Celebrate March’s Clutter Awareness Month

March 5, 2011 by Janet · 1 Comment
Filed under: Clear the clutter, Healthy Habits, Home Organization

The word “clutter” derives from the Middle English word “clotter,” which means coagulate. Think stagnant, accumulated … stuck! When clutter invades our homes and offices, it can our space cluttered … and us disorganized as a result. We lose things, forget to pay bills, we procrastinate and waste time. So stop contemplating your clutter and dedicate some time to conquering it!

DEFINE “CLUTTER.” Clutter is anything unnecessary and extraneous. It can be more than the physical clutter most of us think of. Getting organized means clearing out the clutter in your mind, heart, and life.

START THE PROCESS OF DECLUTTERING. Start small. Divide your desk or room into sections. Pick one section (like a drawer, cabinet or closet) and begin decluttering. Try to touch things only once while going through this process – quickly make a decision to keep or toss.

ASK IF YOU CONSIDER EACH ITEM BEAUTIFUL, USEFUL, OR LOVED. If not, why are you keeping it? If you’re still not sure if you should get rid of an item, ask yourself, “What is the worse thing that could happen if I toss this?” The answer may help give you the power to discard the clutter.

TO STOP CLUTTER, PREVENT IT FROM ACCUMULATING IN THE FIRST PLACE. Don’t give clutter a chance to form. As you’ve probably experienced, once clutter occupies a space, it has a way of multiplying. Always remember to place your emphasis on quality or quantity. In other words, it’s not important to have a lot of things, many of which you never use. It’s more beneficial to have fewer things, all of which you use and/or enjoy.

THINK BEFORE YOU BUY. Try to look beyond the initial “thrill of the purchase” and see what provides deeper moments of meaning. Once you rid yourself of clutter and make space only for what’s special and useful, you’ll find it’s easier to get – and stay – organized!

Hope you’ll visit The Organizing Genie blog again when you need home and office organizing suggestions and advice. I’m always here for you!