LET GO OF CLUTTER

ORGANIZE TO RECLAIM YOUR INNER AND OUTER LIFE

2•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED.Nopartofthisreportmaybemodifiedoralteredinanyformwhatsoever,electronic,ormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationalstorageorretrievalsystemwithoutexpresswritten,datedandsignedpermissionfromtheauthor.DISCLAIMERAND/ORLEGALNOTICES:Theinformationpresentedhereinrepresentstheviewoftheauthorasofthedateofpublication.Becauseoftheratewithwhichconditionschange,theauthorreservestherighttoalterandupdateheropinionbasedonthenewconditions.Thereportisforinformationalpurposesonly.Whileeveryattempthasbeenmadetoverifytheinformationprovidedinthisreport,theauthordoesnotassumeanyresponsibilityforerrors,inaccuraciesoromissions.Anyslightsofpeopleororganizationsareunintentional.Ifadviceconcerninglegalorrelatedmattersisneeded,theservicesofafullyqualifiedprofessionalshouldbesought.Thisreportisnotintendedforuseasasourceoflegaloraccountingadvice.Youshouldbeawareofanylawswhichgovernbusinesstransactionsorotherbusinesspracticesinyourcountryandstate.Anyreferencetoanypersonorbusinesswhetherlivingordeadispurelycoincidental.Copyright©2019BronwynLeroux

3•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Let Go of Clutter: Organize to Reclaim Your Inner and Outer Life Introduction 5

Clutter:WhatandWhy? 8DefiningtheProblem 9

WhyisClutteraChallengeforYou? 11

StarttheDeclutteringProcess 14WhereistheClutter? 15

WhatistheClutter? 16

WhoCausestheClutter? 17

DevelopaStrategy 19GetPrepared 20

GetEveryoneonBoard 22Kids 25

ShouldISellIt? 27

ChooseaDayandRecruitHelp 28

Prioritize 29

HowToEatanElephant 30WheretoBegin 33

DecidingWhattoKeep 34FamilyTreasures 35

NowWhat? 37

StayingtheCourse 39

ThingstoRemember 44

4•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

5•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

INTRODUCTION Manyprofessionalssaythatourouterlifereflectsourinnerself.Ifthatistrue,hundredsofthousandsofushaveapsychethatisoutofcontrol.ResearchfromPrincetonUniversityfoundthatclutterdecreasesproductivityastheneuralcircuitsinthebrainhavemultiplestimulicompetingforattention.Themore‘stuff’onyourdesk(orinyourhome),themoredifficultitisforyourbraintofocusonthetaskathand.Doesclutteraffectyourlife?Ifso,behonestandgentlewithyourself-addingshametotheproblemonlymakesitharder.

6•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Disorganizationandcluttercausemanychallenges,including:1. Personalhealth-stressandsometimesillnessorinjury

2. Mentalhealth-mood,overstimulationandhyperarousal,stress,shame,andself-defeatingthoughtsorbehaviors

3. Timemanagementissues-wastedtimelookingforthingsanddecreasedproductivity

4. Relationships-strainedrelationships,includingspouseorpartner,housematesandchildren,aswellassocialrelationships

5. Career-decreasedproductivity,increasedstress,lackofattentiontodetail,andtimemanagementissues

6. Finances-buyingmultiples,buyingthingsyoudon’tneed,payingpeopletohelpyougetandstayorganized

7. Thelistcontinues…

7•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Alsorememberthatmostthingsexistonacontinuum(mild,moderate,severe).Youdon’thavetobeontheextremeendofthespectrumtohaveachallengewithclutter.Nordoyouhavetoexperienceclutterineveryareaofyourlife.Cluttermaynotbenegativelyaffectingyoursociallife,butitmaystillbeachallengeifitaffectsyourcareer,addsstresstoyourlife,orcausesstrifewithyourfamilymembers.

Thisreportfocuseson:

✓ Identifyingthemanyissuesrelated toclutter

✓ Strategiestocorrectandmanageclutter

✓ Howtogethousematesandfamilymembersonboard

✓ Lettinggoofthings

✓ Stayingandcorrectingthecourse

8•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

CLUTTER: WHAT AND WHY?

