Clutter Busting Coach

Do you have a spot (or two) in your home where clutter appears to collect and multiply? That is your clutter magnet.

This spot could be your entry way, a counter top, your table top or your dresser. You can eliminate your clutter magnet by following these steps:

1. Identify your “hot spot”.
2. Identify what types of clutter accumulate in the spot.
3. Create storage near the spot.
4. Put things away immediately in the storage spot you created.
5. Complete regular maintenance of the area by filing, moving to permanent storage or disposing of items.

For me this area was my kitchen counter by the phone. Most of the mail, receipts, miscellaneous papers or items that came into the house ended up there. By adding a counter top file box with three drawers for current bills/action items, filing and receipts my counter is a lot clearer than it used to be. I am still working on keeping it clear 100% of the time, but now it only piles up slightly since my storage is so accessible.

What hot spot are you going to tackle?

Just the thought of getting organized can create a feeling of anxiety and stress especially if you have several areas in your home where you feel out of control.  Being overwhelmed by the thought of getting organized can lead you to feeling stuck or paralyzed.

Here are five tips to help you get unstuck and create order in your home:

1. Perform one household chore each week night before or after work.
2. Create storage areas in your attic or basement. Arrange and label boxes by owner versus by item or category.
3. Schedule a ten-minute pick up time each night. During this time all family members are responsible for putting away their belongings in the designated storage places.
4. Keep a donation box handy. Every time you come across an item you no longer need or want add it to the collection. When the box is full immediately pack it up and take it to your favorite local charity.
5. Specify one area in your home as your storage area for household staples and/or supplies. It will be easier to identify what needs to be added to your shopping list that way.

Doing just one of these tips can get you started on your goal of being more organized.

Which tip will you focus on this week? Remember all it takes is one step forward to begin the journey. It is progress not perfection.

I am an avid reader (if you couldn’t tell from my previous entries). I have always read for pleasure and for self-improvement. But books can become clutter.

How do you know when your books have become clutter? You know when you are buying more storage units to store your books, when they are all over your home or when they start to weigh you down.

Here are some steps to thin out your book collection:

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“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” ~Max DePree

So what will it take to get different results? Change. How do you define change? 

change  1 a: to make different in some particular b: to make radically different  c: to give a different position, course, or direction to 2 a: to replace with another b: to make a shift from one to another  c: to undergo a modification of.

Many people (myself included) keep doing the same thing day after day and wonder why they keep getting the same results. Why do we do this? Because we are in our comfort zone.

Are you stuck in your comfort zone? Maybe a complimentary coaching session can help you break free? If you are interested in a 30 minute sample session contact me:

Are you overwhelmed with the thought of getting organized?

Here’s a challenge -  set a timer for 20 minutes and pick one area.  Sort things by “keep here”, “trash”, “store elsewhere” or “donate”. Sort first and then toss, then replace or relocate the items.

Or try the “Famous 27 Fling Boogie” suggested by Marla Cilley (The FlyLady) in the book Sink Reflections: FlyLady’s BabyStep Guide to Overcoming CHAOS (FlyLady Press Inc 2002). This is actually a fun and fast exercise she adapted from one of Suze Orman’s books The Courage to Be Rich. The suggestion is to take a garbage bag and run through the house to collect all the things you don’t love or use in 15 minute increments. Suze recommended 25 things at a time while the FlyLady recommends 27 things. Stop when the timer goes off. Afterwards get the items immediately out of your home. 

Try this. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish in a short amount of time…it’s all small steps. It’s progress not perfection.

 In fact you could use this technique to put your whole house in order. You can do anything for 15 or 20 minutes. Right?

Continuing with the theme of excess weight or body clutter… I recently read the book Body Clutter: love your body, love yourself  (Fireside 2005) by authors Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely.

Are you cluttering your body with food? Many times we use food to comfort us instead of dealing with the pain or emotion we are experiencing.

All of us have foods that trigger some type of past experience for us. What food can’t you get enough of?

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I keep coming back to the food and clutter connection…

One of the connections that I think is important is the emotional link to what, how and when you eat. Are you eating because you are hungry? Or are you eating because you are tired, sad, bored, stressed or happy? Try focusing on eating only when you feel hungry. A food journal can help you identify if you are eating because of emotional triggers or because of hunger. Keep a food journal for at least three days. Then review it for emotional triggers. You may be surprised at what you learn.

I discussed Peter Walsh’s book Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: an easy plan for losing weight and living more (Free Press 2008) with a friend, so she decided to borrow the book from the library.

During a recent conversation she mentioned that she had started reading it and, even though she had read only a little of the book, she felt empowered to tackle some areas in her home including the bookshelf and business filing drawer in her office. She also worked on her sock drawer and threw away unmatched socks that have been there for two years (conservative estimate). In addition, she worked on her  bedroom’s walk-in closet and the coat closet. She immediately removed items to be donated from her home.

And guess what? Positive things started happening with her business. Coincidence? Or could clearing physical clutter help you get unstuck?

So even if you don’t think you have clutter, get rid some of the excess stuff in your life…who knows things may start moving in a postive direction. 

In the book Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: an easy plan for weight loss and living more (Free Press 2008) Peter Walsh suggests several “food-clutter principles”. One of those principles is “organize where, how and what you eat as the fist step toward achieving your ideal body”.

Remember in the post from March 12, 2008 I talked about planning a weekly menu? Did you do it? Do you have a plan for eating healthy? By organizing your menu (and part of your life) you can gain a sense of control which will help you make consistent healthy food choices.

Well, at least plan tomorrow’s menu…that’s a tiny step.

I have really enjoyed reading the book by Peter Walsh entitled Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: an easy plan for losing weight and living more (Free Press 2008). It has many tips and ideas that can empower you to clear clutter from your life.

In the book the author proposes “clutter principles”. One of those principles is “live firmly in the present, not the past or the future.”  It asks the question: Are you holding onto things you don’t use and if you are why? Do you have more stuff than space?

You have the space you have. If your house isn’t welcoming because it full of stuff, you won’t spend time there and you can’t expect to enjoy meals there. The author states “You must respect the limits of the physical space that you have because if you don’t the space can’t function and your vision is lost.” The author further states ” “You can’t lose weight if your home is out of control.”

If you are holding on to things you don’t use or don’t love, figure out why. Is it the memory, was it a gift or does it represent hope, guilt, or fear? If you don’t love it or use it, it has no place in your physical space.

What one thing can you get rid of today that you don’t love or use?