We all know clutter is a bad thing. I’ve heard many people say, clutter on the outside is a clear indication to clutter on the inside. For me, that couldn’t be more true. I find my surroundings HAVE to be organized.
I realized some time ago that clutter not only causes me stress – it costs me money and lots of it.
Here are just a few of the negative effects of clutter – see if you agree…
Clutter causes you to feel depressed and overwhelmed.
Clutter makes life more difficult. You have to look longer and dig deeper to find what you’re looking for.
Clutter takes longer to clean.
Clutter costs you money. If you can’t find what you need you will end up buying a replacement.
Clutter robs you of your energy.
Clutter steals storage space.
Clutter affects our relationships. If you’re ashamed of your house, you are less likely to have friends or family visit.
I don’t know about everyone else, but clutter affects how I feel about myself. There are times I actually feel guilty about the clutter.
A lot of people complain they don’t have the energy to get started. That’s because clutter robs you of your
energy. In fact, most clutter begins to accumulate when energy levels are low. Think Winter! We tend to hibernate and let things go a bit during colder months. But then comes Spring! Voila – Spring Cleaning! It’s when we are recharged and energy levels are higher.
I’m currently in the mode of spring cleaning and getting organized. I thought it might be fun to share a bit of my tasks, accomplishments and lessons as I declutter – minimize and organize my home and my life.
Care to join me?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I would love to know some suggestions on how to organize a massive daily influx of daily mail. It gets thrown into piles (lots of little medicals bills no one can pay now), and then regular bills get thrown into piles…and other people’s mail. There are probably multiple duplicates and of course, we can’t find anything. I made a mini file cabinet. I’ve bought my husband baskets to put his mail and to keep mine separate. He just takes the baskets and dumps it all into one or uses the basket for something else when he decides to straighten up, and he does not file, ever.
Now, I have clutter, too, but no one else picks up my clutter except me.
Nuff, bitching.
We moved into a new home last August. I tried to unpack most everything in attempt to avoid clutter. The move was on a time frame and I ran out of time, thus I had clutter. I couldn’t decide what to do with everything. Unfortunately over the winter months I’ve only added to that clutter with kids clothes being outgrown and toys no longer being used, among other things. Now I look at my house and while I truly do love it, I hate it. There seems to be ‘stuff’ packed everywhere and it doesn’t feel open like it did when we first looked at it prior to signing the lease. I have a goal to de-clutter and have it completed by mid May. In May I’m planning a HUGE yard sale to profit from the clutter and anything that doesn’t sale will be dropped off at Goodwill. We have a new baby to get ready for in late August and I want to have the unpacking finished. I figure that anything that has been packed for this long and we haven’t used or missed it, we don’t need it anyway! Right?
Hi Robyn – Thanks for the comment. I feel your pain. Mail and paper clutter is one of those areas I’ll be working my own way through. I’ll be doing a post dedicated entirely to it. I’ll ask some of my organizing friends for some ideas on how you might be able to “train” your family to comply and get organized.
@ Linda – Thanks for commenting. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is the keep, toss, recycle method. I use three boxes when going into any project. As I go through the collection, I divide it into three boxes. The recycle is for rummage and Goodwill.
I do have the 1 year rule too. If I haven’t worn it in a year, it’s gone. If it’s a project I’ve not completed in a year, it’s gone.
Good luck with your mission