A messy lifestyle can ruin every pleasure you might otherwise have from life. Disorganization "overloads" the brain even if you are not aware of it, making each day hard to live, up to the point of downright unbearable. Lorie Marrero, CPO, professional organizer and creator of a site specialized in helping people get their lives back on track in terms of organization, has come to the conclusion that only neatness can eliminate daily stress, and has even provided three easy steps for clutter- and stress-free existence.
"Disorganization steals time and energy because clutter represents delayed decisions and actions - it is a visual form of procrastination," Marrero explains. Thus, people who tend to just throw things around the house, car or office, or who are in the habit of always saying "I'll leave this here for a while until I make the time to put it right back where it belongs" are more prone to stress and depression. While they may not realize it, the fact that they lead a hectic existence is taking a toll on everything else that they do, often making them blind to those things that should really matter.
"Disorganization creates stress because it reflects that there are commitments in your life that you simply can't handle," Marrero further adds, stressing that, as long as all these commitments linger in the "I'll do it some other day" limbo, no one can truly and fully enjoy all the pleasures that life has to offer. Of course, if we add to this the fact that, leading a messy life makes it practically impossible for anyone to find the right thing at the right time, we will certainly understand why Marrero advocates an organized existence as the cure to daily stress.
Moreover, becoming organized is not even as hard as we might be tempted at first to think it is. Marrero even provides three easy steps to getting there, which include learning how to make a decision faster, the use of a "capturing tool" (meaning a tablet on which to write or a recorder - but under no circumstance sticky notes or random pieces of paper because they will be lost in no time), and labeling (as it gives "items an official place in the home").
Whichever method you choose to become an organized - and stress-free - person, just bear in mind that this is a process that requires time, patience and checking yourself whenever you feel the temptation of going back to your old ways. In almost no time, Marrero guarantees, you will notice that your life is better, while your relationships with the people with whom you share your living/working space will also ameliorate considerably.
Getting Rid of Clutter
Start with a mass cleaning to get rid of your clutter. Chances are, if you've reached the point of looking for help getting rid of your clutter online, you need to do some serious cleaning. Set aside a day, or a weekend, specifically for cleaning. If you don't want to (or can't) do it alone, enlist the help of those you live with, or friends -- bribe them with pizza and beer (or brochettes and wine) if you have to. Use the following suggestions to get rid of your clutter, and maintain a clutter-free space.
Use organizing "tools" to make getting rid of clutter easier. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're trying to get rid of clutter, and creating a system of organization and cleaning can relieve some of that stress. See the suggestions below about sharing household tasks and creating a regular cleaning schedule to get rid of clutter. Make a list identifying the biggest sources or locations of clutter in your home ( i.e., junk mail and newspapers, or your desk and the kitchen counter) and target those areas with your cleaning. Invest in organization storage systems for clutter-prone areas--like a filing unit for your office, or a closet organizer for your bedroom. Organization is essential to getting rid of clutter.
Share household chores and cleaning to get rid of clutter. Clutter builds up because it's hard to do everything by yourself all the time, especially when the rest of your life is calling. Divvy up the tasks necessary to get rid of clutter between you and your family, or you and your roommates. Everybody can be responsible for one room (like the bathroom or kitchen), or one set of chores (like dishes or taking out the garbage). If you live alone, or can't get your housemates to help (I'd suggest getting new housemates, if that's the case), spread your chores throughout the week (see the suggestion below about schedules) so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Use a cleaning schedule to get rid of clutter. Regular cleaning is essential to avoiding clutter. If you're sharing the chores with others, sit down together and create a weekly or monthly schedule that divides the chores evenly between everyone. If you're cleaning alone, make a schedule for yourself that allows you to tackle cleaning a little bit at a time, like cleaning the bathroom on Saturday morning, or doing your laundry on Thursday night. Rotating tasks can make cleaning less monotonous, and make less desirable chores (like cleaning the litterbox) easier to handle. And once you've got a schedule made, cleaning can be accomplished in small, manageable steps: ten minute here, thirty minutes there, instead of your wasting your entire Sunday afternoon just fighting off clutter.
Commit to a system of keep/donate/recycle/and throw away to eliminate clutter. Don't keep things that you don't use, don't keep clothes that don't fit or you don't wear, don't keep broken things just because you might fix them "later". Throw away or recycle things (like junk mail or old magazines) as soon as you know you're not going to use them. Designate a place for donations or garage sale items, and as soon as that space is filled donate or sell the items. Check out the sidebar to the right for suggestions on how to cut down on waste and donate reusable items to a good cause and still get rid of your clutter.
More Ways to Get Rid of Clutter
If you've tried and tried and still can't seem to get rid of your clutter, if you're just too busy or too tired to get rid of your clutter, if you just can't wrap your head around the organizational skills needed to get rid of clutter, or if there's something else preventing you from getting rid of clutter, it may be time to call in a professional. Because this option usually involves quite a bit of expense, it's not for everyone, but if you do have the resources to hire someone, it's shouldn't be too hard to do a litte research and find a cleaning service that is reliable, efficient, trustworthy and relatively affordable. Depending on your position, and the state of your clutter, it may be to your advantage to have someone come into your home on a daily or semi-daily basis, but usually a little help once a week should be enough to help you get rid of clutter.