9•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

DefiningtheProblemClutterissubjective.Ifmyhouseismessybutclean,Imaynotconsideritcluttered-justlivedin.Ifyou’reaminimalistandhaveonlythenecessities,youprobablythinkmyhouseiscluttered.ShouldIhappentowatchanepisodeofHoarders,Iwillfeelreallygoodaboutmyhouseandmyself.It’sallrelative.Forourpurposes,let’sassumethedefinitionofcluttertobespecifictothechallengespreviouslymentioned.Youmayhaveamildchallengewithclutterifyouexperienceoneortwoofthese:

● Itcausesstressinyourlife.

● Itcreatesstrifewithyourhousemates.

● Ittakesupmoretimethanmostpeoplespendontheirthings.

10•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

● Itresultsinlimitingyoursocialinteractions.

● Itcostsmoremoneythanmostpeoplespendonsimilarthings.

● Itaffectsyourworkorproductivity ontasks.

Ifclutteraffectsthreeoftheseareas,yourproblemislikelymoderate.Morethanfourandtheclutterproblemissevere.So-thinkaboutyourlife.Howseriousisyourproblemwithclutter?

11•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

WhyisClutteraChallengeforYou?Youmaynotthinkitmatterswhyyouhaveachallengewithclutter-justfixitalready!Butinmanyways,it’simportantbecauseithelpsyouunderstandhowtoaddressit.

Forexample,ifyouliveinasmall,crampedspaceyoumaynothaveenoughstorageforeventhemostbasicthings.Thesolutiontothatchallengeisverydifferentfromothercausesofclutter.Perhapsyou’veinheritedalotofthingswhenarelativediedorhavebeentherecipientofthingspasseddownthroughthefamily.Heavenforbidthatyou’reoneverymailinglistpossibleandburiedundercatalogsandnewspapers.Maybeyoukeptallyourcollegetextbooks,researchpapers,andsupportingarticlesfromundergradandgraduateschool-justincaseyouneedanobscurereferencethatdidn’tmakeitontotheinternetsomehow.Anotherscenario-you’reabargainshopperandhavestockeduponeverything

12•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

imaginable.Or,youplantorecyclethingsthatyou’veheldontoforyears.

It’spossiblethatyoulearnedtohangontothingswhenyouweregrowingup.Manypeoplewhogrewupduringthedepressionorhadparentswhogrewupthenstockpilethingsthatareonsale.Truehoardershaveacompulsiontokeepthingsforsentimentalreasonsortofillavoidleftbydeprivation,eithermaterialoremotional.Thisisextremeandbeyondthescopeofourdiscussionhere.

13•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Themoresignificanttheproblem,themorelikelyyouwillneedoutsidehelptogetorganized.Sortingthroughthepilesandchoosingwhattokeep,whattodonate,andwhattotosscanbealong,painful,exhausting,andoverwhelmingprocess.So-thinkaboutwhyyouhavemorestuffthanyouneed.Thiswillhelpyoudevelopaplanofattack.Remember-everythingisonacontinuum.Yoursituationmayberelativelymildcomparedtoothers,butstillconsideredasignificantproblemforyou.

14•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

START THE DECLUTTERING PROCESS

15•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Takingstockofthejobthatliesaheadseemstobethestartingpointformostpeople.Let’sgetstarted...

WhereistheClutter?

● Istheclutterconfinedtooneortworooms?Thegarage?Basement? Extrabedroom?Attic?

● Istheclutteroneverysurfaceinthehouse?Allroomsandinstackson thefloor?

● Everyroomceilingtofloor? Maybeastorageshedortwo?

