On average every one of us owns about 10 000 things.
That is a lot of stuff to handle.
Chaos theory turns into reality in a parents' life - we experience it first hand, every day! 'I'm the only one who hasn't got a proper filing system in place' you might secretly think - but hey, we're all familiar with the scenario: The desk has disappeared under heaps of dodgy bits and papers have therefore developed a life of their own and spread into all sorts of funny places...
The kids' toys seem to weirdly breed somehow and duplicate by the hour...
Getting the wardrobe doors to shut turns into a new exercise regime - and once you've managed to pry them open, you find that you don't fancy wearing any of the stuff that falls out...
Despair not! When it comes to clearing, the most difficult step is to make a start at all.
Don't be overambitious and kid yourself into thinking you'll sort out an entire room or storage space in one go "next weekend/when the kids are in bed".
Only ever tackle one small area at a time: one drawer, two shelves in your wardrobe.
Make an appointment with yourself, and show up! To pencil in half an hour is realistic and achievable.
And with that success under your belt, you'll find yourself all fired up to move on to the next project.
Clutter Clearing can be regarded as a chore.
Or you could decide to see it as a means of clearing the energy of the space around you, so you can be closer to your vision and goals - and how exciting and empowering is that!! So, let's start - out with the old and in with the new (please note, new here as in: experiences or friends - not necessarily shoes or DVDs!) • Clear by using different boxes and bags: rubbish, recycling, charity, returns - create your own categories.
• Wear a colour that cheers you up and listen to your favourite (upbeat!) music.
• Start off with easier clutter like old magazines, then slowly progress to more challenging sentimental stuff like presents or photographs.
(Note on presents: Keep the love that came with the gift and let the thing go.
) • Always clear from the inside out.
However tempting it might be to just tidy the surfaces, for real clearing success you need to create storage space first: everything must come out of that cupboard.
Be aware of the fact that it will get worse before it gets better and have a cup of tea and/or supportive friend at hand to see you through this slightly chaotic stage of the clearing process.
• Find a place for everything - to then be able to keep everything in its place.
If toys haven't got a dedicated storage space, children are not able to tidy up.
They simply don't know where things go.
Tip: Try to reorganise while clearing - find a permanent home for every thing; store similar items together; keep things near where you are going to use them.
Clutter clearing can be the most fascinating journey of self-discovery: slowly unearthing what it is about you and your billions of books or bags...
- What essence do you collect (books might symbolise education, open-mindedness..
) What do your things stand for? Even if we are tricked into believing this every single day: we are not what we have.
In the end: we are what we are! And most importantly: while clearing, always focus on what you have achieved already - not what is still to do.
Congratulate yourself on how far you have come!
That is a lot of stuff to handle.
Chaos theory turns into reality in a parents' life - we experience it first hand, every day! 'I'm the only one who hasn't got a proper filing system in place' you might secretly think - but hey, we're all familiar with the scenario: The desk has disappeared under heaps of dodgy bits and papers have therefore developed a life of their own and spread into all sorts of funny places...
The kids' toys seem to weirdly breed somehow and duplicate by the hour...
Getting the wardrobe doors to shut turns into a new exercise regime - and once you've managed to pry them open, you find that you don't fancy wearing any of the stuff that falls out...
Despair not! When it comes to clearing, the most difficult step is to make a start at all.
Don't be overambitious and kid yourself into thinking you'll sort out an entire room or storage space in one go "next weekend/when the kids are in bed".
Only ever tackle one small area at a time: one drawer, two shelves in your wardrobe.
Make an appointment with yourself, and show up! To pencil in half an hour is realistic and achievable.
And with that success under your belt, you'll find yourself all fired up to move on to the next project.
Clutter Clearing can be regarded as a chore.
Or you could decide to see it as a means of clearing the energy of the space around you, so you can be closer to your vision and goals - and how exciting and empowering is that!! So, let's start - out with the old and in with the new (please note, new here as in: experiences or friends - not necessarily shoes or DVDs!) • Clear by using different boxes and bags: rubbish, recycling, charity, returns - create your own categories.
• Wear a colour that cheers you up and listen to your favourite (upbeat!) music.
• Start off with easier clutter like old magazines, then slowly progress to more challenging sentimental stuff like presents or photographs.
(Note on presents: Keep the love that came with the gift and let the thing go.
) • Always clear from the inside out.
However tempting it might be to just tidy the surfaces, for real clearing success you need to create storage space first: everything must come out of that cupboard.
Be aware of the fact that it will get worse before it gets better and have a cup of tea and/or supportive friend at hand to see you through this slightly chaotic stage of the clearing process.
• Find a place for everything - to then be able to keep everything in its place.
If toys haven't got a dedicated storage space, children are not able to tidy up.
They simply don't know where things go.
Tip: Try to reorganise while clearing - find a permanent home for every thing; store similar items together; keep things near where you are going to use them.
Clutter clearing can be the most fascinating journey of self-discovery: slowly unearthing what it is about you and your billions of books or bags...
- What essence do you collect (books might symbolise education, open-mindedness..
) What do your things stand for? Even if we are tricked into believing this every single day: we are not what we have.
In the end: we are what we are! And most importantly: while clearing, always focus on what you have achieved already - not what is still to do.
Congratulate yourself on how far you have come!
Source...