Playing Tetris, helped. I know this sounds weird but it helped train my mind to see how things can fit together. Another thing that really helped was looking at my piles from the perspective of a friend or stranger. Personally, if I saw the level of clutter we were dealing with before The Purge in a friends house, I would ask them what's wrong. The Guy's desk would be a good example of that. Every-time I look at his desk, I get a ping of feeling bad for all the hours he works. I then start feeling bad for us, me, guilty about my illness and the whole damn mess compounds itself. I tried cleaning it for him and was met with great resistance. I now pick through to throw away wrappers, tissues and bottle caps only. I put a coffee can on it for his change and another for his work bits and pieces that come in with him. The rest is his to process as was mine.
I streamed a few episodes of *Hoarders...that really helped too. I could see myself surrounded by piles of clothes, books and paperwork in the future if we didn't consciously change life long habits. Staying de-cluttered will take real work until it becomes the new habit... like my never before heard of 10 day run of making my bed. The new place has no bedroom door to close to hide secrets and guests will have to pass through it to use our bathroom. This small thing is one of my long term goals. 8 days ago it was still a novelty. 4 days ago, I had to leave a note to remind myself to make it. 2 days ago, I remembered on my own. Today, I got out of bed and made it before I left the room, in about 3 seconds, without even thinking about it. Progress.
A. Clutter crosses both Part 1 and 2's lines. People stack clutter for many reasons. Deal with it, before it takes over. And it will. Clutter can be part of a learning or physical disability, due to a 60 hour work week, a new baby, a collection gone viral, lack of space, etc., and sometimes, emotions. We recognized years ago that the amount of clutter in our life directly correlated to the level of dysfunction in our life. We just never did anything about ut. Our clutter came from both my spatial issue and our avoidance. Stacking or stashing our bills and mail was another way of saying, 'Up shit's creek'. Not dealing with the laundry piles was another way of saying, 'If she has clothes, she's still alive'. Time management issues, is often another way to say...no time to look at my life. Maybe some people are just unmotivated but I've only met cluttery people who don't want to be, are ashamed to have people in their homes, and have a very hard time breaking the cycle without support.
B. A well organized home is easier to manage, feels better, and encourages clearer thinking. Think simple. Think Zen. Think 'a place for everything and everything in it's place'. Yep. Your kindergarden teacher was right! Since the Great Purge of 2010, I keep my bedroom door wide open. I wake up feeling better than I have in years. I open my eyes to the sun streaming in through the asparagus ferns and scarves hanging from my curtain rods. Dressing and finding clothing is a joy. Everthing has a place. I feel like I've bought a new wardrobe after finding my old pre-illness- prednisone inspired 70 lb weight gain clothes and every accessory I've ever bought or have been gifted. My entire outlook feels different as I start my day no matter what kind of day is ahead of me. I feel good despite physical pain. This is the direct result of de-cluttering my bedroom.
Another major trouble spot for us and many others was the top of the 'fridge. Our Wonder Dog has an all things cat issue. He loves cat food but he too is gluten intolerant. I know. What are the freaking chances of that? Anyway. We were feeding the cats on a secluded part of the kitchen counter to keep the food away from him. Even though we didn't use that side of the kitchen to prepare food, I still was grossed out by it. It also encouraged our cats to walk the counters quite boldly. They have a small cat escape hatch window that opens on top of our 'fridge, so I re-homed the cookbooks, purged piles of recipes, and made the top of the 'fridge the cat feeding station. Works great, easy to clean and no more stacks of books and papers in the kitchen.
C. A clean organized home makes your guests feel more welcome. Sitting in someone else's clutter can make you feel overwhelmed, depressed, or out of touch with your friend. You start to feel bad for them and important lines get blurred. A simple, 'Want some help cleaning?'...really could end a friendship. Avoidance will start and before you know it, the mess compounds itself.
For example; Due to the strange configuration in our house, you walk directly into the kitchen and in front of the kitchen's large tiled counter. It became the catch all. Keys, mail, cell phones, tools, bags, wallet, water bottles...all right there, as soon as you walked in. No matter how warm, inviting and tidy the rest of the house was the first impression of it... was of chaos and disorder. I know people felt it. I reconfigured the layout of our essential appliances and used my juicer to block this space and put hooks on the baking rack near the door for keys and bags. I gave the Guy a charging caddy for his desk and I moved my charger to my desk. Anything the counter now, teeters on the edge of falling and is quickly moved. It feels better when you walk in, honestly. People who have been here a hundred times now compliment the same house. They can't put their finger on it. Did we paint? Get new furniture? New windows? Depending on the guest, I explain what I did, or just accept the compliment. There are more guests since the Purge. Not a coincidence, I believe. And no one asks to do the dishes for me.
