Clutter Busting Coach

…clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

clutter busting

The Home Office of Your Dreams

by Leave a Comment

I recently posted about handling your papers as they come into your home as a way to conquer paper clutter. In thinking about what information I wanted to provide next I went through a long laundry list of potential topics. And the winner is setting up a home office.

Once you have a handle on the paper coming into your home, the next best thing is getting a handle on the place that you will process the paper and do your “at home” work….the home office.

But before we pick up a filing pile, before we straighten the desk or rearrange any furniture I want you to imagine the home of office of your dreams.

Find a quiet spot and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and envision the home office of your dreams. What functions happen in the room, who will need to use the room, how does it feel, what does it look like and what outcomes will you reap in your home office?

Starting at the vision you have for your home office can be the first and biggest step in creating a calm, productive and workable space for yourself and others in the household.

So write down the vision, clearly picture it and then create an action plan to set up the physical space for creativity and success….then we’ll tackle those files.

More Paper Clutter Control Techniques

by 1 Comment

I could spend days writing about conquering paper pile ups. And I will continue to share bits and pieces in future posts. I did want to share a few more techniques now that you have your incoming mail under control.

In order to stay on top of paper and prevent it from piling up:

  • When handling a piece of paper decide what action needs to be taken and place it in the desginated spot.
  • Do it now. This would support the suggestion of handling paper once. This is not always possible, but if the action needed would take less than five minutes, now may be a good time to handle it.
  • Make time for paperwork. Schedule time in your calendar and keep the appointment with yourself. This includes time for regular paperwork such as bill paying and maintenance such as files.
  • Request electronic documents (investment annual reports) versus hard copies.
  • Don’t be a copycat.

By implementing this techniues you can stay on top of the paper that comes into your life.

The Hazards of Clutter

by 1 Comment

Physical and mental clutter can:
• Burden your mind.
• Make you feel tired.
• Keep you in the past.
• Confuse you.
• Affect how people treat you.
• Make you procrastinate.
• Cause disharmony
• Put your life on hold.

Clutter causes anxiety. It distracts you. And it does cause stress. This can lead to vicious cycle. You may be in the clutter-stress cycle if you are avoiding something, you fear failure, you’ve changed and aren’t ready for it or if you’re holding onto the past or someone.

You need to recognize the root cause as the first step to becoming clutter-free. Do your bills pile up because you don’t want to deal with your finances? Do you have closets that are over stuffed because they contain too many memory joggers and you aren’t ready to deal with the loss of someone?

Identifying the reasons for your clutter is another step toward de-cluttering your life. What is your reason for your clutter?

Why Do We Keep Clutter?

by Leave a Comment

My last post began by defining clutter, but let’s also look at the dictionary’s definition of clutter:

clut•ter 1. a confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble, 2. a confused noise; a clatter. 3. to fill or spread over in a disorderly manner, 4. to make disorderly or hard to use by filling or covering with objects, 5. to run or move with bustle and confusion.

Clutter is very chaotic. So why do we keep clutter? We keep clutter:
• Just in case.
• For identity.
• For status.
• For security.
• Because of territorialism.
• Because we inherited “clutteritis”.
• Because we use clutter to suppress emotions.

You may even have other reasons for your clutter. The bottom line is that clutter is often used as an excuse. So the real question to ask is:

Where would you be without clutter and what would you be doing if clutter didn’t obstruct you?

Spring Is In The Air…Is It Time To De-clutter Your Life?

by Leave a Comment

The approach of spring has many people thinking about spring cleaning. Are you one of those people?

Being brought up in a household that believed strongly in spring and fall cleaning this process became a ritual for me as I was growing up. At the end of the process I remember that I definitely felt different about the space I lived in. Well, I felt that I had more space and I felt lighter.

Whether you go through the spring cleaning process or not, whether you regularly schedule cleaning and organizing sessions or not, this time of year is a great time to de-clutter…to rid yourself of the clutter in your life. [Read more…] about Spring Is In The Air…Is It Time To De-clutter Your Life?