DeCluttering – A New Approach

I used to be a clean/organizational freak. Truly, I was . . . when I was single, before kids. (oh, d*mn, I remember my mother saying exactly the same thing when I was growing up)

As a matter of fact, I actually ran an organizational consulting business for doctors. I’d go into office and totally revamp filing and communication systems. My own home was an alphabetical, color-coded picture of complete order.

Something changed between being single with kitties and taking on 3 (THREE!) stepsons and running a home business. And it wasn’t pretty. (alas, no pictures for this post) Although the boys are grown, over the years we’ve taken in plenty of boarders – my mother-in-law, my son’s friends in need, my husband’s crazy emotionally challenged half-brother, to name a few. And they all left stuff.

I wish I could blame all the clutter on them, but I can’t. When I look around my home, it’s mainly my stuff. Plus I have a barn . . . and a paint shed . . . and another shed. More room = more clutter.

What’s even worse is that I teach feng shui. And the first thing we always do in feng shui is clear clutter.

So this ex-organizational consultant feng shui teacher has been totally overwhelmed. Until now. I actually read this process in one of my spiritual books, Ask & It is Given. The goal isn’t so much organizing as it is decluttering. Stay with me here.

Organizing is having a place for everything and everything in its place. Decluttering is clearing the junk. Decluttering gives you visual serenity. It allows you to breathe again in your space. Then you’re able to decide what you want to keep, donate, throw away and where you’re gonna put what you keep.

So here’s the process for decluttering.

First get the following together -

• Banker’s boxes. (the cardboard put-it-together filing boxes)
• Tape recorder or pad and pen
• Index cards labeled A-Z

1. Pick one room to start with. Not the whole house, please. It’ll keep you on track with just one room.
2. Label your boxes numerically – 1 thru 10. Label your index cards alphabetically – each card A, B, C, and so on.
3. Take an item and put it one of the boxes, then record the item and the box it goes into (or write it down). So it goes like this -“Extension Cord – Box 1;Christmas Cards – Box 2”
4. Write down all the items onto the corresponding index cards – Extension Cord - “E” – Box 1; Christmas Cards - “C” – Box 2

It took me about an hour to do my workroom with various crafts, magazines, art supplies, craft supplies and things I don’t want Grandson to get into.

I wound up using only 4 boxes in my studio. But now it’s clear of clutter. And I can breathe. The boxes are in the garage, stacked neatly in their own little pile. The index cards are in my desk top drawer.

Now, when I’m in an “organizing” mood, I look at the cards, go to the numbered box, remove the item and put it into it’s designated storage place. Or it goes to Donation or Junk.

Here’s the deal. This process simply clears clutter, gets it out of your hair. And you feel better – soon. You aren’t running thru the whole house putting things away. You aren’t creating new piles of junk to deal with – which is what usually happens when I organize, then I get tired and am left with huge piles.

You wind up with storage boxes, but you know what’s in there. Just look at the index cards. And guess what? You might find a lot of the boxes you don’t even want. Or you might come across stuff you’ve been looking for. (I found my Pilates DVD!)

Let me know if you try this and how you do. This is actually the start of my Feng Shui Fridays posts, which I promised myself I’d write this year. So whether you want to feng shui your home or just get organized, give this process a try.

Colleen