Summary: We recognized the need to de-clutter our lives. We thought clutter was just stuff. Turns out for us it was a symptom of our dysfunction, fears, money and personal issues, and general feelings of being overwhelmed. We are working on de-cluttering our house BEFORE we pack it up. We also gave each other a huge high 5 for realizing we were dysfunctional and for admitting it. We're getting rid of it all and adopting a cutter free life. We can't wait to see what the streamline life fully feels like. Join me for Part 4: Useful Quantities VS Bulk Purchases
I found this online and I am using it as a de-cluttering guideline. I'd really like to meet the woman that
wrote this. She has moxie, as my Grandma would say.
A PLAN OF ATTACK
Start with the area of your life that causes you the greatest pain
Create a list of the areas you want to work on in order of priority
Include a deadline for completing each project
Try to tackle one small area at a time -- drawer, cabinet, shelf, etc.
Set aside some time each week to work on a different area
Move systematically throughout your home
Completely finish one area before beginning another
Find the organizing style and pace that suit you
Recruit some organizing "assistants" -- friends, family, neighbors
if no volunteers, consider hiring a professional organizer to help
ASKING THE HARD QUESTIONS
When was the last time you used it?
When will you (realistically) need it again?
Why would you need it again?
Who might ask for it?
What would you need it for?
Is it easily replaceable?
What's the worst thing that would happen if you got rid of it?
Is it beautiful, useful, or loved?
BEFORE YOU START
Know what you want from your storage before beginning
Maximize space? see everything you own? cut down on cleaning?
make sure each storage decision meets these goals
Collect up everything that needs a home before starting organizing
LETTING GO OF CLUTTER EXCUSES
"It was expensive and I can't stand to see it go to waste."
if you don't use it, it's still being wasted -- even if you keep it
"I might be need it someday."
if you haven't used it in a year, will you use it in the next?
"It was a gift."
once you receive a gift, it's yours to do with as you see fit
SORTING THROUGH IT ALL
Set up several boxes as you go through each storage area
"keep" (items you know you love and use)
Sort "keeps" into different boxes for each area of the house
"get rid of" (items you know you don't use and don't want)
Throw items that can't be repaired or used by others in the trash
put serviceable items in a "give away" box to be donated
put valuable items into a "sell" box to consign
"not sure" (don't know if you want it and aren't ready to let go)
Tape up the "not sure" box and label with the date and contents
put in the garage or basement
make a note in your calendar to check back in 6-12 months
if you haven't needed anything in the box in that time, get rid of it
"need to buy" (is missing parts or accessories)
"need to repair" (requires some work before it can be used)
"to return" (doesn't belong to you and needs to go back)
STORAGE SOLUTIONS
Create a set home for everything you own -- no halfway spots
Have a good reason for storing and item in a certain place
Store like items together according to purpose
Don't forget accessories and related items
ex: store travel alarm, A/C adapter, and toiletry bag with luggage
Store items nearest the point where you use them
Store items you use most often in more accessible spaces
Store items you use less in harder-to-reach areas
Keep climate in mind -- heat, moisture, and insects
Don't store things in an attic or garage if they will be damaged
Leave 15% of your space free for future additions
Plan to go through your spaces to "purge" once a year
THE RIGHT STORAGE PARAPHERNALIA
Use see-through containers whenever possible
Label every container so you know what's in it without opening
Use drawer dividers, baskets, shelves to subdivide larger spaces
Make use of hanging space with hooks and racks
Make use of low space with under-bed boxes
Choose modular components that can adjust as your needs change
Copyright 2000-2009 Ramona Creel -- you are welcome to reprint any article, but you MUST include this resource box. "Ramona Creel is a modern Renaissance woman and guru of simplicity -- traveling the country as a full-time RVer, sharing her story of radically downsizing, and inspiring others to regain control of their own lives. As a Professional Organizer and Accountability Coach, Ramona will help you create the time and space to focus on your true priorities -- clearing away the clutter other obstacles and standing in the way of that life you've always wanted to be living. As a Professional Photographer, Ramona captures powerful images of places and people as she travels. And as a travel writer, social commentator, and blogger, she shares her experiences and insights about the world as we know it. You can see all these sides of Ramona -- read her articles, browse through her photographs, and even hire her to help get your life in order -- at www.RamonaCreel.com. And be sure to follow her on Twitter and on Facebook."
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* Clutter is different from hoarding. If you are just feeling overwhelmed by your stuff and can't figure out what to do with it, enlist help from family, friends or a professional organizer. If the very thought of getting rid of your clutter makes you feel sick or anxious, or, you can't stop cleaning and organizing, please consult a health professional. Life doesn't have to hurt :)
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