Like my Mom always use to say, “too much of anything isn’t good”. At the time, I think she was referring to the jar of pickles I was trying to polish off. But, of course, she was right. When I have too much stuff, I can’t find anything. It is often easy for me to decide that I have too many pieces of fabric, or pots and pans, books; I de-clutter people’s homes and offices all the time.
Telling a client that they have too much stuff…is tough. Especially when they have, like many of my clients, many varied interests and the “stuff” that goes along with the interests. Many sew, work crafts, collage, play instruments, paint. Rarely do I come across a serious clutter issue without a creative and busy mind attached to it.
There’s often a recent move that helps to create the situation or a combining of households. Whether it be two adults moving in together later in life after each owning a household of items or a box or many boxes of items arriving after a family member dies, there’s often too much stuff for us to deal with easily. Unless it is sorted before it arrives, it takes time to sort through it all.
Questions/Priorities:
- What do I want to focus on at this time in my life?
- What do I need to keep in order to do that?
- What can I give away that no longer serves me or fits into my current life?
Master Plan:
- What is the overall vision of the household decision makers.
- What ideas or plans do they see for that room or space?
- How does it differ from another family member?
- What is the compromise?
A Place For Everything, Everything In its Place:
This is probably something I write about a lot because it is an easy way to control clutter. If you have a home for scissors in the kitchen, that’s where you will find them; that’s where you will put them when you are finished using them. I can’t tell you how many clients have several pairs of scissors or other commonly used household items because they “lost” the first one in clutter or they did not have a home for it in the first place.
So many of us are trying to do too many things at once these days. When we do too much… we do not always finish everything we start. Many do not know about this tried and true rule. If you’re one of those people. Give it a try and see how it works. You’ll love finding things, right where you left them!
People have more household stuff these days and find it hard to keep it all organized: Do you ever feel like you just have too much stuff, don’t know where to put it all and don’t really have use for a lot of it?
- It’s hard to believe that we use only 20% of what we own: Just think about this one, when you go around your house and look at things with the perspective that you wish to keep only things you need, use and love. What can go?
- The average person spends at least 20 minutes a day looking for things: How many times do you look for things each day. It’s may be helpful to know that most people have this in common until they find a home for things and know where to find them.
- Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of their work: It’s easier to clean your home when there’s less stuff. There’s also satisfaction in eliminating stuff so you can have lower house cleaning bills.
These Clutter Facts are useful when we realize the simple fact that when we are in a hurry and we have to push our way through 40 jackets and coats in order to get the one we want out, it just isn’t worth it to have that much stuff. Free yourselves from the cloud of clutter. It feels wonderful!
Traveling to New York to visit a friend, amongst the hustle and bustle of all that is New York City, I came across the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sans & David Carson with beautiful illustrations by Angela Werneke. Have always enjoyed these spiritual cards. They directly speak to me each time I draw them. Today is no different. On my dog Winslow’s 7th Birthday, I drew “The Dog” card. The card for loyalty.
As the authors write, “Dog has been considered the servant of humanity throughout history. If a person carries Dog medicine (s)he is usually serving others or humanity in some way. Like the dog, I enjoy helping people bring peace and harmony to their homes and lives. Clarity often comes to people when there is harmony and balance. When the home is free of clutter, the mind is at rest from trying to sort through stuff to find things. Two of the questions asked if one draws this card are:
Have I recently forgotten that I owe my allegiance to my personal truth in life? What a good question to ask ourselves. This question comes at a good time for me as I begin a new year tomorrow; it’s my birthday. What is my personal truth? How do I work towards honoring my truth?
Have I been loyal and true to my goals? Another question to unveil another part of who I am. I ask myself at each new year a similar question.
What are my goals for this new year?
- Improve my business by 20%.
- Take an extended exotic vacation.
- Be the healthiest I have ever been.
What are your goals? Let us know what they are.
Take this simple quiz to see if you could spend a little more time clearing clutter and organizing your stuff.
Quick Clutter Quiz
- Do you get overwhelmed trying to organize your office?
- Do you spend time each day looking for things?
- Do you have a mess in your attic, basement or in the corner of your living room?
- Can your personal records be found in case of an emergency?
- Do you trip over things moving around in your home?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could benefit from clearing clutter and getting organized.
5 Benefits of Clearing Clutter
- Less stuff to organize
- Create empty space
- Restore beauty to a room
- Cleaning is easier
- Safety
Like my Mom always use to say, “too much of anything isn’t good”. At the time, I think she was referring to the jar of pickles I was trying to polish off. But, of course, she was right. When I have too much stuff, I can’t find anything. It is often easy for me to decide that I have too many pieces of fabric, or pots and pans, books; I de-clutter people’s homes and offices all the time.
