When you have so much clutter that you are overwhelmed with it all then one of the best ways to tackle it is to take tiny steps. The '10 minutes a day' rule can really help you to overcome your resistance to de-decluttering.
The Rule
Do 10 minutes of decluttering every day. Set a timer and off you go (you can use the one on your phone). Stop after ten minutes. Record your results. It will feel fantastic.
The Reasoning
When you feel that your clutter or disorganisation is a huge, insurmountable problem it can become very difficult to start at all. So, you don't do anything. The clutter gets worse and you get more and more despondent. But it is really easy to interrupt this pattern. Even when something is very scary we can usually manage to face it for only ten minutes.
The Result
You will be amazed at how much decluttering you can actually achieve in ten minutes. What happens is that you begin to loose the fear. You see that the problem can be tackled. Sometimes you want to do more than ten minutes and that is great too. Before you know it, you are no longer afraid and your clutter is beginning to decrease.
Showing posts with label de-cluttering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label de-cluttering. Show all posts
06 December 2009
04 December 2009
What to Keep?
One of the big problems people have when they start de-cluttering is deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. When you have to get rid of a lot of clutter it can seem very overwhelming but there are only a few simple guidelines that can really help.
Ask yourself the following questions for each and every item that you are sorting through:
Do you use it?
Is the item something that you use? It may be something that you don't use every day but if you do use it at some point during the year then its a good idea to keep it.
On the other hand if its something that you haven't really ever used but are waiting for when it 'might come in handy' its probably time to move it on.
Do I love it?
Feeling passionate about something is a fantastic reason to keep hold of it even if there seems to be no other 'sensible' reason to hang on to it. Enjoying our possessions is part of being human.
Do I have to keep this item for legal reasons?
This can apply to legal documents and important paperwork.
That's it. There are no other reasons to hang on to something. It sounds simple and that's because, fundamentally, it is.
Ask yourself the following questions for each and every item that you are sorting through:
Do you use it?
Is the item something that you use? It may be something that you don't use every day but if you do use it at some point during the year then its a good idea to keep it.
On the other hand if its something that you haven't really ever used but are waiting for when it 'might come in handy' its probably time to move it on.
Do I love it?
Feeling passionate about something is a fantastic reason to keep hold of it even if there seems to be no other 'sensible' reason to hang on to it. Enjoying our possessions is part of being human.
Do I have to keep this item for legal reasons?
This can apply to legal documents and important paperwork.
That's it. There are no other reasons to hang on to something. It sounds simple and that's because, fundamentally, it is.
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