Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Declutter to simplify your physical space and free your mind.


Decluttering!!  Ugh! 
Where do I find the motivation to start?  Should I wait to be in the right mood, the right frame of mind?

There’s no getting away from it.  The best way to start decluttering is simply to start.  And it’s the starting that’s the hardest step, but once I do start the process it seems to just flow and I manage to go from this:

 


To this:

 


I’ve recently decluttered my work spaces, both in my company’s office and in my home office.  And boy does it feel satisfying!  At home it took me about 3 hours to declutter a relatively small room.  The method I used was to create 3 piles of stuff – 1.  To ditch, 2. To file or put away, 3.  To give away.  The biggest pile by far was the ditching pile (why do I keep this stuff in the first place, if all I’m going to do with it is ditch it?)

It seems simple.  Keep your work and house spaces free of accumulating stuff by being organised – a place for everything and everything in its place. But it’s too easy for workspaces, desks and benches to become dumping grounds.  To prevent this from happening after my decluttering exercise I have ensured that I have folders to keep newspaper and magazine clippings for inspiration, and drawers for filing receipts, financial records, invoices and paid bills.

Not only does the space look a lot cleaner, neater and more inviting but there are many other not so obvious benefits of decluttering, including those affecting our health.  The website http://www.inaquandary.co.uk/decluttering-benefits.htm lists these as:

·         You should be able to sleep better in a clean and tidy environment, and spend less time worrying at night.

·         You will feel more energised to start projects and carry them through to their end.

·         You will feel more able to deal with things as and when they happen.

·         You will feel better equipped to deal with life on a day to day basis.

·         You will have more time to pursue hobbies and outside interests.

·         You will be equipped to part with sentimental items.

In his article Declutter Your Home and Your Head, Brian Johnson says “We also have a socially driven tendency to believe that possessing more brings greater happiness. Tackling this assumption can also bring better mental health and happiness. In fact, owning more things brings with it more anxiety about how to pay for, protect and look after them. The simple truth is that owning less is easier than organising more.” http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex+relationships/wellbeing/declutter+your+home+and+your+head,16685

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” - Albert Einstein

If you want to get some decluttering done, I would suggest starting small.  There is an excellent blog page called “Declutter 52 things in 52 weeks Challenge”.  Get inspired and start with just 5 minutes today!  http://theorganisedhousewife.com.au/declutter-52-things-in-52-weeks-challenge/

If you have any tips on decluttering, I’d love for you to share them.  You can write me a post or send an email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

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