The photo I selected is clean, beautiful, and, more importantly, neat. I could have chosen an image of a person surrounded by clutter, looking overwhelmed. That would have been predictable and only reinforced a negative emotion already being felt by anyone dealing with it. My intention was to take power away from what amounts to just things. These piles have taken on a life of their own. There is a camaraderie between people who have it. They discuss it at social gatherings, even laugh, until they stare at it in disgust. These piles are not the problem; they are just things. They lay there waiting on you to make sense of them. It is that simple.
A choice was made that brought these items into your space or allowed them to pile up. You now have the power to choose your fate. This is easy; we've made much bigger decisions. Going to the Container Store should not be your first move. You are temporarily taking a step that creates a false sense of accomplishment. There was no plan, and you'll get excellent bins or baskets that end up being part of the problem. This quote best sums it up: "When eating an elephant, take one bite at a time." Creighton Abrams. It becomes much easier to manage if you break it up into sections. Decide to take one or two hours to get started. If you build momentum and want to keep going, keep going.
Eat something, put on some music, and dig in. The best way to start is to decide what needs to go. Keep this in mind as you begin. You can love something but have no use for it. It can be in great shape, but you don't love it. You paid a lot of money for it but never use it. Let it go. Once an item is in your hands, make a decision about it. Resist the urge to put it aside to think about it later. That's procrastination. If you're not sure, it can go. Label trash bags and boxes. Decide to use it, sell it, donate it, give it away, or throw it away. Bag and box the items as you go. Once full, put them in your car and drop donations off a.s.a.p. If you have yet to post items for sale within a week, donate or give them away.
Now you're ready to address what's left and what storage you'll need. There is no right or wrong way to organize things. Do what makes sense to you. If you still feel overwhelmed, you may need to rethink what you've kept and do another purge. Once you're ready to organize, group things in a way that makes sense. Storage bins do not have to be expensive. I've found great ones in the dollar store. If you're feeling inspired, go next level and use a beautiful shelf liner. Have fun with this part. The goal is to give everything a good home. The process is the same for every area of clutter, and all areas count. Especially garages, closets, rooms never used, and that side of the house no one sees. You get the point. Seeing areas that once haunted you, now clean and organized, will feel life-changing.
In addition to creating an organized space, you are now allowing the positive chi to flow with ease again. If this area was in your Wealth and Prosperity area, you might receive an unexpected raise. If it's in your Love and Relationship area, you may find you are getting along much better with your partner. Only positive things can come from addressing these areas. You may even find yourself opening a closet door repeatedly just to admire your work (me)!
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