Truth & Lies About Clutter

I loved this article about the truth and lies behind clutter. Brilliant. Here is Lie #6.

Lie: Okay, so I haven’t worn it this year. You just never know! I could never get rid of those sexy black stilettos that I’ve never worn! They’re Anne Klein and were only $10! The perfect sit-down-and-just-admire-my-shoes event is sure to be in my future!

Solution: If you’ve never worn it, even on Halloween, you’ll probably never wear it. Give it away. Like I said before, waste equals waste. How do you discern which clothes you actually wear and which ones you don’t? Try going two or three weeks without doing laundry. Wear all of your wearable clothes. Whatever is left in your closet at the end of two or three weeks you probably don’t need. If you won’t wear it even when you’re desperate for clean laundry, you’ll probably never wear it.

Click 10 Common Lie We Tell Ourselves About Clutter (from Care2)

To give you some ideas on how to clear clutter, here is a shortened version of the following, excellent article.

Here are 12 Tips to End Clutter!
by Divine Caroline

1. Give each item a home
If you don’t know where something belongs, it can easily become part of the clutter in your house.

2. Assign each item a home
Not only does this create a place where it belongs, but it also saves mental processing when you need to put stuff away instantly, or locate them later.

3. Keep the flat surfaces empty
The flat surfaces in your home are likely to be the easiest targets for clutter. Clearing off a surface (tables, counter tops) are also the easiest way to create an environment that appears clean and organized.

4. Whenever you need to choose, always choose to put things out of sight
Make it a point not to place mail on an open surface when you come home. Keep your mail in a box, or in a cupboard.

5. Clean as you go
This habit gives two things. First, you won’t have to clean up after a pile accumulates. Second, a clean home discourages others from leaving their clutter around (proactive de-cluttering). Clearing off surfaces seems to have an instant calming effect on me.

6. Downsize your stuff
Ridding ourselves of unused stuff removes the clutter and is mentally liberating.

7. Set a timer
It’s been said many times before, but setting a timer and cleaning like crazy for fifteen minutes really does work. .

8. Multiple projects
I’ve found it helpful to write out on paper, all the sections of my home that need organizational love. After that I make each one a mini-project, where I’d tackle one every week. Make sure that each mini-project has a measurable goal, where it is achievable within an hour. If an area requires many hours, then break it up into several mini-projects.

9. Use Labels.
This might sound extreme, but when I last cleaned out my dressers and closets (after three years of resisting to change), I gave each type of clothing a home, and I labeled the locations within dressers to reminder myself.

10. Get Boxes
I’ve found that attractive boxes serve as great storage for loose items. The idea is to group like items together into boxes, so that they will be easy to find when needed, but hidden from the surface when they aren’t.

11. Try Drawer Dividers
These are awesome if you keep your underwear, socks, and t-shirts in one drawer; a divider will keep them separate.

12. Make Utility Drawer Containers
Find small boxes (I use soap boxes, small Glad tupperware, and store bought utility drawer containers) for your utility drawer.

Read the whole article.