Clutter Busting Coach

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

Digital Clutter

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We talked about paper clutter in a previous post and now I want to address digital clutter.

I found that once I started eliminating paper, my digital footprint increased, and I had more electronic files to manage such as emails and records. And that I ended up with digital clutter. You can find digital clutter in your emails, apps on the phone, recipes and other bookmarked items, social media, and documents.

Digital clutter can cause stress and can be just as much of a challenge as paper piles/clutter and possibly more. And it too can be overwhelming to manage. Since it doesn’t occupy a “physical space” per se, it can be “out of sight, out of mind” clutter such as in my case.

I have acknowledged that my emails and electronic documents are something that I need to get control of and have scheduled myself to do so in the next month or two. The Zebra has a great definition of what digital clutter is and how to manage it. They even provide a digital minimalist clutter challenge.

Join me in eliminating your digital clutter.

Declutter Challenge Check In – 40 Days Completed

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For those like me who did the 40-day declutter challenge, how did it go?

Lessons learned for me:

  • Regular maintenance and routines are important for keeping clutter under control. It can easily get out of hand even with the best of intentions.
  • Remembering the difference between records and reference helps me limit paper files.
  • That I can challenge myself to continue to reduce clutter even when I think I have previously gotten rid of a lot.
  • Organized clutter is still clutter.
  • That this annual 40-day challenges really helps me as part of my clutter-free maintenance plan.

What did you learn?

Paper Clutter Cures

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With April being tax season and filing right around the corner, I thought I would visit paper clutter since I know that I am always personally trying to address records during this timeframe.

There is so much paper even if we have switched a lot of things to electronic or digital processes. The difficulty with paper is not only managing the current paper coming into our lives, but our paper files. As part of my 40-day purge, I also handled some papers.

Here are some tips for reducing paper clutter: [Read more…]

Declutter Challenge Check In

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If you did a 31-day March declutter challenge, how did you do? If you are continuing the 40-day challenge, how is it going?

I am continuing with the 40-day declutter challenge.

I wanted to do a deeper dive into one of the reasons we keep clutter. One of the reasons we keep clutter is because of the value we place on our items. We may value something because of the memories associated with the item or because we paid good money for it. Or someone gave it to us as a gift and we value that gesture even if we don’t use or like the item. We may also keep something because it is part of our legacy.

So, I wanted to speak to the value of our items by using my experience as an example. I have regularly taken clothing, purses, and shoes to consignment shops (yes plural) because in my opinion there is still value in them or because I bought them on impulse and didn’t end up even taking the tag off or because I paid “good money” for an item. What I have learned through this process is that what I think has value and what the stores take on consignment are two different things. And that is okay. It is okay because I keep the goal of having less clutter in my home at the forefront. [Read more…]

How To Avoid Clutter

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As you look to declutter and purge your items, it is also important to engage in developing a way to stay “organized” or to prevent the clutter from reemerging.

Here are some tips to help you avoid cluttering your space again.

  • Make sure you have a place to store it before you buy it
  • Don’t buy warehouse sizes if you don’t have the room
  • Use multipurpose products
  • Make a list before you shop
  • Plan your wardrobe around two colors
  • Schedule maintenance activities
  • Employ consistent daily practices or a routine
  • Don’t allow it in your house in the first place

A plan for not acquiring clutter and letting it in your house in the first place is the best insurance to avoid clutter.

Additionally, scheduling a weekly, monthly, and yearly routine for maintenance can make an enormous difference in corralling clutter and not allowing it to pile up. Hence my annual 40 Day Declutter Challenge.

Which one of these tips can you start using today?