Conquering Clutter Once And For All

Clutter is the bane of my existence.  I really intensely dislike it.  Clutter makes me feel ill at ease and claustrophobic.  It will also put me in a bit of a foul mood.  Clean, clear wide open spaces, that is what gives me peace and allows me to function at my full potential. 

We live in a small house with 1030 square feet of living space.  Three of us living comfortably in a two bedroom home with a full bath upstairs and a half bath down.  We converted two-thirds of our garage into a family/bedroom with a closet (currently we use this room as a family room) and the remaining one third is our storage room where our bikes, tools, garden supplies, upright freezer, extra refrigerator, A/C units, pet foods and holiday decorations take up residence. 

Six years ago I embarked on a mission to pare down my belongings and find peace and tranquility within my home.  I got rid of A LOT of STUFF.  It truly amazed me at how much I had managed to pack into my little home.  What also amazes me is that I am still working on it after all this time. 

The best piece of advice I can give to someone who feels they are drowning in a sea of clutter and disorganization is to GET RID OF YOUR STUFF.  Once you get started it is the most liberating feeling you will ever experience.  You will discover a lot about yourself in the process too: 

·         Why do you hold onto the things you do?

·         Why do you buy the things that you buy?

·         What is truly important and what is not?

·        Transforming into someone who owns stuff instead of someone who is owned by stuff.

·         You will spend A LOT less money.

·         Tensions will start to ease.

·         You will love coming home.

·         Your interests will change and you will become more productive.

·         You will know where things are because you will have less stuff to keep track of.

·         You will have more time.

·         You will entertain more often.

·         You will be happier. 

Clutter, however great or small, has a negative impact on our psyche.  It weighs us down and becomes burdensome.  It causes us to withdraw and can create depression.  Who needs that? 

So don’t go out and buy more boxes and bins and labels to try to organize your stuff.  Just get rid of it and use that time to do something far more enjoyable. 

Do you have any clutter kicking ideas you’d care to share?