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many spring signals that means it is time for spring cleaning, along with a desire
to lighten our load. My clients often request support with decluttering their
homes. Most of the time they are embarrassed to admit just how much stuff they
have and despair that it will ever go away. Well. I say, "phooey." It
can be managed. And, here is what I have found to be the key for clients who have
successfully decluttered.
Free your Mind...
The key lies in how you are BEing with the process of decluttering. In other words,
how you think about it, and there are two parts to this.
Stop thinking and "Just do it"
First, have a belief that getting rid of clutter is simple. You heard me right.
You just do it. Notice I didn't say easy. Decluttering is simple, but not easy.
After all, how hard is it to file a piece of paper away? Well, I have found that
it can be hard if you have an attachment to that piece of paper or you have no
idea where to put it.
We have so many thoughts paperclipped to that dreaded paper. You might be thinking
that if you file that paper, you will never see it again. Or, that you will never
get to doing whatever that paper is reminding you to do. Or, that it is so simple
to do the task at hand that it isn't worth putting the paper away. Whatever the
reasoning, your thinking is the culprit here. It is getting in the way of the
simple act of doing something with that piece of paper.
Create a plan for filing and purging.
Second, even though you may not think
so, you really do know how to get rid of the clutter. As someone with ADD, you
are very creative. Using that creative mind, you can devise a plan for that paper
and for everything else underneath it. And, if you don't believe that, the answer
lies just one book away. However, I would like to recommend two books:
Organizing From the Inside Out, by Julie Morgenstern
The foolproof system
for organizing your home, your office, and your life
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize your Life, by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau
Strategies that work from a professional organizer and a renowned ADD clinician
...And the Rest will Follow.
After unlocking the thinking that is in the way of decluttering, the next steps
open the door to the DOing of clearing space. -
Just start - As I talked about earlier sometimes our thinking gets in the way.
Pick a day and begin.
-
Clutter-free zone - start with an area from which the "clutter-free"
will grow. Perhaps, a dining room table or a computer desk. This is the one area
that no matter what, the surface stays clear. Period.
-
Consistency - devoting a regular time will get the job done. Even spending the
same 15 minutes each week will get you somewhere.
-
Celebrate your successes along the way - determine when you are at 25%, 50%, 75%,
and 100% of the job done and find a way to celebrate your progress.
More Tidbits to Support Decluttering -
Once you start, don't add any new stuff to the piles. Use the plan that you created
to get rid of old papers to manage any new papers that show up during and after
your decluttering process.
-
Keep in mind what you get when the job is done (a clear space). This will help
you stay in touch with why you are working so hard and keep you from seeing this
project as drudgery. As a matter of fact, I do not want you to go one step further
unless you can find at least some joy in doing this project. If coaching can be
a support here, feel free to contact me and schedule some time.
-
If you find yourself procrastinating because the task just seems too overwhelming,
here's a way around it. Plan to spend 2 minutes on it at a time. You never know.
You might just spend more than the 2 minutes once you start.
-
Have someone simply hang out at your place while you do the work. You might ask
a friend to come over and do their own work while you declutter. Or, consider
bartering with someone else to fill that position. For those in Minneapolis/St.
Paul, check out the barter network at Pillsbury United Communities.
-
Schedule a day with others to get stuff done. Meet at the top of each hour on
a conference call to celebrate your accomplishments. Click here to get more information
at my colleague's website.
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