16•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

WhatistheClutter?Forsome,theproblemmaybeasurface-levelmessandforothersaliteralpileofstuffhidingmorestuff.Forhoarders,it’sevenmorecomplicatedandmayrequireprofessionalassistance.Identifyyourchallenge-itmaybeoneorallofthese:

● Itemsonsurfaces(includingstacks)needtobetrashed,filed,shredded,passedon,orhandled(mail)

● Stockpilesof‘stuffImayneed’orextrareservesneedtobeputaway,givenaway,ortrashed

● Familytreasuresneedtobesorted,passedon,donated,thrownawayorputaway

● Thingsyouhaven’tneededorusedinyearsneedtobetrashed,passedon,ordonated

17•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

WhoCausestheClutter?Isthisyourproblem?Someoneelseinyourhome?Allofyou?It’simportanttorecognizewhatyoucanandcan’tcontrol.Ifyoulivewithsomeonewhokeepseverything‘justincase’or‘toberecycledsomeday’or‘incaseoftheapocalypse’or‘itwasonsaleandweneedit,’itcanbedifficulttoconvincethemtochangetheirways.They’llneedtobewillingtomakethechangesandworkthroughthesequestionstoidentifywhyandhowtochangethebehavior.Asyoulikelyknow,itcanbecomplicated.Manycouplesandfamiliesspendasignificantamountoftimetryingtocleanuptheclutterofotherswhoaren’tready,willing,orabletoletitgoand/orstopit.Itcancausemuchfamilystrife.

18•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Ifthecluttererisyou,you’llhavetobecommittedtonotonlygettingcontrolofthecurrentsituation,butalsowaystopreventitfromhappeningagain.Thisrequireschangesinthinkingandbehavior.

19•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

DEVELOP A STRATEGY

20•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

GetPreparedIthelpstogeteverythingyouneedbeforeyouactuallybegintheactiveprocessofdecluttering.Otherwise,youmayhavetostoptogetsuppliesanditcanbehardtostartagain.

● Trashbagsand/orboxes

● Markersandlabels

● Clear,stackablestoragebins

● Varioussizesofzipbags

● Shredder

● Smalltrashcanforeveryroom

● Organizersformagazinesandfiles

● Filecabinet(ifneeded)

● Shelvingunitsforgarage,basement,attic

● Bookshelvesorbookcases

● Cannisters

21•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

● Over-the-doorhooksfortowels,coats,orwhatever

● Mailorganizer

● Drawerandshelforganizers

● Caddiesforshowerandcleaningproducts

● Ifyou’llbecleaningasyougo(recommended),buyallcleaningproductsandsupplies

● Labelorsetupbagsorboxesfor:Donate-Trash-Recycle-PassOn-Handle

Getanythingelseyouneedtoorganizewhatyoukeep-butnottokeepthingsthatyoudon’tneed!Remember,youdon’thavetospendafortunetogetorganized.Visitthriftstores,askfriends,posttheneedonanonlinemarketplace;you’dbesurprisedwhatpeoplearewillingtogiveawayorsellforpenniesonthedollar!

22•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

GetEveryoneonBoardIfyourspouse,partner,orotherhousemateispartoftheproblem,you’llneedtogetthemtosupportyourefforts.Infact,thislikelywon’tworklong-termwithouttheirbuy-in.Manypeoplewhodisagreeonwhatisandisnot‘junk’learntheartofnegotiation.Theycompromiseonthingsthatareimportanttothemandletgoofthesmallstuff.Somepeopleallowtheirkidstohaveaplayroomfortheirtoystokeepthemoutoftheotherareas.Periodically,it’sagoodideatogothroughthetoysandeithertrashordonateanythatarebrokenornotbeingused.Anothergoodruleforkidsandtoysoradultsandtools/books/knick-knacksistogiveawayonethingbeforebuyinganother.Thathelpsusthinkmoreaboutwhatisimportanttousandpreventsaddingtotheclutter.

23•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

JohnnyandHazelJohnnyandHazelwereatoddsaboutsomeofthethingsthatJohnnywantedtokeepintheirhome.Insteadofhavingdeerheadsinthelivingroomandtoolsallovertheplace,theycarvedouta‘mancave’forhisthingsandagreedhewillonlyhavetoolsandsuchinthegarageormudroom.Toreinforcethisarrangement,theyagreedthatanytoolsleftinsidethehouseovernightwentintothe‘donate’boxtobedroppedoffatGoodwilleachweek.Hazelhadthesamearrangementwiththekidsandtheirtoys.Ifit’snotinthetoyboxbeforebed,itgoesintheGoodwillbox.Toretrievesomethingfromthedonatebox,theoffendingpartyhastodosomethinggoodforsomeonewithin72hours.

