Could the Clutter You See Be Deeper Than It Appears?

                          Photo Courtesy Joeshmo

Clutter is a serious issue when placing a home on the market, but it is also a major issue in day to day life.  Having clutter in your environment causes confusion and makes it difficult to concentrate.  It can be frustrating to deal with and sometimes, it is a sign of much deeper issues than just a bad habit.

Some folks can deal with and even thrive in a certain level of clutter while most people will function best in an organized environment.  But excessive clutter is impossible to live or work in well.  Eventually, the chaos will spill over into other areas of a person’s life and the issue will have to be dealt with.  It can even be a sign of something deeper like hoarding.

People with ADD can have a particularly difficult time with their clutter.  The process of organizing requires that you have a plan and are able to focus on the plan from beginning to end and oftentimes, you need to work it backwards as you work through each area of your home or office.  It can be easy to become discouraged as you clear out one space to turn around and see you have created more work in another space. 

You can also look at clutter from an energetic perspective.  In Feng Shui, clutter represents a blockage in the flow of energy, so depending upon where it is in your home is reflective of where it is going to show up in your life.  Having a home full of clutter often reflects a life full of obstacles.  Clear the clutter and new opportunties are bound to come your way.                              

                              Photo Courtesy heidehibbard

To make your organizing efforts easier, be prepared before you start.  Know ahead of time that cleaning and organizing are two different things, and that you will have to clean before you organize and you will have to clean again when you are done 🙂 .  And a tip to keep you sane, know too that organizing is best done daily.  Just a few minutes a day will keep you on top of the game.

For some Clutter Clearing 101 Tips, please read on:

• Be Prepared– Have 4 boxes or bags ready and label them, Keep, Throw Away, Give Away, Don’t Know.
• Divide and Conquer-Start in one room, one area at a time.  Use your boxes and make a decision NOW.  Do you need it, love it, use it?  Yes?  Put it in the Keep box.  If not, put it in one of the other boxes.  Not sure?  Put it in the Don’t Know box.  Do this quickly-don’t overthink each item and don’t let a guilt trip make you keep something you don’t need, use or love.
• Proceed until the closet, dresser, countertop, room, whatever is empty or cleared.  Put the discard items in the recycle or trash bin.  Give away or donate the items in the give away box-take them out of the house NOW.  Give the Don’t Know box to a friend and ask them to place it in their garage temporarily.  Put away the Keep items where they belong.  If they belong in a space that has not been organized yet, place them in the room or space where they do belong to make your future organizing for that room easier.  Do not allow yourself to become distracted from your previous project by beginning to start a new project in the new area until the last one is complete.
• Complete the process until you have finished your organizing project.
• Reward yourself as you complete each space for your great work!
• After 3 months,  call your friend with the Don’t Know box.  Have your friend ask you what is in it that you truly need.  No, they cannot tell you what is in the box.  😉  You need to ask for it.  (And now that you know this step, no cheating!  You can’t make a list before you hand over the box.)  Whatever is left over, ask them to please donate it.

If you find that you need help, consult a professional.  There are organizations that can help you get on track and start the process.  If you need therapy, consult a therapist with experience in dealing with these types of issues.  Staying organized is much easier once you have the system in place.

Happy Clutter Clearing!