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Imagine living in a home, that looks and feels like a dump, excessive and unnecessary belongings everywhere. Never being able to find what you’re looking for. Stuff Piling on and on, ultimately even leading to lethargy and resignation. Imagine spending a small fortune on needless things every month not knowing how or when to stop. You wouldn’t want to live like that now would you?

Now I’m pretty sure most of us have probably gone through these issues in life and maybe found solutions and changed for the better. But for those of you, who are thinking “Wow, that’s the story of my life”, you need not fear, all you have to do is ‘De-clutter’. We’re going to tell you everything you need to know about de-cluttering and how to make it a permanent part of your life. Firstly though, we’re going to state some of the benefits.

If you have finally gotten down to de-cluttering your house, you might also feel the need to renovate after the de-cluttering process is complete. You don’t need to hire an interior designer for a completely new look. You can change the way your home looks just by doing small things like redoing one of the walls, changing the colour tone, changing the general ambiance. You can add candles to give a romantic and mysterious feel to your home. Maybe buy some new plants and put them indoors. Frame some old photos of your family. Use more colours. Actually, use more of your favourite colour. These renovation techniques are simple, cheap and, will save you a lot of money, but before you can even start thinking about giving your home a new look, you’ll need to de-clutter.

If you’re feeling extremely lazy and lethargic and have resigned from moving any forward in life, whether it has to do with your married life, social life or your work, you need to take a break and de-clutter your home. De-cluttering your home will also help de-clutter your mind and soul, and will free you of stress. It will liberate you and you’ll feel lighter and much happier, like a load has been taken off your back and shoulders. You’ll feel more positive and optimistic, eager to get on with life, dealing with everyday problems with a clear and calm mind. Hence, de-cluttering is a great way to heal oneself and relax when life gets too much.

While revamping the house you will come across different types of belongings. Possessions that need to be disposed and those that are still considerably new. Then there is stuff which you own but can’t recall purchasing and things which you’ve used for a good amount of time. Now normally you put up some sale banners and hold a garage sale to get rid of all the usable stuff you don’t need. Not only does this help in de-cluttering your home but earns you a nice sum of money at the same time, if the items you are selling have reasonable value that is. Of course if this seems like too much work, you can always go on eBay and sell your belongings. It could be anything from antique grand pianos, to old stamp collections, to used army gear. So basically de-cluttering will also benefit you financially.

