We all have
clutter, even professional organizers. I even share pictures of my
clutter from time-to-time to my Declutter Challenge participants or to the
Things That Look Easy Facebook group that I manage. The fact is, we all
have some clutter. What matters is how we tackle it.
Tackling the clutter
It is not as hard as you
might think. I think most of us have struggled with clutter for so long
because we are going about it a way that does not work for us. Let me
give you a personal example.
I am not a thin woman. I
have used the supplements and shakes and vitamins and they do not work for
me. Period. I am not sure if it is my body chemistry or what, but
these ‘guaranteed’ weight loss products actually cause me to GAIN weight! Have
you tried clutter eradication methods that only seem to make it worse?
Here is the secret: I know
what makes my inches go away: keeping a food journal and regular exercise. I
bet you know how and what to do to keep your home tidier, it just isn’t any
fun. Just like I kept looking for the right pill to make the fat fall off, you
are looking at Pinterest and buying books in hopes of finding the secret
weapon.
Sad, solid truth: there is no
secret weapon. There is, however, hope.
A little at a time
What I have found is a way to
exercise that I absolutely love and makes me feel alive and vibrant instead of
wanting to die. (I work out in the pool so my brain doesn’t realize I am
sweating.) I am also cutting out one bad type of food each month until all
the bad stuff is gone. I gave up deep fried foods for June and am giving
up processed sweets for July. That simply means that I can have a crème
brulee from a restaurant but not a Snickers from the gas station.
How can we apply this to your
clutter? Once you start, you will see that it feels so life-giving to rid
yourself of the stuff you don’t need. It is going to feel good; you just
have to do it reap the reward. I would never have thought I would enjoy
working out in the pool because I am not a strong swimmer. I had to try
first.
Create healthy habits
Then, create good habits to
replace those that aren’t serving you. If your kitchen is too much of a
mess to prepare healthy meals, start by washing one load of dishes every day,
no matter what. So, what if you don’t have anywhere to put them. You
let them sit on the counter dirty, they can sit on the counter clean just as
well. When you have that habit in place, allow yourself to get rid of one
thing you don’t need in the kitchen each day until there is room for all the
clean dishes.
Your struggle may not be
dishes, but laundry or the mail; the process is still the same. Lean into what
you love, then make small changes to your habits and eventually you will see
profound results. It won’t be right away, but it also won’t take long.
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