Clutter Busting Coach

...clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Clear Clutter…Clear Mind

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I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Karen Giles-smith, a colleague, fellow registered dietitian and freelance writer. Through her website Karen provides insights and advice about food, nutrition, health and wellness.

Check out her recent post on clutter at: http://www.thewellnesswriter.com/5306.html?entryId=d2639d3de8f21e4e3dc3d36cbdc2f75f

Let me know your thoughts.

The Care and Feeding of Your Paper Piles (How Do Your Piles Grow?)

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Do you have papers piles that seem to grow over night? Do you get one pile cleared only to have other piles double?

The way to conquer the chaos of papers piling up is to have a system for paper management. But you have to start somewhere so here are some tips for the care of your paper piles: [Read more…]

The Home Office of Your Dreams

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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

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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

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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?