Where to Start With Clutter

Summer is over, the kids are back in school, pumpkins (and tinsel) are filling the store aisles, so we know that the holidays are just around the corner! One of the main challenges we usually have at this time of year is putting up decorations when the house isn't as clean and tidy as we would like it to be. Who wants to hang fake cobwebs up on top of real ones? Who wants to move stacks of papers to just another surface in order to make room for an attractive ornament?

At Flylady.com you can learn about some of your clutter issues: 1. Clutter wastes time. Have you ever been late getting the kids to school or for an appointment because you couldn't find your car keys amidst all the stuff on the countertop? 2. Clutter makes our houses look messy. Toys spread out on the floor do not make a clean house look messy, but they make a messier house look even worse! 3. Too many clothes in your closet and drawers make laundry harder to do and to put away. 4. Clutter causes us to feel overwhelmed tired. It zaps our energy. It's so much easier to clean an organized space!

So, the first question to ask ourselves is: How do I begin? Do I start with the flat surfaces or the dresser drawers?

According to Flylady, the reason your flat surfaces are piled high is because you do not have a place for all the items. The easiest way to save time is to have a place for everything and everything in its place. The problem is that we don't know where to put anything because all of our storage places are cluttered.

Some questions you'll need to ask yourself and then answer are: 1. How often will you use it? The answer to this question will determine where you put it. 2. Do you need it to be easily accessible? 3. Is it clutter that can be donated? 4. Can it be put in another other place with like items?

The place to start is with a timer, some notecards, a marker and tape.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and start collecting your caches of like items in a laundry basket. Then set the timer for another 15 minutes and empty the place you want to put your collection.

Next, take out to the car the items you are going to give away, and throw away the rest in the trash. It's important that you don't get hung up on wanting to organize all of these things. Just consolidate them for now.

Now, set your timer for 15 minutes. Place the items you have been collecting in their new home. Gather up any remaining trash and throw it away.

Now what? Set your timer for 15 minutes and fix yourself something warm and comforting to drink. Put your feet up and celebrate that you are in control of your clutter. You consolidated your stuff, and found a place for it! If everything in your home has a place and everything is in its place, it makes for a more peaceful home. So, before you get out that box of decorations or costumes, let's start working on the clutter!

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