Spring has sprung! While a lot of us may still be feeling the chill of the last (hopefully the last) days of winter, it is time to look forward to budding flowers, singing birds, longer days…and spring cleaning!
This doesn’t just mean changing the batteries on your smoke detectors, or throwing out the trash…it also means getting into a mindset to declutter your life, both mentally and physically. If you can take the time to declutter, you can expect a healthier outlook and a happier and more fulfilling enjoyment of the months to come.
So, I see decluttering on TV – what is that all about?
Recently, a Japanese expert on how to organize your life has been seen on most of the daytime news programs. Her name is Marie Kondo, and her focus is on keeping the things in your life that promote joy and ridding the things from your life that do not.
While joy is a very subjective ideal to achieve, her techniques and methods are fascinating and are widely seen as a new way to approach life. And, they can be achieved by even the busiest of us.
But why is decluttering good for me?
- Clutter promotes anxiety. Imagine the difference in how you feel coming home to a clean, organized house and opening the door and seeing piles of paper, stacks of laundry, magazines and “stuff” strewn all over the place. The latter kind of makes you want to close the door and leave, right? And what if your new co-worker would like to stop by after work for a cup of coffee? Anxiety AND embarrassment?
- Clutter wastes time. Looking for your keys or wallet in the morning? Just imagine if you have organized yourself and you know exactly where everything is!
- Clutter can cause the buildup of allergens. Believe it or not, the more clutter you have, the more dust you will accumulate. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to breathe easier in your home?
- Clutter wastes money. If you don’t know what you actually have, you may be prone to buy duplicate items just because you can’t find something or didn’t remember you owned it! You might just find that lost dvd or watch!
I don’t have a lot of time, so….
If you organize your time, you can accomplish spring cleaning with less stress and with more permanence. If you just rush into it, the job won’t be complete and you will, more than likely, be stacking piles on piles instead of going through things and making good decisions. Consider the following five choices to make when decluttering:
- Keep
- Sell
- Recycle
- Donate
- Trash
Take your time. Wake up one Saturday morning, brush your teeth, clean your tongue, have a good breakfast, and get started on decluttering your life and then…enjoy those extra hours each day! Oh, and let your co-worker come on over for coffee!☕
