Ready to Clear the Clutter from Your Life? Part 2 of 3

Mental stress is one of the unfortunate side effects of a cluttered, disorganized home. But when you invest some time into de-cluttering your home, you can gain some peace of mind. Here are some simple steps to help you put your environment in order.

Prepare to De-Clutter

The de-cluttering process requires a bit of physical preparation in order to make the most effective use of your time. Some of the supplies you may need include: a box of contractor grade trash bags, boxes, or a large outdoor-style garbage can, a fat permanent marker, file boxes or banker's boxes (if you have paperwork to sort through), and a timer (you'll understand why you need a timer when we get to the next step).

It only takes a few minutes to set up containers such as boxes and bins and designate each for trash, donations, garage sale, giveaways, items to keep, etc. Set criteria for each category in your mind - for example, what determines a "keeper"? Donations can include anything that is in good working order, or can be easily repaired, but that you no longer want or need. It is highly recommended that you discard any broken items, unless you sincerely plan to have them repaired and put to use (or sold) immediately. You can use a service like http://pickupplease.com to schedule a time for convenient pickup of your items for donation - you won't even have to be home when they pick up. Once your boxes, bags or bins are set up, you are ready to start going through your stuff and de-cluttering your space.

Hot Tip: It is essential that you begin and complete an entire room or space before moving on to another space. If you work to clear clutter a bit here, and a bit there, you won't see any progress, and you won't keep new clutter from accumulating in these spaces. This is a key mistake that many people make. Pick just one space or room in the house, and don't work elsewhere until that room is fully free from clutter and completely organized.

Set Small Targets

This is a little-known trick that works absolute miracles (it's also the reason we recommended having a kitchen timer handy in your de-cluttering supplies). There is an old adage that asks: How does an ant eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You can use the same exact method to clear your clutter: by working in small, manageable chunks of time.

Choose a period of time that doesn't feel overwhelming. It might be 30 minutes, or it might be an hour. Definitely keep it to one hour or less. Whatever time duration you choose, commit that for that time frame, you will do nothing else - you will only clear clutter and organize a space. Set a timer to keep you on track, and during that time, do not answer the phone or allow any other distraction to deter you from the task at hand. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short period of time when you are fully focused. When the timer goes off, you can walk away. You may choose to reset the timer for additional time, but don't feel you have to if you've kept your commitment and completed the initial time. It will surprise you how few of these timed sessions it will take to clear out an entire room (and soon, your entire house) of clutter.

These simple tips and steps will help you have your home or office clutter-free in no time.


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