There’s a good chance, while you’re de-cluttering, you might come across stuff you’ve bought while on shopping sprees, trying to overcome anxiety or other psychological problems. This is obviously a form of clutter and once you realize most of it, you dint need in the first place, or haven’t even opened yet, with the tags still intact, you will get a reality check. This type of de-cluttering leads to finding other ways of releasing pressure and discovering another outlet for all your stress related problems. It could be a simple walk in the park. You have to revaluate your expenses and lifestyle. There’ll probably be a lot of stuff you don’t need to buy, because you already have it, so cross these things off of your shopping list. Charity can be another good way of giving away unwanted things and make you feel good about yourself at the same time. There will always be people who’ll need the belongings you want to get rid of.
De-cluttering inside and outside your home
Some people have the clutter bug. They can’t help but be that way. It’s a state and it needs serious attention before it gets worse.
Albert Einstein: “Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Recycling is a vital component of de-cluttering your house. From water and organic waste to recycling building materials and packaging, recycling will minimise the production of garbage and landfill. The options available to house owners for reducing the impact of their homes on the environment are growing daily and range from something as simple as choosing reusable cloth bags over plastic at the supermarket to solar water heaters, signing on to green power sources, even selling solar- powered electricity back at the local grid.
When running an well-organized home and regularly de-cluttered house, the finances you save can go to use on other things like piano lessons or vacations or in a larger house it can make sure you make ends meet. There are several ways to save money, here and there, from turning off the refrigerator when you go on vacation, repairing leak pipes and taps, choosing energy-effective appliances, and shopping in bulk orders. Planting a few vegetables around your garden will not hurt either.
When your storage space has overtaken your work space, it’s a good indication, that you should start de-cluttering. There is generally an abundance of pens and paper in many houses. Unless you’re a sketchbook collector or an artist/painter, you will not need so much paper. Selling paper will not fetch you anything significant, but sketchbooks and a nice box of pens could still be valuable. You will often find yourself putting something down rather than properly putting it where it belongs. This is a sure shot way of cluttering your house.
A fast and effective way to make an impact or at least feel like it is, organising your clothes closet. Go through the entire collection of clothes you own and make a two separate stacks. One for the clothes you will keep and one for all the clothes you haven’t work in the last few years. Throw out stained clothes or those that need stitching. The considerably usable clothes should be given to shelters and charity shops or people in need. Carefully inspect the clothes that you want to keep. Divide the long and short hanging clothing items with regards to colour. Space left under the short hanging clothes after having been hung, should be utilized for keeping boxes of shoes and other accessories.
Buying a completely new wardrobe might not be an option for you, but tie and belt holders is an cheap alternative to keep your accessories in order. Organising clothes is an important part of de-cluttering, especially when it comes to your room. It will look neat and you’ll easily be able to find what you’re looking for next time.
Now to put in order, the rest of the house. Make a shelf for all the books you own, in case you already don’t have one. Some of these books must have been a treat to read. Cherish those times by making a proper place for them, so that they’re easily traceable and you can show them off to guests, if you have an impressive collection. If you have a study or a small library room, make a list of all the books you own, and keep regular checks making sure they are in their proper place. Setting them up in alphabetical order in the shelves will make it easier for you to find the books you’re looking for.
Your work desk should only have those items which you use for work purposes and not unnecessary stuff which has nothing to do with what you work on. Keep a pen holder, or a pen cup and/or stationary box in case you have a lot of stationary.
Store items in an efficient and fitted way. Make the space occupied as minimal as possible. Your store room might be a place for all the stuff you don’t want out in the open, but it should not look like a war zone. It should be given regular visits so that things don’t get out of hand and you’re left hiring the services of professional disposers and movers and paying their bills. Your garden shed, garage or attic can also be utilized as a storage place for items you don’t normally use. Make sure all these places are nicely kept.
Make sure you allot a special place for all those important papers. They could be house papers, birth certificates, anything personal. Keep them under key-lock so others can’t access them and you’re not worried every time you leave home. Even your bills should be kept in a particular place so you don’t lose them. Buying a ‘home file’ will help you in dealing with that.
Getting stackable storage boxes will further help you in keeping things tidy. You can now buy nice looking ones which go with the general feel of your house. Look around for ones which follow the same colour scheme, so they compliment your home and don’t look out of place, even if you place them in the living room. Same way you can keep a storage box for your children’s toys, so they’re not just everywhere: It’s a problem we all face as parents.
Keep your family members and house mates in check. If you see them take something out of a drawer, remind them to make sure it goes back. If everyone in the house will make a conscious effort and be disciplined, there will be less pressure on you to keep things tidy.
Keep things that are actually pretty to look at. We all have our family decoration pieces, which have come a long way since our great grand fathers first, bought them. But if they are too many in number, taking too much space and stick out like eyesores in their surroundings and you never liked most of them to begin with, then put them away. Simplicity is the key to a clean and de-cluttered environment at home. Only have stuff on for display which compliments your home.
Make it a habit to de-clutter for 15 minutes everyday. This will ensure you have a tidy house and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you can do in small doses like that.
Before bringing in new stuff, think about everything you already have. There’s no point getting something which you wont use and will just add to the living space. Whether you are done de-cluttering or have just started, put your foot down and stop getting new stuff. Even if you don’t de-clutter, not getting additional items will help you avoid clutter issues, so it’s a good habit to have. Take it one step at a time if that is your pace. Just keep in mind, eventually you will need to de-clutter. It’s like going on a diet without any exercise, even though it will help you lose some weight; you still need to work out, so you can completely get rid of the fat and keep the weight from coming back.
If you feel like you’re wasting the stuff you’re getting rid of, just donate. You will feel good about yourself and won’t regret giving it away.
Create a chart for a regular schedule. The de-cluttering should be carried out either everyday or around three times a week. Make a note for when you do de-clutter. You’ll feel like you’ve done something worthwhile. It will give you a sense of satisfaction.
When de-cluttering, begin at one end of the room and move forward from there. Do the floors and surfaces first. Remove trash from the can. Do it again, but the next time, make more effort, open your drawers and closet.
Giving yourself incentives will always give you encouragement and drive. Tell yourself; if you manage finishing sorting out the garden, for example, you’ll treat yourself to your favourite dessert.
Put on music if it helps you enjoy your de-cluttering session or even focus for that matter. Some people work better while listening to music.
Conserve time. If you’re making tea, and you’ve put water in the kettle to boil, don’t waste time waiting for it. In the meantime, go fix your living room. It might be just a few measly minutes but it will help you stay aware and have better time management. You will eventually make a habit out of it and one day thank me.
Don’t let empty storage containers go to waste. Even though we’re minimalizing space used, it’s important however that the storage space you have allocated is utilized to its fullest. If that’s not where you’re storing your belongings then that means you’re still cluttering. Keep this in mind, next time you see a half empty container. Either get rid of it completely or utilize well. Furthermore, allocating extra storage space will lead to you filling it with extra stuff. When you’re allocating that space, keep in mind everything you own, what needs to be where and how often you use some of those things. There’s a thin line between overstating and understating. Keep your storage space just right.
Ever heard of the famous “one in two out” rule? It applies perfectly to the de-cluttering process. When getting something new, get rid of two or several old items. And no, stationary will not do. Think big, and you’ll find yourself having more space and less stuff to deal with.
If you own clothes you haven’t used in what seems like years, get rid of them right away. Either give them away or put them up for sale. Pawn shops and yard sales will help serve that purpose. You can also put clothes or items which you don’t think you’re sure about getting rid of and think you might use someday, in a box and put it away in your storing area, for lets say a year. When you finally find the box, there is a good chance you wont even recall what it contained. Give it away now! Do not open it. This is a great exercise to counter indecisiveness.
Do one room at a time. Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you think you can multitask, that’s great, but multitask in the same room, whether it involve fixing drawers, cupboards, stuff under your bed, etc, etc. Once you’re done doing that room you can move on to the next. Remember once you’re done doing that one room you’ll be delighted with yourself and what you just achieved. It will motivate you to do more and make the rest of the house look as good.
Make a list of all the things that you think you want to buy, even if they be fantasy, not affordable or viable or completely out of your financial reach. Now next time you’ve gone out to the mall and you come across something you want, put it down on the list along with everything else. This will keep you in check in a way and make sure you hesitate long enough to change your mind. Look at this list from time to time so you know what you almost bought thanks to an itch.
Telling yourself that most of the stuff you own does not any significant value in your life and that by providing for the homeless and the less fortunate, you’re doing a good deed will also help you give away your belongings without thinking about regretting it. Also having a friend or a family member, someone who has no sentimental value for your stuff, go through and discard whatever’s unnecessary and keep whatever’s not will make it easier for you.
Some of this stuff can also be used as presents like old books or comic books for example, or your grown up children’s old toys. You don’t need these things anymore.
Someone famous once said: “We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.”

