DrDeClutterBlog.com

As a Professional Organizer, I watch my clients and students deal with many levels of clutter when they’re trying to make sense of material piles of stuff, or making a decision, trying to sort out their thoughts.

I’ve realized over the years that there are 3 Kinds of Clutter:  Inner, Outer and Other, and they overlap.

Where to start?

Start on one, the others will be affected positively or negatively.
WARNING: Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better! 

    1. INNER: Emotions, thoughts, opinions, beliefs and perceptions (stress and overwhelm)
    2. OUTER: Material stuff and things in our environment
    3. OTHER: People and our boundaries with them

Bottomline: Life’s too short to keep dealing with the same old “stuff” (mental, material or relationships) over and over again!

DO YOU HAVE  INNER CLUTTER?

Organizing and decluttering of our “inner” house (mind), is actually more important than organizing your physical “outer” house. Of course, clutter of the mind and outer stuff and things are connected.

Have you ever used the child’s toy, an  Etch A Sketch®?

If you have you know that after you’ve made all of your creative line art, and you want to start a new project,  you just turn it upside down and shake it, covering the glass for the next sketch session, all fresh and new. In other words, “a clean slate.” We need to do the same kind of thing with our minds.

The problem is however, that if our minds are cluttered with stress, the past and old issues, regrets and resentments, fear of the future and worry, our “slate” can’t get clean because it too confused.

”What happens when a confused mind tries to find an answer?
It finds a confused answer.
What happens when a confused mind makes a decision?
It makes a confused decision.
Don’t you think it essential to clear your mind?”
~ Vernon Howard, Treasury of Positive Answers

Whether we actually turn ourselves upside down to do it or not is a personal decision!… but it is important on a daily basis to “shake off” thoughts and “sketches” – pictures and memories, worry and fear – that have written their lines and grooves and ruts into our minds. These paths of least resistance become a major distraction to the peace and flow that we should feel more often than not.

HOW TO ORGANIZE OUR THOUGHTS AND GET A CLEAR MIND

First, “stop.”

Just stop!

Make and take time to stop thinking.

Quiet your mind and meditate at least once a day for 15-20 minutes in the morning before your day and decisions and choices begin to collide with realities, the clock, others and emotions. The more you intentionally quiet your mind you will find short and long term benefits from lowered blood pressure to a quieter mind and a more balanced life through less crisis, and drama and more calm, relaxation and clear thinking.

Meditation can mean sitting in a “lotus” position of course, but it can also be just sitting quietly and rocking in a chair, walking mindfully, even in an oval in your home or in a large circle in your back yard! Just “being” with yourself and letting your mind rest, but not sleep.

With this daily starting point it will be much easier to declutter all areas of our life while keeping your thoughts organized and flow, with all of  life changes that will inevitably happen in your day.

Happy INNER decluttering!

I have a guaranteed laugh in every class I teach on organizing and decluttering. I’ll have given the steps to get and stay organized, numerous real examples of what does and doesn’t work, answered scores of questions and given solutions . . . and there will always be that one person, or two, who raise their hand and ask, “Yeah, but… how to I get motivated?”
 

HAHAHAHA!

HAHAHAHA!

Have you ever thought this too?

If you have to ask, the answer is this . . . “You don’t.” Organizing is like exercise for most people. You declutter and organize because you just need to do it, because you want to feel better, let go of guilt and feeling bad, have more room to play and enjoy your home, etc.

Like needing to see people in swim suits in February to “diet” to get ready for summer (which is supposed to motivate us), motivation isn’t actually necessary to do anything in life. If you wait to be “motivated”, it (whatever your “it” is) will never happen! Schedule the time to declutter and jump in! Groans are heard from every audience at this point!

I also offer a second, much more funny answer that always brings laughs, which is, “Invite people over for a party at your house this weekend!”  Now, shock, fear, anxiety and laughter are heard in waves from the audience!

How fast would you declutter, at least the most visible and used rooms, if you had people over this weekend? Fast?! Sure! Embarrassment, fear, guilt and shame are great “motivators!” Not the best, but we’re so programmed to put off until “later” what we need to have done yesterday, that we wait until “we have to do it” to do it.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU!

Want to get your whole house organized faster? Plan a gathering at your house at least once a month! Start opening up each of the rooms that once were what I call, “the whisper rooms!”, where you shoved all that left over, undecided upon stuff from the main areas so people wouldn’t see it.

You know how it works, right? When people show up, and comment that you have such a nice home, you say (whisper) things like, “Oh, thanks! . . . Just don’t go into that room!”

Each month you could clear out one more “that” whisper room you’ve created and have NO whisper rooms again! How great would that be?!!

Jump in! One chunk, pile, lump, stack and mess at a time. You’ll get there!

“The more you have, the more you are occupied.
The less you have, the more free you are.”
~ Mother Teresa

Whether it’s because of hoarding, or just ignored, an older adult may not notice their stacks and piles at some point. But, these forgotten messes - of furniture and on furniture – on the floor, on chairs and couches, beds and overflowing, or never opened closets are a safety hazard for them, and for the possible firefighter is the house catches fire.

