Do you suffer from clutter regression? Have you spent hours decluttering your home and now feel like it’s back to the way it was? Don’t worry, we can all slip back. My home is very small, and incorporates my home office. Is my home uncluttered – absolutely! Do I work at keeping it that way – absolutely! Just last weekend I had a dedicated session going through all the papers and files in my home office to cull what I knew I’d never read or need again, and finally threw out 3 bags of paper! I was determined to create more space for my files and business papers, and my office space feels wonderful.
Don’t be embarrassed if you feel your decluttering efforts appear to have reversed themselves. Think of the Tango, that gloriously sensuous dance – it’s about two steps forward and one step back. Each time you make a start on your decluttering, even if you don’t complete an area or room, you’ll still be ahead.
The important thing is that if you have initially cleared at least some of the clutter, and set up systems to keep your belongings organised, then you won’t usually regress back to how it was in the beginning. Setting up systems really means finding a logical home for everything. So when more ‘stuff’ comes into your home, you’ll pretty much know where it’s going to go. And as the clutter starts to creep back in, it doesn’t take so much effort to get it all organised again.
Work Plans
I touched on this in last month’s newsletter when I talked about my decluttering Guiding Principles. Once you’ve decided you’re going to start your decluttering project, do commit your plan to paper – don’t try to keep it in your head! Writing down a plan for every room, itemising exactly what needs to be cleared out, repositioned, and organised, enables you to schedule your time and be very clear about what needs to be done. You can then pick up your plan when you have a spare hour or two and decide which area you’re going to tackle. And by ticking off actions when they’re complete, you not only see that you’re making progress, but you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing what you’ve achieved.
If you want some tips on how to get your work plan down on paper, let me know. I’ve been doing this for a long time now and love to share my ideas.
Some of my clients happily work off their plan, which we create together. By keeping in touch with me, I can act as a sounding board if they get stuck, and also keep them enthused about their project. However, others are very clear that they won’t do it on their own – they need the guidance and energy created by our doing it together. And of course, it gets done very quickly because we are both focused on the project.
If it all seems too much for you to tackle on your own, and you’ve reached that stage of overwhelm, contact me. You’ll be surprised at how fast we can transform an area, and I make it a fun exercise [rather than seeming like hard work].
There are so many benefits to decluttering, saving time and money being just two of many that you’ll experience when you declutter and organise your environment. I hope you’ll give it a try. You’ll love the outcome.
Have a wonderful month.
In Joy!
Angella Gilbert
P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella.gilbert@xtra.co.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz
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