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.  

Records of all the financial transactions you make—from retail purchases to home equity loans—are fed to credit bureaus, which digest the data and issue a credit report. The report grades your credit worthiness and is available to anyone with whom you wish to do business. Based on your rating, creditors will decide not only whether to grant you a loan or card but also what interest rate to charge you. The lower your rating, the higher your interest rate.

You’re legally entitled to review your report, and you should do so. Errors are frequently made and should be corrected. To order a copy of your report, contact any or all of these major credit bureaus:

Trans Union   1-800-888-4213   www.transunion.com
Experian   1-888-397-3742   www.experian.com
Equifax   1-800-685-1111   www.equifax.com

If you’re a homeowner and your report is excellent, find out whether you’re receiving the best possible mortgage rate. Nationwide, homeowners spend $100 million more than necessary each year because they don’t know they qualify for lower interest.

Get more helpful tips like this - to stay organized - in my new ebook, BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!

Ali Brown always shares the right stuff! “Run Your Business From Home? Here’s 10 Ways to Be More Productive” http://tinyurl.com/33ku4o6

The One Minute Effectiveness Rule states that, “Whatever you can do in less than one minute, do it!”
 
There are lots of little nagging things that accumulate over time that can be decluttered, moved, put away, closed, fixed, tossed or some action that will give movement to otherwise stagnated stuff and energy. Doing what you can do in that precious one minute on the way by the stairs or kitchen counter, dining room table or through the mud room will also keep things from accumulating more.
 
I know it doesn’t seem like much, but doing just a one minute declutter at a time will bring peace of mind, more energy and cut down on frustrations and stress.
 
Plus, outer order contributes to inner calm. We can all appreciate having more of that! 

Men, this one’s for you!

Dr. Oz has a few things, well, 25 things! to say to you about taking care of yourself. 

Women, tell your husbands and boyfriends, everyone forward to your friends, brothers, father and sons. It may just save their lives. 
 
Dr. Oz’s 25 Greatest Men’s Health Tips
 
As you well know by now, Dr.  Mehmet Oz is a professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University and a founder of the Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is co-author of the award-winning Healing from the Heart: A Leading Surgeon Combines Eastern and Western Traditions to Create the Medicine of the Future and YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger. He has frequently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and currently hosts The Dr. Oz Show.

Oz says, “On The Dr. Oz Show, I’ve learned that once people are emotionally involved, change happens quickly, especially if they feel that their behavior is letting loved ones down.”

He goes on to say, “Even though large-scale change seems daunting, we still want and need simple routines that we can automatically follow on a daily basis for our best health. Adopt some of the steps described here, which work for me and that anyone can do, and you will like your life more in just a couple of weeks. Plus, you’ll live longer.”
 
My note: I’ve left most of Oz’s tips as simple self-explanatory titles, to others I’ve added more information to round out the point. Enjoy!

1. Roll on the Floor Laughing

2. Don’t Skip Breakfast

3. Hit the Sack (7+ hours of sleep!)

4. Admire Your Work — check out your poop!
Don’t be so trigger-happy with the flusher. Turn around and take a look at your poop, which speaks volumes about your gut and overall health. Poop should be smooth and S-shaped, like your colon. If it comes out too lumpy, or drops into the bowl like marbles, you’re constipated; increase your fiber and water intake.

5. Don’t Pamper Your Bad Back

6. Taste the Colors — Vegetables and Fruit

7. Brushing is Not Enough — Floss!

8. Take a Deep Belly Breath

9. Join a Yoga Class

10. Don’t Be an Island

11. Avoid Fad Diets

12. Be a Smart Patient

13. Lose the Beer Belly

14. Go Green — Green Tea

15. Sweat Until You’re Wet

16. Save Some Money

17. Have as Much Sex as Possible (Get ready ladies!)

18. Know Your Numbers, then Aim Lower
These include blood pressure (which ideally should be below 115 over 75), LDL cholesterol (under 100), resting heart rate (under 70), and fasting blood sugar (under 100). If your numbers aren’t ideal, change your diet until they improve.

