Clutter! Clutter Awareness week is this month, so we thought it was timely to focus on those areas of our life that we normally avoid.
Clutter accumulates in various areas of life because you have decisions you are avoiding for one reason or another. De-cluttering is often difficult, because we are forced to face those decision points.
Normally, my family is great at going through things (toys, clothing, books, etc.) twice a year and donating or selling what we no longer need. It is quite automatic in our household - or at least it was. Last year I hit a roadblock though. Somehow, it was different. I kept putting it off! As an organizer, of course this was embarrassing! What was going on with me? I sat down and asked myself the same questions that we often ask our clients.
The issue came to light. My little boy had turned 5 in February and I was in denial! Couldn't he stay a baby forever? Getting rid of those few remaining things that he had as a toddler was hard, and it was admitting that I now had a little "big boy" rather than my baby. Understanding what I was struggling with helped me to part with his things.
So what is clutter? There are many things that we save for good reason that others may say is clutter, but is it really? When you are looking through your things, whether it is the piles in your office, or that store room you have in the back, start by thinking through the definition of clutter to help you decide if the items are worth keeping.
Clutter: Anything that you own, possess, or do which does not enhance your life on a regular basis.
The winter coat that my little guy wore last year definately did not live up to that test! Very few of the things I was holding onto did. They were things that he had been willing to give up after all -- I was the one holding on to them!
If decision making is not your strength, accumulating things will be your weakness. There are many strategies for removing the physical clutter from your spaces.
The things we DO can also clutter up our lives. Saying "NO" the nice way is a great way to limit the clutter in your schedule. If you are already overwhelmed with what is on your plate, chances are if you say "yes" you will do a mediocre job at best. By saying "No" the nice way, you allow the person making the request the opportunity to find someone that can help in more than name only. You also free up your cluttered schedule! Follow this link for 8 tips for how to say "No" the nice way.
I did manage to work through my emotional baggage and get all of his things donated or sold as appropriate. I also found, as many of our clients do, that those held decisions were taking space in my mind. I felt so much better once that space was cleared. Now that was over two years ago now. My "big boy" is even bigger and he has turned 7! I still have a difficulty I wish you the same success!
What are the things that you have done to eliminate clutter and make decisions? Comment below and let me know!
