Get rid of clutter with these 4 easy tips before clutter has a chance to take root and live in your home.
It was a cool evening just before dusk. We were in a
foreign city enjoying a walk around the streets of an unfamiliar city.
My daughter loves ice cream so we were on a quest to find an Italian
geliato store which had been recommended in our guide book by Rick
Steves.
We came across a neighborhood game of kickball. The boys were having an
enthusiastic game laughing and shouting at each other. Even though I
couldn't understand what they were saying I knew they were having a
great time. The mothers were standing on the side laughing, watching and
sometimes yelling and gesturing to their boys.
As it was getting darker one of the mothers stepped onto the cement
field and motioned for them to kick the ball to her. Then the excitement
really picked up. I thought the little boys were excited that one of
the adults was going to play with them.
But much to their disappointment that was not what the mother had in
mind. When the ball was kicked to her instead of kicking it back to them
she picked it up and started off the field with it. There was a loud
chorus of groans and yells and what sounded like pleading from the boys
to let them continue to play. The other mothers were laughing and
motioning for their boys to follow them in to their homes.
In this game it only took one child to get the ball rolling and it only
took one adult to stop it. This is how it is when we get rid of clutter
in our homes. It only takes one person to get the ball rolling either in
a positive way or in a negative way. We all want to be happy and when
we get rid of clutter it helps to relieve stress. It saves us money and
saves time.
Here are 4 practical ways to get rid of clutter:
1. Teach our families to put things away after using them. It is a habit
that anyone can get into. When you catch your kids or husband putting
things back after they have used them, praise them for doing it. We all
respond to praise-better by far than being nagged.
2. When you see something is out of place before long it will just cause
clutter. Take a split second and put it where it belongs. I was in the
garage where I have a container with wire brushes. Eight inches from the
container in a blank space a wire brush had been laid down. (Now I
would think being that close it could be put away where it belongs but
it hadn't been). I picked it up and put it where it belonged. It is just
a little thing, but little things lead to big things.
3. If there is too much of a good thing then it is time to get rid of
clutter. For instance how many spatulas does one kitchen need? How many
knives do you need? When we look at clutter it can be things we use all
the time but we just have too many of and we don't use them so they are
just taking up space. Donating them can get rid of clutter in our homes
and can bless someone else's life.
4. Magazines seem to have babies. Does the new one come before you have
had time to read the last one? Tear out articles you want to read and
put them in a folder. The next time you have to go someplace you know
you will have to wait, grab the folder and take it with you. You'll get
your reading done and the magazines won't clutter your home as you will
have recycled it before the next one comes. I recommend sorting
magazines every three months and getting rid of the old copies.
Getting rid of clutter is easy when we take care of it before it starts to live in our homes.
Marilyn Bohn is the owner of Get it Together Organizing, a business dedicated to developing practical organizing solutions that help individuals and business professionals live clutter-free and productive lives. She is the author of “Go Organize! Conquer Clutter in Three Simple Steps” and is an experienced, enthusiastic public speaker, a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) and the author of hundreds of articles covering various organizing topics.
Marilyn takes the often stressful subject of organizing and breaks it down into a simple, easy to understand system. Her methods are both eye-opening and encouraging! She has a passion for helping others reach their personal goals and living a better, clutter-free life!
Marilyn invites you to discover her one-of-a-kind video workshops and organizing ideas at http://www.marilynbohn.com