19. Add Some Weights

 20: Grab Your Nuts (I’ll fill this one in!)
Nuts are among the best sources of healthful fats and protein around. I keep a bag of walnuts in my fridge and use their massive dose of omega-3 fatty acids to boost my brainpower while I see patients. Half of a handful eaten about 30 minutes before a meal will temper your appetite and help you avoid the drive-thru.

21. No, Seriously, Grab Your Nuts (I’ll fill this one in too!)
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men ages 15 to 35, but it’s usually curable if caught early enough. I strongly urge you to grab your testicles and check them for bumps at least once a month. Each testicle should feel smooth and slightly soft, and one should hang slightly lower than the other, like two avocados (which, in Aztec, actually means “testicles”) growing on a tree.

22. Hit the Dance Floor

23. Do Your Penis a Favor (I’ll fill this one in also!)
Step on a treadmill. Men who exercise enough to burn 200 calories a day significantly lower their chances of impotence. That’s because impotence often has the same cause as heart attacks: blocked arteries. Your penis is like a dipstick for your arteries, so check it. If you’re interested in keeping it up later in life, lace up the sneakers now.

24. Learn to Cook

25. Some Pills Should Be Popped — Vitamin D

26. I’ll have to add a 26th Tip here men! — Get organized!
The more organized you are the less stress you’ll have all ’round!

 
Do you want more information on each of these? Click here for the full article on each healthy idea from Oz.

Whoohoo! It’s summer! It’s JULY!!

When did that happen!

Don’t let this summer rush by and not enjoy it (again!)

Plan these next few months well  and really enjoy them.

If you have a family, or you’re single, you have to pre-plan or you know you’ll miss events that bring you new experiences, joy and possibly, new friends!
 
Think of all the great stuff you don’t want to miss! A trip, camping in the back yard, staycationing around the area to museums, parks, festivals and concerts and flower gardens . . .  or hiking, enjoying pools and water fun and so much more!
 
So, here are the 8 TO DOs to Enjoy Your Summer, so that you don’t miss this year’s summer fun!
 
1. Write a list of all the things that you and your family want to do this summer. Have each of them write a list too so that no one is left out.
 
2. Get a family calendar out to start “penciling” in (you may need to erase and replace some events) your choices. You will of course need to compromise on some events, that’s part of being in a family and team that works together!
 
3. Need to order event tickets? Do it now before they’re gone!
 
4. Use those coupons, gift cards/certificates to save too! Find them and put them all in a labeled folder so that they don’t get lost.
 
5. Make a folder for each event that you commit too with all the information, directions, maps, contacts, reservations, tickets, coupons, etc. that you’ll need to easily follow through on the adventure.
 
6. Have one place where you and others in your family know where the coupons, gift cards/certificates, tickets, etc. “live” so that they don’t get lost and you lose out on your planned event.
 
7. Use the calendar to keep everyone up to date, on the same page and to keep from double booking events. Plus, no one can say, “I didn’t know!”
 
8. Look at the calendar often in order to pre-plan other things you may need for each upcoming event, like food, an umbrella, blankets for the grass, sun screen, band aides for hiking blisters, water, etc. With the family event calendar in plain view, remind others to check in on the calendar too (this keeps you from being the “Calendar Keeper!” and so, a martyr! Who needs that?!
 
No summer should be lost again to lack of pre-planning.
 
You and your family deserve to enjoy this lovely time of year to its fullest!
 
Try something new! Challenge yourself and your family to stretch and expand their experience this summer!
 
Plan, plan, plan…. and have fun, fun, FUN!

Oh, and send me a post card!!

Dr. DeClutter / PO Box 6149 / Longmont, CO  80501    I’ll be looking for it!
 
Enjoy!
 
Kim

In the insurance business there is a saying, “We don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan.”

In order to get the best insurance you can get for your desired “new normals” and goals, plan ahead now for the things you want to come true in your life… later.

The more you see, feel and plan your desires into your future reality, living “as if” it’s already real, you get benefits that are outstanding!

1. You attract it to you what you want faster and more clearly
2. You will be less likely to sabotage it when it shows up
3. You will have “practiced” it being true for so long that when it DOES happen, it will weave into your life very “normally” and gently.

Plan ahead.

Follow your plan!

See the BEST of what you want happening and exactly how easy and wonderful it will be in your life.

