Organizing Your Life and Your Clutter

After watching numerous episodes of television shows like "Clean House" and "Hoarders" it is hard not to want to clean up your house and let go of your clutter. These shows help teach you how to let go, organize and live a better, clutter-free, life. But without the experts from these shows in your own home how can you get started on your own? It really is not as difficult as you think it might be, even as you look around at your cluttered home. I was once a hoarder and a pack rat, and I took care of my clutter problem even before the show "Hoarders" came into existence.

Now, I am not saying that it is easy to get rid of things and get your home, and your life, into a neat order. What I am saying is that you can do it, if you want to. You have to be driven to better your life and your situation. One thing that the television show "Hoarders" tells us repeatedly is that hoarding is a disease. But, just like with any disease there are alternative therapies that can help you without the use of medications and doctors.

The first step is to realize you have a problem and then you must want to change. Your home is a mess, you can never find anything, you have bugs in your home because of garbage, your stress level is skyrocketing because of your home. These are all good reasons to make a change. Especially the last one. Stress can cause heart attacks, hives and other illnesses. Get rid of part of your daily stress by getting rid of your clutter.

I once read a book about clutter. It gave a great tip. If you have things you are not sure you want to get rid of, pack them in a box and put them away somewhere. In a couple months if you can not name at least one thing in the box then donate it, without even opening it up. Another thing "Hoarders" has taught me is that the things we hold onto do not contain people in them. "I got this from my grandma who died a year ago. I feel like I am throwing her away if I get rid of it." Now, you are throwing away a useless item. You still have the memories of the person you are connecting with that item. I once had a problem getting rid of gifts I got from people, but once those unwanted gifts took over my life and my home I knew it was time to get rid of them.

Start cleaning today. Make three bins: one for stuff you want to keep, one for stuff to donate and one for stuff that is clearly garbage. Ask yourself "does this item have a purpose and a home in my house" and "when was the last time I used this." If you have collectibles that should be on display but are not then get rid of them. Why have them if they are not being shared. If you find clothing you have not worn in six months, donate it. Were you saving something broken so that you could fix it? If you have had it more than a month and still have not fixed it then you are never going to. Throw it away.

Once you have your trash bin together put it out for trash day. Do not keep it around to tempt you to pick back through it. Take your donations to your local thrift store immediately. With what you have left in your keep pile, make sure you find homes for everything. Dishes go in cupboards, clothes go in closets. Make sure everything has a home. If everything you own has a home it is more likely to find itself there and not on your floor to trip over. Organize important paper in a file and you will no longer be looking for missing documents that you need.

The most important part of organizing your life and keeping your home clutter-free once you have done these first steps is to not bring more stuff into your home. Yes, that little thing you saw at the garage sale was cute, but do you really need it? I always ask myself, "does this item serve a purpose?" Good luck, and happy de-cluttering!

Resource: Don Aslett's Clutters Last Stand: It's Time To De-Junk Your Life