Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Clutter Busting

Clutter Busting: The Basement Journey Continues

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As I continue my journey in my basement, I continue to work on the basement a space at a time. And along the way I have learned more lessons and have had some “lightbulb moments”.

Here are a few lessons learned:

  • By just decluttering versus cleaning or organizing more stuff is moving out of the house. Too much stuff, even if it is organized, is clutter.
  • Do not delay decisions. Delayed decisions result in clutter.
  • If it takes five minutes or less just handle it now. Whether emails, incoming mail or handling something on your to do list…don’t wait. Do it now.
  • Don’t let things pile up…put it back where it belongs now. Later may never come. And piles quickly become clutter.

What lessons could you learn from decluttering?

Clutter Busting: Your Desk

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Desk clutter can be a distraction so here are some suggestions for de-cluttering your desk:

  • Set up a drawer to hold ongoing projects so they don’t live on your desk.
  • Only keep essential items on the desk top. Move duplicates or extra supplies to the supply cabinet.
  • Convert paper files to digital files when possible.
  • Eliminate sticky notes and use a notebook instead for messages, thoughts and to-dos.
  • Limit personal items to just a few special items.
  • Transfer business cards to your electronic contacts.
  • Use in and out boxes and locate it on your credenza and not on your desk.

And to maintain a clutter-free desk, leave five to ten minutes at the end of the day to clear the decks (desk top) so you can start the next day fresh and you can improve your productivity and reduce distractions.

Clutter Busting: Your Email

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Bombarded by email? Here are some suggestions for managing your email.

  • Turn off email notifications so you can focus on the task at hand.
  • Don’t use your inbox as a to-do list. Keep a separate to-do list and move emails out of your inbox.
  • Schedule two or three times each day to check email and process the messages.
  • Get yourself of the list. Do not sign up for offers or newsletters. Having fewer items coming into your mailbox eliminates emails you will have to deal with.
  • Consider calling or setting up a meeting with someone if the topic could result in multiple back and forth emails to save time.

Take some time today to gain control of your emails and you will soon be processing them more efficiently.

Clutter Busting: Your Calendar

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The beginning of the school year is a good time to think about getting your calendar in order. Doing so can help you tackle your to-do lists and boost your productivity.

Here are a few ideas to help you gain control of your calendar:

  • Prioritize your list. Every day. No exceptions. Focus on the important first versus the urgent and you can move your goals forward.
  • Take a break every 60 to 90 minutes. Ideas include: standing up and marching in place, doing some desk exercises. taking a walk, hydrating with a glass of water, eating a healthy snack or taking a few deep breaths. Taking a short break of even five minutes can reenergize you.
  • Learn to say “no”. If something is unproductive or does not contribute to your happiness, consider declining or delegate the meeting or task if you can.
  • Schedule important work in chunks of time for tasks that contribute to both your personal or professional goals. This will allow you to gain some momentum toward achieving your goals.

Think you can’t gain control of your calendar? Try it a day at a time. For all you have is 24-hours in a day so think about the present and control this day and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Clutter Busting: How to Let Go

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Letting go starts with the decision to do so. And yet many of us still struggle making the decisions of what we can and should remove from our home and our lives.

We have ended up with clutter because of delayed decisions. But you can change that. Making the choice to decide one item at a time can move you forward. And developing some guiding principles for letting go of your stuff can also help.

Somedays it may just be one item or another day it may be a box or bag of things. Somedays it will be easy and other days you may struggle. Yet, each decision makes the next one easier.

How can you let go of your stuff?