Jill Farris is back today with part two of her series on Decluttering. You can read part 1 here.
Are you ready to begin? Begin with the end in mind. Decide now how you are going to dispose of your stuff. Remember, it’s the perfectly good items that cause most of the problems (and we all have lots of very nice things that are filling up our homes).
Picture in your minds eye an uncluttered room, a garage with boxes neatly labeled and stored, peacefully bare surfaces; in other words a home with room for people, activities, joy!
Again, let’s begin with the end in mind. Where will you put the bags and boxes of stuff you will collect as you purge each room? If you are in serious clutter trouble and struggle with letting go of your material possessions I urge you to take your clutter straight to a thrift store at the end of the day. Do not store it overnight and do not plan on having a garage sale…it will slowly leak back out and make its way back into your home (ask me how I know!).
If you are generally in control of the level of clutter in your home and it’s gotten temporarily out of hand, you may want to sort your clutter into separate drop offs (clothing to a consignment store, toys to donate to a preschool, new but unused items to a friend etc.). Be forewarned that this can be dangerous if you get busy and don’t get around to it. Your goal is to get rid of your stuff….don’t make it your primary goal to make money at this time.
If you are great at de-cluttering and don’t struggle with “de-clutterers remorse” you might want to box up your salable items for a future garage sale (emphasis on the word future…be sure that you actually have the garage sale!).
Today’s goal is simply to de-clutter. Repeat after me “People are more important than things.” Your home cannot be a sanctuary for the people you love if you are continually frustrated by too many things.
Not motivated? I have a suggestion for you; invite overnight guests to stay with you. Tell them to come soon! Do not invite your very best friend from high school who has a far messier house than you do and doesn’t care where she stays. No! You need to invite some strangers (missionaries traveling through who need a place to stay, perhaps?) or (better yet) some well-to-do relatives who live in an immaculate, well-kept home.
I have been dragged out of a bad case of housecleaning doldrums by knowing that someone is coming to stay overnight.
- Start your with entryway or wherever you enter your home. That way if you only get part of your house done you’ll still feel good every time you enter your home.
- Because May has 31 days in it, I am challenging you to take 31 items out of each room.
- Working quickly, focus on the areas of the room that attract clutter. In my home they are the book baskets, the hall closet and the toy cupboard. Give yourself a half hour or less to cull the room. Do you have thirty-one items yet? If not, move on!
- Next, hit the overflow room of the house. We all have one. Ours is the master bedroom which catches all the laundry from the nearby laundry room. Move quickly around the room DECISIVELY picking up and stuffing items into a bag. I do not count real trash as part of the items but it is up to you! Thirty-one items as fast as you can…can you do it?
As soon as you have reached your limit, take the bags and boxes out to the car. If you have time, deliver them to their destinations.
*You deserve a reward! Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the feeling of knowing that you are one step closer to a peaceful, restful, home!
Good inspiration! Thanks!
I use to have a book called Clutter’s Last Stand. I come across it every five years and toss a bunch of stuff. I still get overwhelmed with it! There is a deep guilt that comes with tossing something “perfectly good”. I just tell myself I am denying someone who could truly use it by keeping it on a shelf. I always donate. If the donate center tosses it, my conscience is clee-uh.
People ARE more important than things. Lately I have had to stop and repeat that to myself more than once. I’d find myself getting impatient, wishing someone would talk a little faster or maybe skip talking at all, and then I’d remember….without them my world would be an empty void. And, what if a kind smile and being a good listener would actually make a difference in their lives? Cleaning, organizing, writing…whatever…are not nearly as important as people.
Liz,
I am familiar with Clutters Last Stand and other books by Don Aslett. He also wrote a book called Help Around The House (getting your children to clean) and I was one of the women who sent in ideas for the book which were published (doesn’t that make me sound like I have my act together?).
But it is still hard to get rid of perfectly good stuff. We can do our part by trying to buy less stuff and use up what we have but, the fact of the matter is, we live in a country which is materially rich and it is something that we have to recognize as a problem without judging ourselves too much. I know poor people who are given lots of brand new items and they have too much clutter!
Thanks for your comments!
Jill Farris
I am loving this series, Jill! I’ve read (probably) dozens of de-cluttering books over the years, but they all have very complex systems (enough to fill a book) and I get overwhelmed. Thanks for breaking it down to a task a day!
So, how do I get my brain de-cluttered?
Julie,
Finally getting back to your great question about how to declutter your brain. First, God promises that His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Go to Him with your anxiety and “brain clutter” and ask Him to help you focus and to guide your thoughts with peace. You may have to do this many times a day and that’s o.k.
Also, an interesting area to learn about is the field of neurodevelopmental study. Neurodevelopmentalists have discovered that we need to have sidedness all down the same side of our body. For example, since I am right handed, I also need to be right footed, right eyed and right eared. I need to have dominance on the same side of my body. If I have mixed dominance I will have a hard time with focus, I will remember things one day and forget them later and I will be more given to emotionality (especially when frustrated). Our son has struggled with this but I didn’t learn about it until later.
So mixed dominance can add to “brain clutter” and it is simple to fix but not easy. My husband has mixed dominance and struggles with forgetting his keys, panicking over simple things like where he put his glasses etc. Although he hasn’t yet switched the dominance to one side when he does some simple exercises he grows much calmer and happier.
You can find a link for more information about the ND field at my website. I also have an article there that I wrote about our son “He graduates from the University this weekend”.
Blessings,
Jill Farris