It’s not easy de-cluttering a house, which hasn’t been sorted out for ages. It can be quite a lengthy and energy draining ordeal. Like I’ve stated before, you need to take one thing at a time. If you have a really busy schedule like most of us do, and barely get time from work and your social life and even when you do have time you would rather prefer relaxing and recharging for another busy week ahead, then make an effort to do just 15 minutes everyday. It might not make much of an obvious difference to the way your house feels but hey, at least you’re starting. Rejoice when you do make that first five minute de-cluttering difference. Then make another 15 minute effort the next day and then another the day after that, till you make this a routine. Wouldn’t that be a great habit to have? This way you could eventually accomplish a lot. The kitchen, a few rooms, the store, maybe even the whole house, on your own, thanks to those 15 minute de-cluttering sessions. Sounds great doesn’t it? But for you to properly utilize those 15 minutes, I’m going to give you some helpful tips in more detail.
Paper can be a major part of our clutter like I mentioned earlier. It’s often unaccounted for and once lost you go through much difficulty finding the important piece of paper you were looking for. It can be seen almost everywhere in our homes. On tables, in cars, in drawers, etc. Why not emulate your internet email service and make a physical inbox for your home. It could be an ordinary drawer compartment for that matter, but now at least you’ll have a place to put all the paper that comes into the house. Anything from receipts to notices, to mail. What a simple solution for such a major problem. And it’ll hardly take any time.
Clear an area of the house and label it the de-cluttered zone. It doesn’t have to be a big space, just a small spot next to the kitchen will do. Extend this area with every 15 minute de-cluttering session and you’ll find you’ve covered half the house, just by making sure nothing is placed in the de-cluttered zone. Make sure your family members aren’t directly affected by this routine though. Ask them before displacing their belongings or you might get an earful. The even-levelled surfaces should all be cleared off one by one. Leaving a few necessary items, remove everything else. After doing flat surfaces you can do shelves. If you have a large book shelf, just do one at a time. Clear unnecessary items and leave the ones you need behind. Put all this in storage containers, or the store room. After you’re done clearing off enough stuff, you will be able to see the difference, which will be of enormous proportions. Maybe when you have enough stuff, you can go to the local charity office and submit it there in one of these 15 minute sessions.