Plus, it keeps a person from enjoying life.

The longer people live, the more years of possessions they can gather around them.

We’re now in an aging country in the USA. In 2011, the first of the baby boom generation reached what used to be known as retirement age. And for the next 18 years, boomers will be turning 65 at a rate of about 8,000 a day. ~ AARP

How many areas of “stuff” that runneth over do you have, including up and down stairs, back sheds and garages that are filled with yesterday’s “I’ll deal with it later” piles and stacks?

As an organizer, I’ve been in plenty of homes with this problem. Some people are just stuck in it, others can start the process of moving and changing, but either way, it’s not easy.

JUST START

If this person is you,

1. schedule time every day to start movement of those piles
2. focus on one pile at a time
3. do something with it, don’t “trance out” and walk away
4. make a decision and make a difference with that pile

If you can’t do it yourself, that is, you “trance out” (a normal response to time, emotions, too much and overwhelm) and nothing happens for one more day, call family or friends, or a professional organizer to come help you.

YOU DESERVE A CHANGE

• You deserve to be stress-free from clutter.
• You deserve to be stress-free from disorganization.
• You deserve to live in a lovely, happy, spacious home, no matter what size it is.
• You deserve to have family and friends over to visit, play and enjoy your home too!
• You deserve to relax and enjoy your life.

LONELINESS AND LOSS

These two issues, culminating in grief and despression for many, can keep things stuck in our lives.

• Find a way to get out and meet new people.
• Clean up your space, even one or two main rooms, enough to have people over so that the lonliness can desolve.

HEALTH ISSUES

If your body hurts, won’t bend, or whatever health issue you may have that keeps you from caring or picking up your stuff, it might not get better soon.

• Ask for help: Invite family or friends over to help you (ask them not to judge or be rude to you!)
• Pay for help: Hire a professional organizer to help you get things done quickly

Dr. DeClutter Organizing Services - Available locally and to travel anywhere you are!

I went to the Longmont Farmer’s Market last Saturday. It’s always so fun.

I enjoyed great music by my friends James and Thomas of  Heartwood.

 Found great foods and vendors as always.

 Fun sites and people all around!

BUY LOCAL!

From farm to table, vendor to kitchen, shop local, support and enjoy the farmer’s markets and all local vendors and businesses.

• Keep the money in your community
• Find the freshest of foods!
• Meet new people
• Make new friends
• Bring your community closer by sharing good finds with your friends
• Have fun!

There’s just SO much to do and experience locally – whereever “locally” is for you!

Please! Take out the battery!

Remove batteries from old cell phones before giving them to children as toys.

Why? A cell phone without a service carrier, even one that has been deactivated, can still dial 911.

This results in a lot of calls to the dispatch center that keep personnel from attending to actual emergency calls.

You might want to register for my Get Your Life Back! telecourse if…

• You have a thyroid condition
• You’re not getting relief from the multitude of symptoms
• You don’t know what to do
• And/or your doctor is not helping you

Here is the Get Your Life Back! Telecourse Intro Call free to you! 

GYLB_Module 1_Call_1_5-1-12

YOU CAN STILL REGISTER AND NOT MISS ANYTHING!

Join me and others on our live calls or listen to the replays and use my comprehensive manual, forms and materials to deal with this frustrating, but manageable condition to get your life back!

To register for the course, go to: http://thyroidu.com/get-your-life-back-thyroid-health-telecourse/

Life is too short to live with the increasingly debilitating symptoms of thyroid problems.

May 1st is  May Day!  

When I was little we gave May baskets to neighbors, young and old. Not many do anymore. Sad.

But, I talked to my friend Suzi in Nebraska this morning. She was gathering up the materials and goodies to put together May Day baskets with her daughter Laura and deliver tomorrow to family and friends.

Tired of getting credit card offers?

They’re not only junk mail, but a safety and identity theft concern as well. It’s best to stop getting them all together.

HOW TO STOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS

You can

• call or email the company
• send the offer back to them-  in their pre-stamped envelope - Xing out the sign-up page and write TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST on it, or
• go to OptOutPrescreen.com and opt out

Through OptOutPrescreen.com, you may request to:

• Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for Five Years – (electronically through this website).

• Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers permanently – (mail Permanent Opt-Out Election form available through this website).

• Opt-In and be eligible to receive Firm Offers. This option is for consumers who have previously completed an Opt-Out request – (electronically through this website). 

 MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! HELLLLLP!

Too many people are in emergency-crisis mode every day. Are you?

If you are, you probably find yourself feeling stressed, anxious, worried, fearful, on edge, confused, out of control, disempowered, angry and tired. Can you relate to any of these feelings taking over your life?

Life is so very short, we need to take charge where we can, let go where we can’t, and surrender to “what is” into acceptance everywhere else. Does that sound familiar? Like the Serenity Prayer?!

