Health Meditations

Clutter Conquest Tactic #9: Stop justifying your junk.

Your packrat proclivities are rooted in justification and procrastination.  You say things like:

I'll need it and I'll know! 
I'll read those magazines and newspapers, eventually.

What if you do need it (whatever it is) and you can't find it because your home is jammed with junk? If you can't find it, you can't use it and it has no value.  So, what have you accomplished?    Stop justifying your junk.  Stop keeping useless stuff "just in case".  Ditch it, donate it or sell it!

What if you do find some free time?  Do you really want to spend it reading about really old news?  Stop procrastinating about purging magazines and newspapers.  Recycle and rejoice!

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #8: Contain your urge to buy containers.

You probably already have a collection of storage containers from previous derailed attempts to de-clutter.  Don't buy any more containers yet.  Follow steps one through seven diligently room by room until you've de-cluttered your entire home.  If you are truly successful at eradicating excess items, you may not need any containers.  If you still need a storage strategy after ditching, donating and selling surplus stuff, it's time to consider containers.  First, shop around.  See what's available to meet your needs.  Take measurements at home and in the store.  Make sure the containers you choose will fit into the space you've identified for them.  Don't let sales people pressure you into buying containers or storage gadgets you don't need.  When you finally decide to purchase, don't go overboard!  Otherwise your new containers will become part of your clutter calamity instead of part of the solution.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #7: Clear your clothes closets.

Start with the casual clothes you haven't worn in at least one year. Try on each item.  Take a good look in a full length mirror and be brutally honest when you answer the following questions:

Does it still fit comfortably?
Does it look good?  So good that you love it?
Does it match something you wear frequently?

If you can honestly answer yes to all three questions, keep the item and hang it near the item it matches.  If you answered no to any one of the questions, put the item in one of three piles: Ditch, Donate, Sell.  Proceed accordingly.  Do not waste time convincing yourself that you'll lose weight and "get back into it".  If you do lose weight, reward yourself with something that will not clutter your home. 

Repeat this process with your work wardrobe and with your dressy duds.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #6: Subdue your sentimentality.

 Why do you still have the cancelled checks from your first checking account that you closed 30 years ago?  Get a shredder and get busy!  If you have grown children, don't make your home a shrine to their childhood.  Give them 30 days to retrieve any old books, old school projects, old toys or trophies taking up space in your home.  If after 30 days any childhood memorabilia remains, ditch it, donate it or sell it.  If divesting yourself of these mementos is painful, take digital photos and create an electronic scrapbook.  Then proceed to ditch, donate or sell.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #5: Minimize multiples.

As you get organized, you will discover duplicates, like three pairs of scissors or four staplers.  You may have multiples of some items because you purchased a replacement for an item you misplaced.  Sometimes you need a spare.  If you do, find a place for the duplicate.  If you don't need a spare, donate or sell the duplicates.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #4: Obliterate faux storage space.

A faux storage space is a pile of clutter that has become a routine resting place for frequently used items.  A good example is the pile of magazines or newspapers near the front door that you intend to go through, eventually.  While your good intentions have been pending, that pile has become a handy place to put your purse when you get home.  If you have piles of clutter that have become faux storage space, attack and obliterate one pile at a time using tactics one, two and three.  Another example of faux storage space is unused exercise equipment serving as a clothing rack.  Come to terms with the unlikelihood of you ever using that equipment.  Ditch it, donate it or sell it.  Put the clothes in their proper place.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #3: Put things in their respective places.

You must find a place for everything and return every thing to its place.  Again, this is easier said than done.  It will be easier if, whenever possible, you store things near where you use them.  It will also be easier if you store frequently used items where your can easily access them.  Easy access means easy to take out and easy to put away.  The hard part is developing the discipline to put things away right away.  When you finish a chore or a project, put everything back in its proper place as soon as possible. 

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #2: Needs, Wants and the Unnecessary

When you confront and conquer clutter, distinguish what you need, from what you want.  Then distinguish what you want from what is completely unnecessary.  Everything you need should have a place and should be kept in its place when not in use.  Everything that is completely unnecessary should be ditched, donated or sold.  That leaves the things that you want but don't really need.  If you cannot find a place for them in your home, ditch them, donate them or sell them.  This is easier said than done, especially if you are the least bit sentimental.  I will share some thoughts on subduing your sentimentality in a future posting.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter Conquest Tactic #1: Start with prayer, praise and worship.

Always start with prayer, praise and worship.  None of the mighty men and women in the Bible went into battle without calling on the Lord for spiritual reinforcements.  So don't go into battle alone.  Get into God's presence.  Ask for His help.  Then go into battle.  Play praise and worship music and pray in the Spirit and worship while you work.

Psalm 144:1
Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Share the health.

Deborah White, MD, MBA

Clutter in Your Home: Confront and Conquer It

You can win the clutter war in your home, but not if you don't begin the battle.  You can't begin the battle if you continue to wallow in a state of overwhelm.  Overcoming your current collection of clutter is like eating the proverbial elephant.  You have to do it one bite at a time.  But take small bites.  If you take too big a bite, you'll choke, get overwhelmed and slide into procrastination paralysis.  So pick one drawer, one closet, one small room, or one corner of a large room and start!  Here are ten tactics that may help:

1. Always start with prayer, praise and worship.
2. Distinguish what you need, from what you want.  Then distinguish what you want from what is completely unnecessary.
3. Find a place for everything and keep every thing in its place.
4. Obliterate faux storage space.
5. Minimize multiples.
6. Subdue your sentimentality.
7. Clear your clothes closets.
8. Contain your urge to buy containers. 
9. Stop justifying your junk.
10. Celebrate your liberated space.

Don't forget to distinguish disarray from clutter.  Disarray is the sloppy or disorderly storage of enough stuff.  Disarray can be managed with drawer dividers, baskets, bins, well-placed shelving and a little discipline.  Clutter is the dysfunctional storage of way too much stuff.  It may or may not be disorderly.  The primary problem with clutter is that you have so much stuff in your living space that there's barely room for you to live in your space.

 

In future postings, I will share some thoughts on ways to clear your clutter and reclaim your space.

 

Share the health.

 

Deborah White, MD, MBA