24•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Mostrecently,Johnnyusedthewrenchheretrievedfromthedonateboxtofixtheleakyfaucetinthekid’sbathroom.CarmengotherskateboardoutoftheboxandusedittogotoherGrandma’stohelppullweeds.

25•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

KidsInvolveyourkidsintheprocessbeforethebigdayorweekend.Startbytalkingtothemaboutwhyyou’redecluttering.Helpthemunderstandthedifferencebetweenneedsandwants.There’salotofpressureforkidstohavethemostandthebest.Thesooneryouhelpthemlearntoresistandchangethatwayofthinking(eveniftheylearneditfromyou),thebetter.Bepreparedforpushbackbutstayontrack.Speakingoftoys,youmaywanttoaskyourkidstochoose3(orwhatevernumber)toystokeepandgiveawayortrashthosethatareunusedorbroken.Helpthemunderstandhowgivingtootherswhohavelessbenefitsbothyouandthem.

26•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Kidswhoareusedtohavinganythingandeverythingallthetimewillresistthisandtrytosabotageyourefforts.Thisisatimetobethegrownupandmakedecisionsbasedonwhatisbestforeveryone.Isitreallynecessarytohavetoysandclothesthathaven’tbeenusedinmonthsoryears?Explainyourreasoningtoletgoofsomethingsyou’veheldontoandmodelpositivebehavioranddecision-making.

27•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

ShouldISellIt?Manypeopledecidetohaveayardsaleandkeepthingsforthesale.However,keepinmindthatyardsalesarealotofworkforlittlereturn!Mostitemsinayardsalearepricedatonlyafewdollars.It’sgenerallynotagoodreturnoninvestmentofthetimeandenergyittakestodothesale.And,youendupwithalotofthingsthatstillneedtobedonatedanyway.Ifyouhaveafewbiggeritemsthatmaybringadecentsum,considersellingthemonlineortoalocalusedorantiquegoodsstore.Itismucheasierandmorecosteffectivethanayardsale.

28•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

ChooseaDayandRecruitHelpAskforhelpifyouhavewidespreadclutterinvolvingseveralroomsoragarage,basement,oratticwithtonsofstuff.Plantoworkalldayorallweekendifneeded.Arrangeoff-sitechildcareifpossible.Kidscanmaketheprocessmoredifficultinmanyways-especiallyifdeclutteringinvolvestheirtoys.Offerpizzaandbeer(orwhateverisappropriate)foryourfriendswhoagree tohelp.Beorganizedsothattheyfeelgoodaboutmakingprogress.Ifyou’retacklingdifferentrooms,putsomeoneinchargeofeachroom.

29•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

PrioritizePrioritize.Startwhereyouneeditmost.Forsomepeople,thatmaybeanoffice(athomeorwork).Othersmaywanttostartwiththeroominthehousewhereyouneedthespacemost-livingroom,diningroom,orkitchen.Or,theroomwhereyoustasheverythingoutofsight.Ifyouhavemultiplerooms,makealistwiththepriorities.Youmaywanttohaveaseparatesheetofpaperforeachroom-formorelists!Ifyouneedtomakeapathtotheroom,dothatbyfillingtrashbagsorboxeslabeled:trash,recycle,donate,andpasson.Thingsthatneedtobekeptandorganizedshouldgoinoneplace.Setupastacktobefiled,handled,orputaway.Avoidputtingallthosethingsinaboxandleavingthemforanotherday.

30•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANT

31•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Onthebigday,setupthemainroomswithyoursuppliesanddiscusshowtobeginwithyourhelpers.Givethemspecificinstructionsaboutwhatgoeswhere,whatstays,andwhatgoes.Ifit’smail,itmaybeeasyenoughtoidentifyjunkmailtorecycle,loanorcreditcardofferstoshred,andbillstobehandled.Iftheydon’tknowwhattodo,theycanputitinapiletoaskyouabout.Booksandmagazinesarehardforalotofpeopletoletgoof.Someofushavehundredsofbooksthathavebeenboxedandunboxedandmovedandstoredforages.Youmayneedtogothroughthebooksandmagazinesyourself.Justrememberthatmostnon-fictioninformationisavailableonlinenowandmostfictioncanbeobtainedfromthelibraryorpurchasedasanebook.

