There will be many resolutions this New Years. Resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, and start a new career are just a few. Did you know that becoming organized could help you achieve nearly all your goals and dreams for yourself? I am going to list the steps to start controlling the clutter in your life. Clutter can take many forms and only one of them is material. In addition we clutter up our time and our mind. As you read through the following steps, you may see examples of stumbling blocks that you have put on the pathway to becoming clutter controlled in the past in your own life. This is the year to make these small changes, which will have a huge impact not only on your life, but also on the life of the ones that you love.
1. Stop with the blame and guilt- Often we live our lives out of fear, guilt, blame, and shame. For 2007 try very hard to realize that you cannot control what you did yesterday, but you most certainly can change your tomorrow. If you spent more than you should of at Christmas, now is not the time to beat yourself up!
2. It is not about perfection! There is a reason why I did not title this “…Become Clutter Free in 2007” because the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of us will always have some type of clutter. Your goal should be to simply get your clutter under control. It is not about owning things; rather it is about not allowing things to own you. If you set your goals to unreachable heights you will only be left disappointed in the end. Be realistic with what you can and cannot do and what you can and cannot control. So often we perceive others to have a tighter grasp on their life than we have on our own, and we use it as a way to put ourselves down. Be the best person that you can be today, that is all that any of us can really do.
3. Prioritize your life and goals- Make a list of what and who are really important in your life and start basing your decisions on how they reflect your priorities and goals. Take a moment and think of how you would live your life differently if you knew the exact time and date you would die. Live the life of the person that you truly want to be!
4. Stop Buying Stuff to Store Stuff- Please resist the temptation to run out and buy bins! January is prime marketing target for stores to advertise their clever storage ideas. Before you even think about how to store your stuff, I want you to really analyze what you keep and why you are keeping it! If after you have purged you decide you still need to place it into a container, check around your home first to see if you have something already that will work. Get creative!
5. Allow yourself to let go of the things that are not inspiring you (pertains to both material items and obligations. You cannot possibly go forward if you’re only looking backwards.
6. Shop your home- I want you to walk around your home and look at your items with a different perspective. If you were at your local mall or store and you saw the items that you currently own, would you like them enough to purchase them? Would you buy it today? If the answer is “yes” make sure you truly are cherishing the item. If the answer is “no” perhaps you could give it to someone who would appreciate it, or perhaps you have been putting off throwing it away.
Which brings us to our last tip:
7. Learn the definition of clutter- Clutter is simply a result of put-off decisions. What are you putting off doing? Is it the clothes in the attic that you know you need to donate? Are there piles of paperwork that need to be gone through? Start today! It’s ok to take little baby steps. You don’t have to do it all in one day, because it certainly did not take one day to get that way. Baby steps forward are far better than standing still.
Make a large list of all the things that are cluttering up your world, and slowly start crossing them out. Better yet, photocopy your list and give it to at least one friend and ask them to do the same. Be each other’s cheerleader! Help someone else achieve all that life has to offer, while doing the same in your own life. Learn to become content with all of life’s blessings in 2007.
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard
Happy New Year!
Betsy
By Betsy on 12/31/06 in An Organized Life, Clutter Busting, Columns, Editor Picks
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January 2nd, 2007 at 7:57 am
This is one of the BEST articles I’ve seen on this topic! I appreciate how you framed each of the topics and did not focus on perfection=organization. You hit buttons that needed to be pushed and now I’m ready to get my clutter under control. Thank you!
January 4th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Great post. Your definition of clutter is right now. I guess I won’t be buying anymore of those giant plastic bins for awhile…
January 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Great definition of clutter as ‘put off decisions’. The concept that’s helped us the most is: for every SINGLE thing we bring in toys, clothing, paper, something MUST go out.