Too Many Things

How many times you were trying to find something in a hurry, only to realize that there is too much stuff inside of your closet, in the kitchen cupboard, or on your desk? The clutter we keep prevents us from being on time, makes us procrastinate and requires extra time and money for cleaning. It keeps us in the past, makes us depressed and sometimes ashamed of ourselves. We feel disorganized and tired just by looking at the excess stuff we've accommodated during the years and can not part with.

We keep too much stuff because it makes us feel more secure, or because we believe the more we have, the better. In today's world, where we have instant access to practically every item's high and low price alternative, we buy to our heart's content. This causes our homes to be filled with stuff, some of which is rarely or even never used. Our rooms and garages are filled up to the ceiling, and it's still not enough. Want proof? Just look at the numerous storage rental businesses around you.

Are you one of the many who are paying mortgage for a very expensive storage space for their stuff? Is your home full of rarely (if ever) used items? Maybe you already have tried to get rid of some of this mess, but without success?

Here are some ideas on how to start:

Define "clutter zones" in your home and attack them one-by-one.
You can approach the clutter clearing in two ways: either schedule the whole day (weekends work best) for a given space (the fast way), or assign a certain amount of time daily, for example 30 minutes, to work on this task (slower results, but often the only way if you're busy on weekends).
Use the "empty and add" method: remove everything from the cleaned room (cabinet or drawer in case you're using the "slower method"), and clean it thoroughly. Then bring in only the essential items like the bed in the bedroom, the sofa and chairs in the living room, etc. Concentrate on the activities you perform in that space and items supporting those. Try to live with it for a day or two, and then bring in a few (and I mean a few) personal objects that will help to make the room your own. That's it!
Sort the remaining stuff into 3 piles: the 'Throw Away' (you know what to do with it), the 'Get Rid Of' (sell, give away, donate), and the 'Consider' pile (you can't or won't decide what to do with it right now - return to it in a month or so).
If you are a collector, try to rotate your collection so there are always some fresh and interesting objects on display, and the rest (pared down to the minimum, of course) is stored safely so it won't gather dust and block the energy flow inside of your home.
And the most important advice (this made a huge difference for me personally): do not buy any more new items if you don't get rid of something beforehand. And before you buy anything, always ask yourself: Do I absolutely love it? Do I really need it? Is the quality good enough to withstand years of use, so I don't have to throw it away soon, in order to buy a new one?

Getting rid of unnecessary stuff in your live will help you become more energetic, gain a new perspective and make a fresh start. It also will improve your overall health by minimizing the use of household cleaners for everyday cleaning of your innumerable possessions, as well as the health of the planet through frugal use of resources, and shrinking the mountain of trash produced by you every year.

Happy De-cluttering!

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