DrDeClutterBlog.com

Autumn is almost upon us! Don’t let it fly by into winter and still not have your clutter decluttered and chosen joys organized!

Look around your house or office right now. Do you have clutter? Is any of it “in your way” in a “if I don’t walk carefully around it I’ll trip over it” kind of way? Or, how about all that paper stacked in your garage-is it safe to leave there for another year or ten?

It’s the human condition really, we’re genetically programmed to collect, accumulate and to save a variety of things. Generations of people before us had to seek out and collect anything that was materially useful. They had to be not only resourceful, but, because they didn’t have a store or all-you-can-buy-for-pennies-24/7-MART down the street, they had to make everything (EVERY THING) themselves, so that collecting, consuming and storing food and “stuff” was critical to survival in long winters and in times of famine. So, it’s really in our DNA. 

But, we do now have 24/7 MARTS and shops and stores. We don’t need to collect and store and consume as much as we do. And, we’re really not that many generations away from “those” people in past generations. My parents grew up on farms in the Midwest where they didn’t have electricity when they were children, if they didn’t have “it,” they created it or did without. My grandparents didn’t have an inside toilet until I was about eight. They just didn’t see the need. A woman in my home town passed away last year, she was 87. She still didn’t have an indoor bathroom. She chose to use the outhouse as she was used to it, she didn’t need “bigger, better and more” to enjoy her life.  

I’m not suggesting that you give it all up to live that simply, but to become more mindful and conscious of your choices on a daily basis. Technology, most markedly electricity, (what a blessing) makes us masters of the universe! Or at least the master of our own personal universe. But there are two sides to every coin. Technology and “more” can also be a curse. We can stay up all night long with the lights on, we can travel farther, plug in more stuff and buy the next gadget. As we “trance” out (unconscious consuming) and keep buying and collecting more of what we already have or don’t need and don’t use, we become overwhelmed with what we now call “clutter.”

CLUTTER AND STRESS

There is a direct correlation between clutter and stress. Clutter can lead to health problems including stress, weight gain and physical hazards from an unhealthy environment piled with “too much, too long.” It also affects our behaviors; clutter is a contributing factor to noncompliance to taking medications, keeping appointments, being able to exercise and eat well.  

And to add to this growing list is the inability to be genuinely happy, at peace with oneself and limited social enjoyment due to not inviting people into ones home for embarrassment of the clutter. And, the big hazard, your house burning down due to mounds of paper too close to a flame, oil or gas soaked rags left in the garage or any number of ways that clutter can start or impede the rescue efforts when there is a disaster. (I have several real news reports pertaining to this in my ebook, Burn Your House Down.)

CLUTTER MESSES UP YOUR BRAIN

Messes on the outside create messes on the inside. Over time, subtle, constant, low-grade stress develop from living in a cluttered environment. Even though you may think it doesn’t bother you, your brain remembers and sees and catalogues it all. Anxiety over clutter literally messes with your brain’s alpha waves and interferes with your sleep, making you more fatigued, impacting your hormone levels (women and men) and increasing production of cortisol, leading to weight gain and other more serious medical issues. The more clutter you have the more you need to deal with it. The more you don’t deal with it the more you generate stress, overwhelm and depression.  

Over 97% of doctors office visits are stress related. How many of these are related to clutter?  

A little or a lot, clutter steals your time, energy, peace of mind, and productivity. Are you ready to change?

CLEAR THE CLUTTER, STAY WELL

• Schedule the time in your calendar to declutter making it as important as any other date that is a priority and can’t be missed.
• Plan 30-60 minutes per project.
• Choose one “chunk”, pile, drawer or shelf and dig in. Pull it apart, sort it out.
• Trash the real trash, recycle and repurpose what is still useable, donate what is still good enough for someone else to enjoy, and reorganize what you’re going to keep and enjoy.  

Keep doing this same pattern of activity over and over around your home and office until it’s done. If you feel overwhelmed, hire a professional organizer or ask for help from a friend.  

It’s “just start it” time!  

You should own your possessions, they should not own you. Take time and take charge of your environment. Open it back up for joy and fun and friends. That’s what life’s about, not stuff.