Keep Calm and Get Organized
More and more, it is becoming a well-known fact that a disorganized and cluttered home is a direct link to stress. Women unfortunately suffer the stigma of this more than men. The responsibilities of raising a family, growing a business, or advancing a career and tending to a myriad of household tasks become a mountain too big to climb. There can be little room for much else and somewhere along the way, something has got to give. Household tasks often take one, or a few, for the team. Clutter begins to mount and disorganization seeps in. The physical clutter becomes mental clutter, and when that happens it makes you want to scream (or eat chocolate).
Overwhelm sets in and can linger as backdrop for quite some time. It is one of the most common descriptions of how a person feels standing amidst the stuff of life in her own home. One day you look around and see nothing but a big mess - all over the house. I hear people say all the time, ‘I used to be organized’, or ‘I really am organized, but I just don’t have the time to keep up with it all’. How did it happen? Well, life is happening, but it does not need to include clutter.
Simple Tips to Simplify
Often, it is the simplest things that can make the greatest difference. And by simple, I do not mean to say that there will be no challenges. It is more about developing a mindset about the relationship you have with your possessions and the confidence of having reliable systems in place that support reducing stress and the feelings of overwhelm.
Here are a few examples.
1. Get in the habit. We have probably all experienced how easy it is to create a bad habit, so turn the tables and start creating some good new ones. Daily practices like making your bed, clearing out the kitchen sink every night and hanging a jacket on a hook or in the closet are quick wins that can easily be accomplished on a regular basis.
2. A place for everything and everything in its place. This is an old adage for sure, but how true it is. You may have heard that phrase so many times, you no longer pay attention to it. It is like walking past the mound of clothes on the floor or the piles of paper on the counter. It has become part of the household scenery. Choosing a place to consistently store items is a key element to a simple and effective organization plan.
3. Use it or lose it. This may sound a little harsh, but it just might be the needed catalyst for change. Don’t treat your home like a storage unit devoting precious space to things you have no use for. Use and enjoy all the belongings in your home. Some items may be useful for their practical purposes, others for decorative purposes. Either way, decide to keep the useful and meaningful possessions and consider donating, selling, or giving away the rest.
4. One thing at a time. This simple piece of advice encourages you to focus on just one area. It can be a small drawer or a single shelf. Once you have completed that decluttering and organizing task, feel free to move on to the next. The clutter did not magically appear overnight, so it will take some time to get all the areas of your home decluttered and organized to your satisfaction. Slow and steady wins the race.
5. Commit to your vision. Perhaps this should have been listed as the first item on the list. Knowing why living in a decluttered and organized home needs to be first and foremost in your plan to keep you going in the right direction. Let your vision be your compass Then practice good habits and live by your decisions to maintain an orderly home that will be visually calming and give you peace of mind.
Now you can eat chocolate as a reward.