You can also plan a de-cluttering weekend, with family members and friends, making sure everyone takes time out to help with the house. Thanks to your 15 minute efforts, you’ll already have done enough, this will prove to be a final clearing out or even if you don’t end up doing the whole house, you can finish off slowly on your own, knowing that a huge chunk has been completed and you’re almost there.
Pick out 7 things which you don’t think are in the suitable place and make a separate space for each of them. Make sure these things are currently in use of the house. Re-assess how they look and if they fit in the next 15 minute session and find another place if you’re not entirely happy or satisfied. This can be made into an enjoyable activity if you put your mind to it. Also show the new placements to your family members or housemates, so they don’t displace them again. Of course this could apply to everything you own.
In one of the 15 minute sessions, look around a specific room and imagine how you wanted it to look like, how what should have been where, what important decoration piece should have been better highlighted, what furniture shouldn’t have been there to begin with. Then start working accordingly. Also look at what needs repairing and get down to it immediately, before it gets worse and you have to throw it out.
Another point I think is essential in keeping your house de-cluttered is training your children. Children can be a real pain when it comes to cluttering and leaving stuff just everywhere. Of course you’ll have to lead by example, because unless you’re making sure you’re keeping the house clean and uncluttered, they’ll follow suit. It will not happen overnight though, because well, they’re children and its takes time for them to understand, so you’ll have to bear with them and keep a lookout for anything cluttering business they’re involved in. But with time, dedication and awareness your children can become a part of your cause.
In fact even roommates and family members can have a drastic effect on your living space. Maybe they are the ones cluttering more than you think you are. Take some time analysing this theory. Once it’s confirmed, have a talk with them. Tell them, this is how you feel about cluttering and that you’re trying your level best to bring a change. If you’re careful with what you say and not hurt their ego, they’ll understand and be happy to help. Be encouraging rather than critical, even if they make mistakes or take a while to get used to this new change. Cooperation from family and roommates is essential to a better living standard.
Learn to be decisive when it comes to knowing what to throw away and what to keep. Take a pile of paper for example, start at the top, and quickly scan through, keeping important papers in your inbox compartment and throwing the rest away. Snap out of keeping any unnecessary paper for later.
Medical cabinets can prove to be a big problem for many people. Most of us have outdated and expired medicines and ointments in our medical cabinets. Maybe some old used bandages and facial creams that are almost as ancient as the house. Throw all these things out! You only need a few essentials, which you use with regularity. The rest is unnecessary clutter.
Drawers need special attention, because, well, they’re contain all our private belongings. You should sort of drawers in 3 steps. The things that need to stay in the drawer should stay in the drawer. The things that aren’t supposed to be in the drawer, take them out and find another place for them and then lastly the things that don’t belong anywhere in the house and should be thrown out. Make neat stacks and if clothes, fold them properly.
Don’t forget all the equipment and de-cluttering gear you’ll need for your clutter-free mission. You will need everything from trash bags to markers to dusting material to container boxes. These boxes will need to be marked so you don’t forget, what you threw where and which ones need to be thrown out, given to charity, sold and which ones you’re keeping.
You can also have a cheerful song to get you in the mood for a long day of de-cluttering and the entire family can sing along to it. Make an event out of it.
Remember, get rid of ALL the things that don’t make you happy.
With a new uncluttered look to your house, comes a new attitude. You have to live this lifestyle now. Learn to endorse it. Make it a way of life. No cluttering from here on.