Make your future a “new normal” so that you step into it effortlessly.

                                   “The possibility of stepping into a higher plane
                                                    is quite real for everyone.
                                       It requires no force or effort or sacrifice.
                                  It involves little more than changing our ideas
                                                      about what is normal.”
                                                          ~Deepak Chopra

Life Focus Coach
Do you need help seeing your new future? Do you need help choosing your best plan and staying accountable to it and to yourself to get from here to there? I can help you.

I can work with you one-on-one to get focused, set your short and longterm goals and plan, and support in sticking with it in any area. See my coaching information, click here. See a menu of options for help in desired areas, click here!

• Career change
• Business decisions
• Weight loss 
• Exercise
• Dating!
• Relationship and communication help
• Success steps
• Getting your  project started
• Getting your project completed
• and much more

My friends Nancy and Sherry and I walked the WWs 5K today!

Get support for your weight loss and healthy lifestyle.

Walk, run, swim, laugh, love… with your friends and your healthy body this year!

Have you ever met one of those people who are like MAGNETS? They seem to ATTRACT exactly what they WANT all the time?!

Well, the truth is, we are ALWAYS getting what we WANT all the time!… even when it’s the opposite of what we think we want!

We are usually getting what we “don’t want.” Listen to what you think and say in a day’s time, you will say, “I don’t want …” more times than you realize!

It’s really all about FEELINGS.

We are always ATTRACTING the ESSENCE of the FEELINGS that VIBRATE out from us. FEELINGS of fear, happiness, joy, love, peace, doubt, etc. about people, places, things and experiences. They all have SIGNATURE VIBRATIONS that will ATTRACT back to us the same in some FORM.

So… as we CONSCIOUSLY work on REMEMBERING who we REALLY ARE… our WANTS can be more FOCUSED and ATTENTION more CLEAR.

YOUR RAS: “RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM”
Your RAS, or Reticular Activating System is a real scientifically proven part of your brain. Think of it like a dog – a well-trained dog!

You tell your dog to “go fetch” a bone, and it does. And, it brings it back to you. Your RAS will “go fetch” whatever you ask for; it doesn’t judge or care whether your desire is good or bad for you, it will just start hunting “it” down. Or, think of your RAS like a radar beam, going out to connect with the like radar signature that best matches your level of CLARITY about your request.

That is why it’s SO important to be SPECIFIC and CLEAR about what you’re asking for! Ask for what you WANT, set your INTENTION, FOCUS your INTENTION and you will begin to see fragments of it come your way, sometimes immediately! The more FOCUSED your are, the bigger the fragments and puzzle pieces until you get “it!”

On average Americans lose one (1) hour a day searching for misplaced objects.

That’s not to mention
a) the loss in money, re-purchasing the same items over and over again, and
b) the emotional and mental costs of stress, guilt, shame, embarrassment and self-loathing or blame.

Count it up! This is “found time”, and can certainly be used for better things… like a vacation, reading, your hobby, your children, friends, family… you name it!

I have many stories shared with me on an ongoing basis about this frustration as well as my hands-on personal examples from organizing jobs in homes and offices. (If you think any of these are you… you might be correct… or not!)

Here are just a very few of the items I’ve decluttered and sorted at jobs over 9 years of organizing. Items lost and misplaced that added up to hours of wasted time, energy and money. Each line item from a different client/job:

- 10 bottles of prescription medication
- 8 uncashed checks for $1,500 and $600.00 cash
- $400.00 in gift cards unsent from the previous Christmas
- $600.00 in gift cards and gift certificates, now expired
- 27 pair of reading glasses, 10 reading glass cases
- 4 TV remotes
- 4 garage remotes
- 9 valid credit cards
- 3 valid passports
- 6 needed computer programs
- Four-year old wedding present wrapped, never sent
- 2 check books
- 26 cans of soup, past expiration date
- 32 gallon cans of freeze dried food and protein powder
- Approximately 80 items of bulk purchases: mustard, tomato sauce, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, razors, soy sauce
- 25 candles
- 3 ski passes
- 8 gold and silver chains/jewelry

Get organized and take a GREAT vacation with your time and energy saved. Send me a post card!!