Monday, January 7, 2019

31 Days to Organization - Day 7: Cluttering Is A Habit That Can Be Broken


How does the photo above make you feel. When you are in a room like this do you feel anxious? Stressed? Tense? The presence of clutter can have a surprising effect on our bodies. But even knowing that, the cluttering habit is usually so strong and has spiraled so out of control that people have a difficult time getting rid of it.

Day 7 - Cluttering Is A Habit That Can Be Broken

The Collins Essential English Dictionary defines "clutter" as:
  1. An untidy heap or mass of objects 
  2. A state of untidiness
We are the clutter generation, inundated by a seemingly daily or weekly influx of clothes, accessories, gadgets, catalogs, mail, and e-mail. How much "stuff" do you have that is neither used nor enjoyed? Outdated or outgrown clothing, obsolete technology or software, trinkets doing nothing but collecting dust - these things are all "clutter".

According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, "to clutter" means:
  1. To fill or spread over in a disorderly manner. 
  2. To make disorderly or hard to use by filling or covering with objects. 
How guilty are you of cluttering? Is every available surface in your home or office covered in mail, papers and who knows what else? How many times have you endlessly searched for something only to wind up empty-handed? How often have you put something down with the intention of coming back to it, only to forget about it later?

Clutter crowds our lives, is a chief source of stress, contributes to sidetracked dreams and opportunities, and can cause guilt and anxiety. So why do we clutter? Because cluttering is a habit. A bad habit. But because it's only a habit, you DON'T have to live with it forever. You can kick that cluttering habit to the curb and get your life back!

Rita Emmett's Basic Clutter Fact: If you plan to get organized tomorrow, you've got to de-clutter today. Getting organized when you're surrounded by clutter is so difficult, it's almost impossible. But getting organized once your clutter is gone is almost effortless. 

De-cluttering is simply disposing of things you don't need, don't want, or don't have room for. Deciding what those things are is up to you but you've got you get into the right mindset. If you have trouble making decisions about your things, recruit a friend (preferably a clutter busting friend) to help you. Their impartial view of your stuff can help you decide what should stay and what really should go.

Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your Life Clutter-Free! The Clutter-Busting Handbook by Rita Emmett can walk you through de-cluttering with humor and easy, practical guidelines.


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