32•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Evenmostmagazinesandnewspapersarepublishedonline-sowhymustwekeephardcopiesofeverything?Somethingtoconsider.FriendsoftheLibraryandmanyusedbookstoresacceptbooksforcredit.Also,therearelotsoffamilyandwomen’ssheltersthatappreciatedonationsofnewerbooksandmagazines.

33•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

WheretoBeginSomepeoplestartatthetopandworktheirwaydown.Othersstartatthebottomandworkup.Letthepeoplewhoaredoingtheworkineachroomdecideunlessthereisareasontodoitaspecificway.Startingatthebottom,meaningthefloor,isagoodplanforthosewithstacksandboxesonthefloor.Oncethefloorspaceiscleared,itmaybeeasiertosortthroughthings.Aftertheobviousclutterisremoved,youmayhavetogothroughknick-knacksandpersonalitemstochoosewhatstaysandwhatgoes.Trynottothinkaboutittoomuch.

34•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

DecidingWhattoKeepAskyourselfthefollowing:

● HowlonghasitbeensinceIusedthis?Morethan6-12months(exceptclothesandshoes,appliances,orotheritemsusedinfrequently,suchasaworkinglawnmowerthatyouuseseasonally)?

● HowlikelyamItouseitinthenext6-12months?

● IsthereawaytoborroworuseoneshouldIneedit?

● Dependingonwhatitis-canIreplaceitifneededforlessthan$xx?

● IsitsomethingsomeoneelsemayneedmorethanI?

● Isthereareasontokeepthis(passontomydaughterwhen shestartsafamily)?

35•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

FamilyTreasuresThesecanbecomplicated.Insomecases,peopleareveryspecificaboutwhatgoestowhomandwhen.Ifthat’sthecase,youmayneedtohonortheirwishesandfindawaytostorethings,soitdoesn’ttakeoveryourlifeandhome.Insomecases,itmightbeusefultopassalongthingsnow.Particularlyifthey’reusefulandyourlovedonecanbenefitfromit.Jewelry,china,andsuchmaybewelcomeatanytime.Youmayalsowanttohaveacandidtalkwithyouradultchildrenaboutyourbelongings.Talktothemaboutwhattheywanttokeepandiftherearethingsyoucandonateorliquidatenow.

36•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Insomecases,thingswebelievetobeimportanttopassalongarethingsourlovedoneshavenoneed(orspace)for.Youmayfindthattheywouldprefer(orneed)themoneyifitissomethingvaluable.Aspeoplearelivinglonger,manyaredownsizingastheyage.Theyoftenfindtheynolongerhavethespacetokeepthingsoncehelddear.Furniturestylesandhomesizeshavechangedsomuchthatgrandoldantiquesmaynotfitinthespaceorpreferencesofyourlovedones.

37•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

NowWhat?Bytheendofthedayorweekend,youshouldhavebagsorboxessortedintopiles.Itisimportanttotakethemtotheidentifiedlocationimmediately,lesttheysitthereindefinitely.Takealoadortwotothetrashandrecyclingplace.Getsomeonetodropoffthedonations.Asforthethingstohandle,file,organize,orstore-yourworkcontinues.Ifyoudoitwithinthenextfewdays,it’smorelikely togetdone.Carveoutsometimeeachdaytoworkonit.Uselabelsandfilefoldersandclearbagsandboxestoidentifythings.Putthemwhereyoucanfindthem!Workononethinguntilyoufinishit.Startwiththethingstobehandled-andhandlethem.Paybills,makephonecalls-doallofthematonetime.Whenyoufinishhandlingallthosethings,movetothenextstackandworkonituntilyoucompleteit.

