Most cases of clutter are rooted in one problem: Failure to designate a specific place to put each item. “Once everything has a home, you know where to find it and where to put it away.”

DE-CLUTTERING YOUR HOUSE: Once you acknowledge that all your clutter is having an enormously DRAINING effect on you, you will realize that there is no option but to do something about it. The process of acknowledging and taking action to eliminate the clutter is liberating and freeing. You will be amazed at how de-cluttering one area of your life can positively effect OTHER areas of your life, including your professional life, your relationships with others, the effectiveness of your parenting, and so on………….So let’s get to it!

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

If you feel stressed by just thinking about the clutter that has invaded your home, don’t fret, there is hope! It didn’t get there overnight and won’t disappear overnight. You need to be REALISTIC about the time it will take to address it. Taking many, many small steps will give you the results you need to reclaim the lost energy, space and time. Before you know it, those STEPS will add up to a massive step in addressing chaos in your home.

 GETTING STARTED: Set a day and time to make a start, write it down and STICK to it. Gather together what you will need. Garbage bags, labels, boxes, etc. Make sure you have this ready before the day.

GEARING UP: Use positive self-talk and an “I can do it attitude” to MENTALLY prepare you for your first job. This helps keep your energy levels up, as well as the negative, lazy voice inside your head. Don’t underestimate the power of saying POSITIVE things to yourself, such as “It’s never as bad as you think.” “One step at a time” and so on.

START SMALL: It is a good idea to start with just a drawer here and there before tackling whole cupboards and rooms. Otherwise, you risk being swamped with too much mess, which may scare you off doing something about the rest. It’s also really important to COMPLETE one area before starting on another or you will feel overwhelmed. Just remember to start small and not to get carried away with the job at hand, and forget to clean up after yourself before going onto the NEXT job.

START WITH YOURSELF: Tackle YOUR own areas first rather than your partner’s or your children’s. Otherwise it’s too easy to find an excuse not to do it because it’s “their” mess, not yours. Whereas if it’s your area then you know it is your RESPONSIBILITY, and it will be harder for you to talk yourself out of tackling the problem.

LEARNING TO LET GO: Have garbage bags ready and psych yourself up to fill them! You will need a RUTHLESS attitude, and if you find yourself saying, “But I might use it one day….” Tell yourself that if you were going to use it, you would have by now. It may help you to focus your attention on each item and say to yourself, “Does this make me feel good/positive” or “Does this make me feel bad/negative.” Anything that makes you “ummm and ahh” should be thrown. You’ll have this QUICK assessment down in no time.

 THINGS OTHERS CAN USE: Have a separate bag/box for CHARITY items. Whatever you do, once full, make sure you put the bags straight into your car and actually take it to DONATE at the nearest drop off or charity store right away.

GETTING ON A SCHEDULE: Give yourself a set amount of TIME to complete your jobs. If you need to, break down your tasks on a “to do” list.

DON’T PUSH TOO HARD: Reward yourself with a cup of coffee or tea every hour or so, then make sure you get back into it. You will find out soon that you are on a roll and won’t want to quit.

RE-ARRANGING: You may need to find new, more APPROPRIATE homes for some of the items you keep. Compile a designated area for LIKE objects. For example, a bathroom box for soaps, hair products, makeup, a book and magazine box, kitchen box and misc. box.

DO IT NOW: Make sure you put any NEW items that are brought into the house away immediately. Don’t listen if you hear yourself saying, “I don’t have time, or I’ll do it later” -just do it! You can make time and get into the HABIT if you want to. It’s all about getting into a new routine. Before you know it, you do it without even thinking!

THAT VOICE IN YOUR HEAD: Be conscious of your old MINDSET, which may try to prevent you from moving onto a better place. Remember to be able to keep on top of the de-cluttering you have done and not end up back where you started in a very short amount of time. It really does take a change in mindset. Be conscious of the old EXCUSES you used to make to yourself. You need to get away from the old “I’ll do it later” and “I don’t have time” excuses you used to use.

A NEW WAY OF THINKING: Replace those old excuses – if you hear yourself saying these things when, for example, you have an item in your hand to put away, something to find a new home for, or mail to file, say instead, “It will save me time later on. I will feel better if I do it now,” and so on………….

YOU CAN DO IT: It really is a matter of mind over matter. As hard as it seems or as tired as you are, or as much as everyone else in the family isn’t doing their bit, we simply need to accept that it will take a little bit of EFFORT on our part to get anywhere. Learn to tell the difference between your excuses and real REASONS for not being able to stay organized.

IT WILL HAPPEN: The gains will come – rest assured that if you do make the necessary CHANGES in mindset and habits, in no time at all, it won’t feel like a chore. Rather, it will become part of your ROUTINE, that you will do it without thinking and you will definitely feel better about.

Author, Blogger, and Professional Organizer, Cindy Haugland is available to answer your questions, provide helpful tips, schedule speaking/teaching sessions, or schedule professional cleaning or organizing if you reside in central Minnesota. You can contact Cindy by visiting her website at www.TidyTightwads.com Tune in for Part II of this post in a couple days called: “Living the Clutter-Free Life”

Please share your organizing tips, clutter frustrations, or any other ideas or stories you may have. We love to hear from you.