Checking!!!

Chapter 9

The Change Within


As with any revelation that you will ever come across in your life time, the will to want to be in control of all you have and all that surrounds you is completely in your hands. You can choose to live a clean and meticulous life or have it the other way. After all they are the choices that we make, in our lives that determine who we become or what we make of our selves. It is important to stand by your decisions and own them completely. It is thinking with a certain sense of accountability, that allows us to realize that, what we do in your personal lives with regards to unhealthy habits, is just not exceptable. It is easy to say that, it is a common practice to have a pile of books in one corner of the room or perhaps a stack of unwashed clothes in the other. Why? Well, because every one is on the move, and there just isn’t enough time for getting into something so trivial, as folding your sheets or putting your unused books away in a box.

You have to understand, that if you want to get some thing done, you need to do it your self, or atleast know that, breaking the mental block is what you have to train your self to do. Yes, it is very normal for any one to walk into a messy situation and want to walk right out of it. Even if that “situation” happens to be your own home. You want to do it, but you just can not seam to convince your self that it is a priority at present. In such a circumstance, it is always helpful to push you’re self into a position you would not normal like to be in. For example, if your attic needs some serious decluttering and you just do not want to go near it, call over some friends for a game of cards in the attic, or perhaps a cup of tea. It may seam strange to you, but the pressure of some friends coming over may be what you are looking for to help you get on with it. Just make sure there not too close to you, in that case its not going to matter and you will probably end up making more of a mess of just gathering some more unwanted clutter.


Once you have learned to push your self, you will find that it really is not a big deal to reorganize any thing. However, it is always a better idea to know what you are capable of doing. I agree that when you see too much clutter in one place the thought of the time that needs to be spent on dealing with it is painful enough to put your self off. Regardless one must realize the advantage of spending that extra time in doing so. Remember only after having experienced the complete satisfaction of decluttering can you know the true beauty of actually going thorough the entire process.

You have to change your self, not only in the way you act but also, and more importantly in the way you think. This is simply because clutter is an unavoidable aspect of life, that can never really ever go away forever. You will, have to deal with it ever so often, and when you realize that in a way it is going to always be with you, it is easy to give in to the tempation of letting it grow. That, is something you just do not want to do, and it is thinking like that which causes an actual physical and physcological change in you which is not exactly a positive step. So you must be physically active and mentally strong , in order to deal with clutter, although this concept may seam a bit silly. Almost sounding like the Greeks looking to take on the Persian army in years gone past. However, the point you need to remember is that you will be the person who wants to change. This has to come from with in, the kind of interensic motivation required to take on an every growing army.

Once you start controlling your own decluttering problems, you can move out ward from there. Constantly improving your self and helping ours as well, not that you have gotten the hang of it. Not only will it be a great feeling to spread the joy of a fresh way of living, you will for once be praticing what you preach.


Chapter 10

The Dumping Zone


One of the things you must realize while dealing with clutter is when you are unable to get rid of it completely, you have to go for the next best thing, and that would mean organizing it. Well to be fair, any clutter that is organized or is manageable, can not really be called clutter to begin with. Any clutter that is in control is something you can be proud of, it will be the next best thing to having it out of your hair.

In order to achieve this goal you have to think very practically, making sure what you are up against and also, understanding how realistic the gaol is going to be once you actually get down to doing it. The concept of the dumping zone is one where you have to try and keep in mind, that you are trying to keep a lid on some thing that will constantly want to grow. What the dumping zone does is adds “hot spots” in the rooms individually that allows you to keep an eye on how much clutter has amounted. In this way you will have a fair idea as to how much decluttering needs to be done and how long it will take you in doing so.

