Hodgepodge! Jumble! Chaos! Muddle! Holy Mess!
There are many words to describe clutter—but it all boils down to one thing: a state or condition of confusion. And that is what most of us should be trying to avoid. Life is stressful enough without adding more, right? Yet even though studies show that clutter contributes to stress, many people live with it.
- Do you have more than one ‘junk’ drawer in your home?
- Is your email inbox clogged with messages you don’t even open?
- When you open your closets, does stuff fall out on you?
- If unexpected company comes, do you rush around, clearing books, papers, and other items?
- Have you had a late fee from an unpaid bill because it got lost in the mess on your desk?
If you answered YES to any one of these questions, it may be time to take control. If you are a parent, organization is especially important – those last minute searches for missing homework or a lost shoe are no fun at all!
This is my plan:
- Get a big shopping bag for each room…clear off every counter/desk/shelf/chair of anything that doesn’t belong. Ahhh…now that looks much better. When I have time, I can go through each bag and decide whether the items should be stored, given away, or thrown away.
- Use a letter file holder to keep bills and important mail…if possible, set up auto-pay.
- Set aside 15-30 minutes every day to go through one drawer or one closet or one cabinet and divide the contents into three piles: keep, give away, throw away. If you are a fan of Craig’s List or garage/yard sales, you can have a fourth pile…you might even make some money!
- Do the same thing with my emails—15-30 minutes every day to delete and unsubscribe from unwanted spam.
Are you ready?
It’s really as simple as 1, 2, 3.
- CLEAR
- CLEAN
- ORGANIZE
I’ve got a busy year ahead of me, so it’s really important that Continue reading →
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 