As you consider the piles surrounding your home or office, what comes to your mind?

  •  I need to get organized, or
  •  I should manage things better, or maybe even
  • I wish I could just light a match!:-)

Before you give up and choose the last statement, I do have a piece of advice (and you may be surprised to hear this given my profession), “Don’t organize, simplify!”  Instead of feeling like you need to take on the larger project of spending hours trying to figure out what to do with everything, just get rid of it.  The less stuff you have, the less you’ll have to organize.  A large portion of what you keep is a result of delayed decisions.  So make a decision now about your clutter, and soon you’ll have less of it.

Tips to help you get rid of your clutter:

Don’t Keep It If:

  • You don’t need it.
  • It doesn’t work.
  • You don’t use it or never learned how to use it properly.

If You Have Too Much, Get Rid of the Excess – Do you have more sweaters then can fit in your drawer? Is your bookshelf so full that you can no longer add new books to it? Items on sale are great, but if you buy more than you can use in a lifetime or don’t have the space to store it, it’s not worth the bargain.

Don’t Buy Containers Just To Store More Stuff – Containers and organizing products are great for holding items and making your space more attractive.  However, if you keep buying more containers just to move your clutter to a different space or make room for more clutter to collect, the containers are not the answer.  A better place to start is to make a decision whether to keep or get rid of the clutter.  If you keep an item, then figure out how to store it.

Not Everything is Sentimental – Keeping things for sentimental value is fine, but if your goal is to have less clutter and less stuff to manage, then be honest with yourself.  Does every piece of artwork your child made really have sentimental value?  Is the vase from your aunt, that’s buried in the back closet, truly a memento or are you holding onto it out guilt.  Decide now what objects have lasting value and meaning to you and get rid of the rest.

What’s the Worst That Could Happen? – If you got rid of an item, could you live with the consequences of not having it?  If you’re okay with the answer to, “What’s the worst that could happen if I did not have this,” then get rid of it now.

I understand that it can be difficult to get rid of things.  But why waste any more time feeling guilty or ashamed about your clutter (which is mentally draining)?  Instead recognize that you may not find the time or energy to organize it, but tossing out a few things could be the easier solution.  On the other hand, if you need the guidance of an objective voice to help you make decisions about what to get rid of as well as an expert to create a system so that clutter does not continue to collect, I’m here to help.  Contact MTFY to schedule your complimentary consultation or virtual or on-site organizing session.  Those piles will be gone in no time!