The idea of a dumping area is one that may seam to be contradictory, if you go by the name; giving you the license to gather clutter in different parts of your rooms, almost justifying it’s being there. Like I mentioned before, decluttering is always effective when you realize that it is a continueus process and has to be maintained in order to keep it in control. It does not matter if you only spend a few minutes a day in the decluttering of your rooms, as long as you do it every day. We all know what a joy it is to know that the clutter of our homes is well in control, the feeling gives you a serious sense of achievement. It not every day that you wake up to a clean room, the entire experience can be really revitalizing. After all it’s the small things in life that count and decluttering is just another one of those things that you have to go through to get to the other side.

There have to be more ways to go about the same task, and creating a dumping area for clutter is just another way of doing that. Its some thing of a controlled epidemic or you could say that in doing so you will have a method in your madness. Its more of a conscious effort to keep your clutter in control and keep it on your mind. By allotting certain areas of your home for clutter you are mentally preparing yourself for dealling with it and subconsciously are already preparing yourself towards taking care of it. So just as long as you are consciously working towards solving your cluttering problem, you are making progress in the long run.




Chapter 11

Building Habits



Now it’s not really fair to say that the process of decluttering in itself is a life saver, or helps you reach a elevated feeling of self. When it comes down to do it, decluttering can become very tiresome and boring. Some times it takes up way too much time and you just can not finish what you started out to do. Now in such a case, as is true with all good habits, you really must work on building it. You have to consciously take out time in the day or evening and make sure you are developing habits for a good clean clutter free life.

The first step in building such ahbits is realizing that you are worrying about the wrong thing, for example if you have to remove the junk mail you receive every day, from the dinning table a few seconds before you sit down to eat, or you have to throw the dirty laundry off your bed before diving into it. The point I am trying to make here is that, you need to nip the evil in the bud, so to speak. You have to stop such clutter from multiplying, and soon you will realize that is how it gets impossible to clean, as you are not forming good decluttering habits, by not taking preventative measures when they need to be implemented right away. All you have to do is discard the junk mail as soon as it comes in your home. The best way to do that , would be to place a waste paper basket or a shredding machine next to the front door. No sooner has the mail entered your home,and its on its way out. Or just keep a laundry basket close to wear you usually change, in this way you already know what you are looking to do, and that is make decluttering part of your life style. This is a process that will allow you to get loads done before you even know you are doing it. This is part of the trick, you don’t want to know that your are actually decluttering which you do these simple actions, but you only realize that once you stop. So making decluttering a habit is the best way to take care of this problem.


The reason why so many people want to declutter is they want to be able to find more time to live! The world today is moving at a seemingly alarming pace, where every one just want s a quick fix solution to every thing form car trouble to popping toast. Well you have to understand that the decluttering process is a prerequizit to a new and revitalized out look on life. It is worth the effort, as the results will speak for them selves. Just compare the progress between cleaning once a week with a little bit every day, and you will soon realize that the difference is asstounding. Making decluttering a permanet part of your daily tasks . It’s the simple things that make all the difference in the end. Like make a habit of keeping the essentials, for example don’t use more cothes than you already need. Make sure you put them away when not being used or off season, because if you do not, do not be surprised to find that you always have more laundry to clean or some where in the corner of the room. The amount of cothes available to you will always super seed your expectations, since you always had a fresh change in line. By simply reducing the number of pairs of pants for instance can reduce the hassle of picking up that extra pair from the floor, helping in automatically reduce the clutter in the bed room.



Chapter 12

Consistency


Easier said that done some would say, and that’s not too far from the truth. As I touched on earlier, keeping the momentum flowing can be one of the most difficult things to do with regards to decluttering. It’s always more approachable when you do it every now and then, saying some thing like “it’s not like I have to do this every day”. Well unfortunately that’s exactly what needs to be done. Having said that, it is not the most impossible task in the world either. The fact is that there are many ways to practically work towards decluttering your home with out too much effort. The need is there of course, to be extremely careful while letting potential clutter into your house or surroundings.