The areas in which we can experience crisis and frustration include:

• Health
• Emotions
• Relationships /Family / Marriage
• Job
• Decisions, Goals and Dreams
• Wealth/Finances/Income
• Spiritual
• Home/Material Possessions and Stuff

I want you to enjoy life more, feel it flow and not struggle, laugh and not stress and see opportunities where there may have only been closed doors.  

 Here are 7 Ways to Stop Screaming MAYDAY! and Start Celebrating Your Life!

1.  Awareness is the first step to change.

Ask yourself, “Why am I stressed? Angry? Afraid?” Then, sit down with paper and pen and list what they are. Why? Because it’s too easy to live the “Groundhog Day” movie – the same day over and over again – and not stop and really figure out what’s going on. (In fact, rent and watch Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and see how it fits!)

2. From your list of crisis issues, write beside each what you want the outcome to be if you can change it.

If we don’t know what we want we cannot act to get there from here . . . there is no “there!”  So, keep asking yourself, “What do I want?” And, “I don’t know” is not the answer!

3. From your same list of crisis issues, with your outcome in mind, write beside each what you can do about it.

Your choices are
   a. that you actually CAN do something
   b. that you MIGHT be able to do something
   c. that you CAN, but not now
   d. that you CAN’T do anything about it now or ever
   e. that it’s actually none of your business! Ouch!

This is very important exercise in order to find out where you can take back control and where to stop and let it go.

4. Make a plan.

For the items on your list that you can do something about, make a plan to DO IT.

5. Get into action and DO THE DOING.

Take action steps from your plan to make the changes happen, no matter what. Some changes are not easy, are scary and are not pretty!  Most are usually messy. That’s reality. Do them anyway. Whatever it is, no matter how much it freaks you out, how it feels or how much you are resisting it… JUST DO IT!

6. Assess as you go;  redecide and choose again to make the best outcomes.

It’s always amazing to watch emotions, ideas, demands for our outcomes and others relationship to the issue shift and change when you start putting movement into the issue. Be amazed in all good ways at how it may just take care of itself when you step into it, or let it go!

7. Keep the best, let go of the rest.

This is my motto in decluttering “stuff and things”, but it also works perfectly on thoughts, emotions and outcomes of any kind that we think are the best. As you show up and step into your issues to resolve them and move them on and out, tell yourself the truth about the ones that you just need to let go, forgive and release. Take your ego out of it and get your freedom back! Most of this stuff won’t matter in a year, two or twenty from now! It’s not worth the price of your joy.

LIFE IS GOOD!

Life is out to help us! But, it can’t help us when we’re struggling and resisting the changes we need to make. Do these 7 steps with any issue that seems stuck or is a struggle, it will begin to disolve and shift as soon as you step into it anew.

Growth means change and change involves risk,
stepping from the known to the unknown.  

SOMETIMES WE NEED EXTRA HELP WITH THIS PROCESS

Working with a Life Coach can be very helpful. I’d love to work with you to remove your blocks and struggle.  You deserve joy!

Email me to set up a free 20 minute consultation to discuss your issues and needs and see how we can work toward the outcomes you desire – in any area. kim@drdeclutter.com

We can learn a lot from hot air ballooning and their ground crews. The ground crews have one most important rule, “keep one foot on the ground!”

KEEP ONE FOOT ON THE GROUND

If they don’t keep one foot on the ground, they will be raised by the balloon with both feet off the ground. Big problem as the balloon ascends into the clouds! It’ll be too late to let go when they’re too high to safely drop to the ground!

BUSINESS AND CREATIVE IDEAS CAN GET TOO LOFTY AND STUCK UP IN THE CLOUDS

We need to follow this one rule too, especially when doing a lot of creative, idea head work that can get us up into the clouds, but not very grounded.

It’s easy to get stuck in our ideas and visions, imaginations and dreams. We think and think and talk about it and think, but nothing gets done!

We need to “keep one foot on the ground” where we do the doing, do the work and take the action to get our dreams into reality.

• What action do you need to do today to help develop and birth your dream, vision or idea?
• How can you move awesome, burning ideas out of your head (hot air balloon!), onto paper, into a doable plan and into immediate action? 
• What’s your timeline and schedule?
   

“Today currency is the idea, but tomorrow ideas will be the currency.
Now more than ever before what we need as businesses, as individuals,
as a society is ONE thing: IDEAS.
New, vital, raw, hot, bracing, challenging paradigm shifting ideas.”
~ Joey Reiman, Thinking for a Living 

IDEA & BUSINESS COACHING

I can help you

• develop your ideas
• keep one foot on the ground
• move forward with your ideas 
• develop your doable step-by-step plan
• define your TO DOs and
• get them TO DONE in any area or with any idea.

Find out more HERE, or email me to set up a 20 minute free tele-consultation today! kim@drdeclutter.com

Your ideas are everything! Don’t let them get stuck and stale.