your
favorite meal and beverage (or fresh flowers, etc.) ready for
you as a reward when you complete this.
3. On D-Day (De-clutter Day):
Take every single thing out of the closet or drawer. Vacuum and/or
clean out all dust and dirt. Thoroughly. Have rags and antibacterial
cleansers handy and perhaps an air freshener. Polish the furniture.
You may wish to line drawers with paper, and/or add organizational
dividers.
4. Next, sort items into piles
of (A) must keep because I use it frequently, (B) not sure, haven’t
used in a while, and (C) haven’t used in years and frankly
forgot I had it. Remember, nothing is gone forever. If you find
later that you discarded something you still need, you can get
another….perhaps an updated, better one. When we hold onto
the past, we deny the future possibilities of improvement.
5. Put all of C items in a garbage
bag and label for your favorite church, charity, homeless people,
shelter, mission, or Salvation Army. OR, label for the garage
sale you will plan when complete with the clearing phase.
6. Sort A items in an organized
fashion: color code, size, etc. You can get very inexpensive
racks and containers for drawers and closets that will keep all
your items neat and orderly. Call me anal, but my closet is arranged
(and labeled) DRESSES, SUITS, BLOUSES, PANTS, SWEATERS, and all
color coded within the category. A REAL time saver when I want
to mix and match.
7. Revisit B items and rate
each on a scale of 1-10 in attachment, 10 being you really feel
attached/scared to let it go. Anything scoring 5 or lower goes
you know where…….in with the C items for recycling
or garage sale. Another way to deal with the Bs is by asking
yourself: Is this item a reminder of my past, or in line with
my future?
8. Repeat this cycle in every
area of your home or office. You will probably feel like your
home has “lost weight,” as indeed it has. Enjoy the
feeling! Celebrate with that favorite meal, beverage, flowers,
etc. You’ve earned a treat.
9. With all the items you are
letting go, have a garage sale and make a few extra bucks. Or
take to a local eBay seller and have them do it for you. Or give
away the items to a friend, a college student, to a shelter or
Salvation Army or a church. Remember, you are not losing these
things…..you are recycling, sharing with others who can
really use them. You’ve outgrown them. Others need them
more than you do.
10. If even the thought of this
is overwhelming, you might consider hiring a master of Feng Shui,
a personal organizer, or a clutter buster, to come in and work
with you patiently through every step of the process. Be prepared
for emotions to come up. A good Feng Shui master or organizer
will know how to walk you through this crucial phase. Keep a
journal close by if you are working this alone, and write out
your feelings. Bottling them inside you is exactly what is bottlenecking
your home’s energy.
After you’re done, you
want to put a maintenance plan in effect to insure continual
comfort and psychological health. Once a week, more or less,
check in and survey your home or office. Throw away or file away
everything you can. Organize bills in a chronological fashion
and keep in some sort of TO BE PAID stack. Look at it every week
and see what needs to be paid. Debts (like excess pounds!) are
definitely a form of clutter. Check out your closets and clothes
drawers with every season’s change, or just at the New Year,
to clear out the C items, and survey the B items.
A healthy psyche can flow as
easily as a ship on an open sea. Imagine how difficult it would
be for a ship to sail through cluttered waters. It would take
enormous energy and time to maneuver around obstacle after obstacle.
Here’s to smooth sailing
on the sea of life! |
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