How to Deal With Clutter
Clutter is one of those things that only gets worse if you try to ignore it. It creeps into your living space, makes you late for appointments, and causes all kinds of other disruptions in your life. Eventually things get so bad that you are faced with the situation of having to deal with it, only by that time things have gotten so cluttered that you don’t even know where to begin.
Where to begin
When clutter gets really bad, it can be hard to decide where to begin your de-cluttering process. Start by laying out a road map of what needs to be done. You can do this by making a to do list of objects or areas that need to be un-cluttered. At first this should just be a short list since the point is to get a general idea of the work that needs to be done. Once you have your list, a good idea might be to rate the items on it in order of priority.
Refine your list
Once you have your basic list, you can then refine it down further if need be. To determine whether or not your list needs to be refined, think of each item in terms of the amount of time you would estimate it to take. If an item has an unreasonable amount of time attached to it, then you can probably narrow it down into several items. For example, instead of just writing something like “Clean the attic”, you could break this item down into several items such as “go through the boxes in the right corner of the attic”, “clear out the collection of broken computer parts all over the attic floor”, and “clean up the green slime on the attic ceiling”. Try not to think of clutter as one big mountain. Instead, think of it in small pieces.
Work Progressively
Going all out and charging at a room screaming “I will de-clutterize you!” while holding a plastic sword in the air probably isn’t going to do much good (Although the enthusiasm is admirable). If your trying to de-clutter a large mess, your best bet is to put more of a slower release on that enthusiasm and start with something you can manage. For example, if you are trying to de-clutter an entire room, start in one small corner. From there you can work your way around the room, little by little. If you’ve made a refined list with various tasks do to in the room, you can prioritize the tasks and determine what you want to do first. That way clutter doesn’t seem so overwhelming, and it becomes easier to manage. Also, you can gain a greater sense of self satisfaction by having multiple mini goals to work towards.
Prevention
When you have something clutter free, the only real thing left to do is practice good clutter prevention. Simply put, this means not putting junk onto something clean. Simple enough idea, but its implementation can be difficult if you do not make a conscious effort of it. Just remember that little things add up quicker than you might realize, and one misplaced item can quickly turns into several.