Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

clutter busting

Clutter Busting: How Much is Enough?

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We all have things we love and what we love we want to have plenty of it. For some it’s t-shirts. For others it is shoes. For you it may be scrapbook supplies, holiday decorations, seashells, baseball caps, screwdrivers or purses.

However, for everything you love to love, it’s important to strike a balance between too much and just enough. When you have too much of something you may start to feel bad about the excess or you may even forget what you have. Where is your comfort zone? How much is enough and how much is too much?

The difficulty comes because we don’t always know how much of something we have either because we have it stored in multiple locations or because our items (collections) don’t have a home.

Here are some tips to help you decide how much is enough: [Read more…] about Clutter Busting: How Much is Enough?

Clutter Busting: Face the Fear

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Are you unable to let go of clutter even though it may not be something you use, love or want anymore? Are you afraid of throwing something out that you may want or possibly need later?

Self-doubt creates the inability to let go of stuff because we fear making a mistake or a bad decision.

Here are some suggestions for overcoming the fear of letting your stuff go:

*Set priorities. By figuring out what your priorities are you will make it easier to decide what you really should toss. Knowing your priorities will help you know what serves your current life and you’ll know what you want to have time for and what makes you feel good. And, therefore, the decision of what to toss and what to keep will be easier.

*Challenge your fear. When you feel the fear do it anyway. Making a conscious choice not to let doubt or fear control you will make you stronger and will make the next decision easier. Don’t allow fear to control you…be powerful in your decision to let go of things.

*Take baby steps. Letting go little by little is an easy way to challenge your doubt. When you let go of stuff a little at a time it seems much less overwhelming. Or start with items that are easier to let go of such as obvious trash. This will allow you to practice decision making and create success on step at a time.

*Trust yourself. Trust your ability to make decisions. Trust that if you make a “wrong” decision by throwing something out that you will be able to survive by making do, being creative or by finding a substitute. Or you could just buy another one.

So go ahead. Toss something out. Get rid of something that no longer serves your current life and see how you feel.  Odds are you will feel powerful because you faced the fear and self-doubt.

What have you gotten rid of this week?

 

Clutter Busting: Do You Have the Desire to Acquire?

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Do you acquire things on a whim?

Our desire to buy or have more is often the result of deeper unmet needs that we have not taken care of. By increasing your awareness, it is easier to recognize your tendency to indulge yourself in things that aren’t necessary and then find more productive ways to satisfy your needs. Reflecting on why you feel you need to acquire more can give you insight into yourself and might even point you into a different direction and help you fill your needs in a more positive way. In fact, you may want to make a list of needs/feelings along with alternate ways to fulfill them such as responding to loneliness by calling a friend.

And when the desire to acquire something new strikes you, take a deep breath, look at the item you are considering and ask yourself if it is something you truly need. Then ask yourself what need are you trying to fill and do something from the alternative list you created.

You should treat yourself to something nice once in a while, yet limiting your purchases or acquisitions will bring you a greater sense of satisfaction and control in your life. Being mindful of the things you wish to acquire could help you realize that so much of what you long for is a substitute for fulfilling much deeper needs or responding to feelings.

What are your needs and how can you respond without adding more stuff to your life?

Clutter Busting: Letting Go

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The Clutter Busting Coach’s definition of clutter comes down to this…  “clutter is anything that you want to let go but haven’t yet. This can be mental and physical clutter”.

With physical clutter the challenge is in the letting go and also on not acquiring both of which is connected to our emotions.

To start letting go of the physical stuff here are some tips from the Clutter Busting Coach:

  • Don’t obsess about having a “system” first

Finding the right storage system — whether it’s plastic bins or closet organizers is not the answer. Containers can become clutter. Make the hard decisions about getting rid of things yourself; then figure out where to store what’s left. No one object has the power to bring clarity to your home. [Read more…] about Clutter Busting: Letting Go