38•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Dothesameforeachroomofthehouse.Workinoneroomtofinishupwhatyourhelpersstarted,ifneeded.Ifyouneedtogothrougheachknick-knackorbooks/magazines,finishitbeforemovingtothenextroom.Findawaytocelebrateasyoufinisheachroom,butavoidgoingoutandbuyingsomething!Getapedicureorgoplaygolf.Havealatteatthecoffeeshop.Whenyoufinishthewholehouse,gooutwiththefamilyandcelebrate!Dosomethingfun,suchasgoingtoamovie,zoo,aquarium,museum,orotherentertainmentvenue.

39•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

STAYING THE COURSE

40•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Unlessyoudevelopnewhabits,yourhousewilllookthesamewithinafewmonths.Ittakesaconcertedefforttopreventthis.

BevandHenryBevandHenryweredeterminedtokeeptheirhousetidyandclutterfreeafterdownsizingandlettinggoofalotofstufftheydidn’tuseorneed.Theydidtheresearchandcameupwithsomeeasywaystobreakthecycle.Mostinvolvedbeingproactiveandhavingthenecessarysupplies.Theyhaveadonateboxinthegaragethattheyuseforanythingtheynolongerneedorwant.Whenitisnearlyfull,theytakeittoGoodwill.Theyhavea3-levelinboxbythefrontdoorwheretheyputmailtobehandled,keys/sunglasses/gloveswhentheycomeinandthingstheydon’twanttoforgetwhentheyleave.

41•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Theshredderisnexttothedoortoeliminatethingsthatdon’tgodirectlyintherecycleortrashbininthekitchen.Theyspendfiveminutesbeforebedmakingasweepofthehousetopickupandputawayanythingoutofplace.Theywashandputawaydishesastheyusethemwhilecookingandaftereating.Theywashoutthekitchensinkandwipedownthecountersafterdinnerandbeforework.Theywipedownthebathroomcounterandsinkinthemorningbeforeleaving.TheydolaundryonSundaywhilepreparingfortheworkweek.OnevacuumswhiletheothersweepsthekitchenandbathroomseverySunday.Theyeachcleanatoiletandtubinthebathroomsanddustoneroomweekly.

42•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

Everymonthalltheroomshavebeendustedandtheydoitagain.TheycelebrateonSundayeveningsbyeating-inwhiletheywatchamovieorballgame!CourseCorrectionIt’seasytobackslideandletthingsgetclutteredagain.Thetrickistocatchitbeforeitgetsoverwhelming.Peoplewhoaremostsuccessfulchangingbehaviorlong-termhavealimit-alinetheywillnotcross.Withweightloss,thatmaybeacertainsizeorweight.Forcluttercontrol,youcandecidewhatthatlookslike.

43•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

BevandHillaryhaveanagreement-oneweekistheirline.Iftheymisscleaningoneweekend,thenextweekendnothingelsehappensuntiltheycatchupontheirchores.Notv,nogoingout,nointernet-nothing.Thesoonerthey’rebackontrack,thesoonertheirlivesgetbacktonormal.What’syourlineinthesand?Howdoyougetbacktowhereyouneedtobe?Whatleveragedoyouhavewithhousematestobepartofthesolution?

44•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

THINGS TO REMEMBER

45•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

● Productivityisnegativelyaffectedatworkandathomebyclutter.

● Clutteraffectsmentalandphysicalhealthinmanynegativeways.

● Familyandsocialrelationshipsmaybenegativelyaffectedbyclutter.

● Cluttercantakeatollonyourfinances.

● Youcanloseuptoanhouradaylookingforthingsduetoclutter.

● Problemswithclutterareonacontinuum-mild,moderate,severe.

● Evenmildchallengeswithcluttercanhaveanegativeeffectonyourlifeandcareer.

46•LETGOOFCLUTTER:ORGANIZETORECLAIMYOURINNERANDOUTERLIFE

● Organizingandstayingorganizedrequireseveryonebewillingtodotheirpart.

● Sometimescompromiseisnecessarytomanagewhat/whoyouhavelittlecontrolover.

● Askforhelp!Friends,family,andprofessionalorganizersmaybe veryhelpful.

● Iftheproblemisextreme,mentalhealthassistancemayberequired.

Goodlucktoyou!