There are many books and advice methods on clearing clutter. I've read
many of them. The first thing most will recommend regarding clearing clutter is
first and foremost, have a system. Here is the system I've devised to help clear clutter and
create space for growth and new ideas, love, and happiness in our life.AspireNow's Clutter Clearing Process:
1. Evaluate it. Decide which clutter is bothering me the
most.
2. Clear it. Give it a home. Declare the proper home for
the clutter culprits.
a. This may mean creating a temporary home, such as
for things which truly no longer belong in my life or I want to give away to a
friend or goodwill, take to a yard sale, or simply throw away. Take these
things to their place within a week, if at all possible.
b. If this is a permanent item or something I wish
to keep, I put it in the home I've declared for it. This requires common
sense. Clothes belong in drawers and closets or hampers, not on the
floor.
c. Start with the obvious. Things which are
just laying around, like magazines or newspapers, clothing on the floor,
bills/paperwork, or things out of place are the easiest to tackle first.
These are also the things that will make you feel the most out-of-sorts.
d. Create ownership. Who owns the item? If
children are making a mess, they need to own it. Also, children can be
assigned weekly tasks, such as vacuuming or dusting, to help keep on top of
their part of the process of maintaining clear space. In my own house, if
I discover something I don't own or no longer want to own, it goes to the
temporary home space until I designate time to ship these things away.
Time activate sending the things off within a week though, or else you might
procrastinate.
3. Clean it. This includes cleaning the clutter item and cleaning
the space where the clutter was located. If you're moving clothes on the
floor and they are dirty, well, then why not take them to the cleaners or throw
them in the washing machine? If the drawer is empty, is there a better
time to clean it than now? This is the best time to clean out the dust,
mold, and other things that cause visible (and often invisible) health
problems. If you ever doubt whether a room builds up dust or molds, just
put a de-ionizer in the corner of a room for a week, then look at the rods while
you clean it. If dust collects on the de-ionizer, it could also be
collected in your lungs. I personally recommend the Ionic Breeze Quadra,
by Sharper Image.
4. Focus. Do one thing at a time. Focus on one drawer, one
shelf, or one room. Even if your day is quite hectic, you could find 30
minutes in one room if you just eliminated watching that T.V. show or something
else from your schedule that day.
5. Be consistent. If bills don't belong on the coffee table, then
don't ever take them to the coffee table.
6. When it doubt, throw it out. Do I want this in my life,
today? This is a good rule; however, I also believe in asking if something
is helping us create or maintain something we truly want in our life,
today. If the answer is no, toss it.
7. Use it or lose it. If we aren't using something, then
something we keep is at risk of becoming a clutter-bug. When
did I last use/wear this? If I can't be happy with my answer to this
question then the answer is clear that the item must go bye-bye.
8. One person's junk is another person's treasure. But we really
are only caretakers of our possessions. We truly do not own any of our
clutter, because when we die we do not take it with us. Yes, my
"clutter" once seemed to be a cherished possession. I like to
ask if I am not using it, could someone else use it better? If the answer
is "yes" then it is time for the clutter item to go to become a
"treasured possession" for a new caretaker.
9. Creating. If the item helps us create, then we may need
it. Does the item help me become great at something I am aspiring
to? Does it make me feel good? If so, then keep it. Otherwise,
dump it/sell it/give it away.
10. Something in, something out. One way to keep life simple is
to make a rule that anytime I buy something new, something old must go.
This is a great rule with clothes - especially if we already have a full
wardrobe. The "do I truly love this?" question is great both for
determining new clothes to buy and to determine which clothes to give away.
Now that we've cleared our clutter, cleaned the space, and focused on what
helps us create, it is time to get down to business: time to be the master
artist/creationist we truly are.
