Your physical space is often a direct reflection of your mental space. As a coach, I have found too often that my clients can't achieve real clarity about what they want until they clear out the �stuff� that clutters their physical space. When the clutter is gone, mental clarity arrives.
So how to get your space cleared out? Here are six major questions answered for you:
#1. DO I HAVE TO GET RID OF EVERYTHING?
Many people start out thinking that everything has to go if they start clearing out the stuff, and so they procrastinate. Not so! There are three very good reasons you want to keep something:
- It is used frequently
- It gives you great pleasure
- It has a strong, unique, symbolic meaning to you
If none of the above applies, however, get rid of it. It�s only stuff!
#2. WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL?
There are 4 basic categories of "stuff" in your space. Keep these categories in mind as you clear out and you won�t be gripped so tightly by the guilt that might come at getting rid of gifts from people you care about or items for which you probably paid too much money. We aren't talking about wasting, but rather about making sure that you aren't cluttering your space with things that are worthless to you.
Category 1: It goes in the trash.
Throw out of everything that will never be used by you or anyone else. This includes the last match in a matchbook, the stub of a candle that would burn about 30 seconds at the most, the broken coffee cup that you have meant to glue but know you never will, etc.
Category 2: It goes to someone else who can use it.
Go through the house clearing out everything that would never be used by you but that could be used by someone else. Good things, worthy things, but not right in your life. Give them away to just the right people you know who would love them, donate to Thrift Shops, sell in consignment stores, etc. Be generous: let someone else benefit from these particular items. Remember if you haven't used an item in the past 6-12 months, you are quite unlikely ever to use it.
Category 3: It goes somewhere else in your space.
As you go through your house you will find many things that you want to keep, but in another room of your house. One danger here is that you will move things from one room to another, one place to another, without actually getting rid of it. Decide on a convenient place for everything you want to keep and be sure it goes there. A little foresight will really come in handy here.
Category 4: You keep it right where it is.
If it�s worth keeping, it�s worth storing or displaying properly. If you don�t have abundant, proper storage space, maybe you should look again at winnowing out your stuff.
#3. WHERE TO START?
Option 1:
Some people find it easier to clear one area of the house at a time.
Have big containers � perhaps cardboard boxes � to place things according to the categories above. This makes it easier to work in a concentrated area rather than running all over the house and having your attention and energy fragmented.
Start with a closet in one room, or one cupboard, or one cabinet, or even one drawer, but get that small area just exactly the way you want it. Then get an adjacent area cleared out and then another. When one whole room is done, you tend to be on a roll � so elated at the positive change that you want to attack the clutter in the rest of the house as well. Just keep moving from one small area to an adjacent one and soon another room will be done, and another and another to completion.
Option 2:
Other people prefer clearing out the whole space at pretty much the same time, by addressing what leaves your space in the categories listed above.
First they go through the house like a whirlwind, throwing out all the things no one would ever use. Then they find things to give away or sell so that someone else can use it. After everything is gone that is going, they reallocate the space as needed for highest functionality and pleasure.
It really doesn't�t matter how you go about it, so long as your system works for you.
#4. DO I HAVE TO DO IT ALL MYSELF?
It really doesn't matter whether you do it alone or with help. But if you choose to have some help, select your helper(s) with care. Make sure they have no attachment to your status quo and will be somewhat ruthless in helping you remember the three valid reasons for keeping something. If it doesn't meet the criteria, out it goes.
#5. WON�T IT ALL JUST ACCUMULATE AGAIN?
The bad news is �Yes,� stuff will all come back unless you are careful. The good news is that the stuff can indeed be held at bay with good "Stuff Control� maintenance systems. Here are just a few:
- If something comes in, something goes out. For example, if you buy new dishes, the old ones are immediately sold, tossed or given away. The biggest challenge to this seems to be the purchase of clothes and toys.
- Do it now, not later. Throw out the junk mail now, not later. Take
something upstairs now if you are heading that way, not later. Put the tool away now, not later. You get the idea.
- A place for everything. Use your available storage to maximize
efficiency and convenience. The biggie here seems to be the reluctance to buy a file cabinet for papers you must keep. Let�s face the truth: if you have no place to display or store an item, it makes sense not to bring it into your space.
#6. HOW ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF MY SPACE, LIKE MY CAR AND OFFICE?
Absolutely! Working alone or perhaps in just one room may make it simpler for you to start with your office and then move to house and/or car. Start wherever you have the most power to make decisions. Clean out the office first, if that is easier for you, since it tends to be a smaller area than a house. Keep in mind that it is easier to do this when you have the power to make the decisions and when you start with a smaller area and expand into gradually larger spaces.
Conclusion:
In addition to clearing out your stuff and bringing in more mental clarity, you will find some other lovely benefits. These include
- More time now that you can find things more easily.
- More energy (and time) now that you have less to clean.
- Lower cost of living now that you are committed to keeping your space
clear and are buying less.
- Better social life now that you aren't�t ashamed of the mess and can
bring friends to your home.
- Enhanced quality of life now that you can have the sheer pleasure of
looking around your environment and feeling the wonderful sense of order, beauty and serenity that results from your getting rid of all the stuff.
Welcome to your beautifully clear and spacious life! Revel in it!
Additional resources to assist in having your perfect space:
"Clutter Control: Putting Your Home on a Diet"
by: Jeff Campbell of the Clean Team
Your environment truly does reflect your thinking, but it also affects your thinking. Clean up your act with these simple, very achievable guidelines and you will be delighted with the increase in your personal productivity and satisfaction.
"Speed Cleaning"
by: Jeff Campbell of the Clean Team
Whether you do the cleaning or supervise it, you will benefit from
understanding the most efficient way to clean.
"Spring Cleaning"
by: Jeff Campbell of the Clean Team
More on the in-depth cleaning needed periodically in even the cleanest of spaces.
"Living a Beautiful Life: Five Hundred Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life"
by: Alexandra Stoddard
Add some beauty to your environment with the advice of an outstanding interior designer.