Consistency is the key to having a clutter free life and home. The more you are committed to the cause of living with out having to be under stress of clutter, the closer you are to achieving the state of a decluttered home and life. It really helps keeping yourself physically as well as mentally active, with regards to what all you have in your home, as your possesions and belongings. If your have ever lost track of where you put that important letter or document, you really need to start refocusing your attention towards the commitment to decluttering your home, for your own peace of mind.

It should not take you more than fifteen minutes to declutter your home on a daily basis. You have to rememberthat, only by shortening the amount of work, down to a sizable portion can you realistically know how long you will take in doing it. The sense of timing is vital in knowing how consistently you will be able to declutter your home, with out taking up to much time. One way of keeping things into account is by seeing how long you take, perhaps timing yourself would not be a bad idea. You might not be able to stop once you start, but if you know you have to do it every day, its probably a better idea to tackle a zone at a time. It can be difficult to declutter when you realize that its not like you can just throw away your clutter, especially if there is a deep sentimental attachment or personal significance associated with it. This is the way it is, what you can do is organize the things that you will probably want to keep. Use markers and bags, and use your storage spaces wisely. The point of all of it is to make sure you do not throw something away, only to realize its importance later on. After all its all your stuff, and most of it is still there because you just can not get yourself to do it, and that’s throw it away. By marking the bags and putting them away, you will be able to know that they are still there, but in an organized why, more over that is infact, what decluttering essentially is, it’s the organization of your belongings. The trick to keeping it consistant is to go from zone to zone, declutter a chosen spot and do not leave it until it is fully decluttered. One of the things you can try is to clean in a clockwise direction, its almost like a magic wand, only there is no magic, and you are actually doing all the work. Where ever you go, you leave oraginzed belongings and systematic possessions in your wake. It is a push in the right direction, and the sight of a clean trail, only motivates you into wanting to finish the rest of the room.





Chapter 13

Useful Clutter?


What is that? Is that even possible? Does such a thing exist, know as useful clutter? Well, the way I see it, any clutter than can be made use off is useful clutter. Its simple enough. If you do not need it or love it, give it away, it can be far more useful to someone else if you do that. I know it is a difficult thing to imagine, but belive me, I never imagined that “out of sight, out of mind” was actually true. You really do not believe it until you try it yourself, it’s a surprising notion, that makes you realize how easy it becomes to just let go some times.

It goes a long way in decluttering to take the leap of fate with things you look at and instantly do not know what to do with. Put them in a give a way or donation bag at let go off them. If they were that important to you they wouldn’t have been under the be or behind four boxes covered in dust in the attic. This is really the type of thinking you need to have in order to move on in life, I mean lets face it, you already cherish the most important things in your life, like you family, home, sewing machine,guitar or pet cat. Do you really need some thing that you think you might use some day in the unpredictable future? You would be much more better off giving it away, at least you do not have to account for it any more. It could help someone who really is in need of it.

You have to keep your focus in mind, remember that you want to get yourself as far away from clutter as possible. The last thing you need is a reason to want to hold on to it, some people are against the idea on selling off your clutter in a garage sale. Well that really depends on the type of person you are. Some people just can imagine living with out certain things that even they consider clutter. They end up saving them till the day tell no longer remember they had it, which is fine because they are also the meticulous type of individuals who can not be caught out with out a plastic bag for their possesions marked with a label on it. No if you are one of those, you can hardly call your belongings clutter. On the other hand if you are more of a practically minded person, and believe that its better to generate a little money on the side, selling off things that are no longer required. This is of course another way of looking at decluttering, I suppose it could be said that unless you delay the garage sale, it’s a decent move. However, make sure you go through with the sale as soon as you can. Remember, the more you delay the more the clutter will start piling up, and that is some thing no one can afford.

Regardless of what you do, you have to make sure you are either selling it or giving it away. You do not want to see the same clutter in your home by the end of the day. You have to get rid of your clutter, incase you are unable to organize it, this is the only way to make sure it does not pile up in your home.