How do you know if you really need to clean out some clutter from your home? Here's how to identify (and take care of!) clutter in your life.
Do you have to move furniture around so that someone can sit down?
Creating a junk closet where you hide everything away is one thing (not good, but certainly a bit more tolerable). But when your "junk" starts spilling out into your living and work areas, it is time to re-consider the state of affairs. Ive seen clients who could not turn on the wood stove because it was piled up with paper -- or they could not get into bed because it was covered with "bits and pieces." When you are unable to use portions of your home or office owing to mess, then it's time for that hard hat and shovel!
Is there something that you know you own but cannot find?
Not being able to find things when you need them is a sure sign -- you do not have a set place for your belongings. And not just any old place, but a logical spot nearest the point where you use the item -- a little cubby hole or section of a drawer that is dedicated only to the scissors and nothing else. Where would you look for those scissors if you needed them? This is where they ought to be stored. And if you will require scissors in several different places around your house or office, buy 2 or 3 pairs.
Does it take you ages to leave your house on a morning time?
Let's have a guess, you walk out the door without your briefcase. You then walk out again without keys. Finally, you head out the door and realize your lunch is sitting on your table top. This is nothing more than poor planning. Take a minute the night before to gather up everything which you want to take with you in the morning. Put it in a specified area near the door so you won't forget it. You could even place a sticky note on the door to remind yourself to get your lunch from your fridge!
Do you have to pay at least one late payment fee to your bank?
If you had a standard way of managing bills each month, you wouldn't get behind. Set up a small filing rack where you put all your bills as they arrive, in the order that they become due -- and write the due date on the envelope. Then, schedule in some time each month to pay the bills that are due in the next week or so. Treat your bill-paying time like an appointment, don't forget to mark it off on the calendar and don't let anything get in the way of finishing that task. If you ever have to delay paying the bills because you don't have enough money to pay them, then it's time to re-evaluate your spending habbits and adjust them.
Do you ever have to request an extension on your tax return?
For a few people, tax day isn't April 15th -- it's August 15th! Most people who file extensions do so because they can't get all of their paperwork together on time. So set up a filing box solely for tax receipts. Break your receipts down into basic categories -- office supplies, charitable donations, medical expenses, travel -- and file any new receipts as quickly as you get them if you can. Then, you can hand the entire box over to your CPA. Better yet, set yourself up on a computerized accounting program (like Quicken or Quickbooks) and enter your expenses each month.
Does your life feel as if it is out of control?
Many signs of clutter are tangible -- you can see and feel them. But that sense of overwhelming may be ten times more damaging than a stack of unopened mail or a pile of junk in the closet. If you ever feel that you are overlooking something important, forgetting to do something vital that you will definitely pay for it in the end? Or that you will never get caught up, no matter how hard you try? Or that you are losing your mind because you can't deal with your mess anymore? The initial step to curbing these anxieties is to tackle a cluttered drawer or today's pile of mail or a tiny pile of filing. Just putting a dent in the mess can take a great weight off your shoulders -- and sometimes give you the motivation you require to dig in deeper. Just realize that "de-cluttering" is a process, and it will take you many small baby steps to reach your goal -- and take pleasure in the satisfaction at completing each step.
Do you have to move furniture around so that someone can sit down?
Creating a junk closet where you hide everything away is one thing (not good, but certainly a bit more tolerable). But when your "junk" starts spilling out into your living and work areas, it is time to re-consider the state of affairs. Ive seen clients who could not turn on the wood stove because it was piled up with paper -- or they could not get into bed because it was covered with "bits and pieces." When you are unable to use portions of your home or office owing to mess, then it's time for that hard hat and shovel!
Is there something that you know you own but cannot find?
Not being able to find things when you need them is a sure sign -- you do not have a set place for your belongings. And not just any old place, but a logical spot nearest the point where you use the item -- a little cubby hole or section of a drawer that is dedicated only to the scissors and nothing else. Where would you look for those scissors if you needed them? This is where they ought to be stored. And if you will require scissors in several different places around your house or office, buy 2 or 3 pairs.
Does it take you ages to leave your house on a morning time?
Let's have a guess, you walk out the door without your briefcase. You then walk out again without keys. Finally, you head out the door and realize your lunch is sitting on your table top. This is nothing more than poor planning. Take a minute the night before to gather up everything which you want to take with you in the morning. Put it in a specified area near the door so you won't forget it. You could even place a sticky note on the door to remind yourself to get your lunch from your fridge!
Do you have to pay at least one late payment fee to your bank?
If you had a standard way of managing bills each month, you wouldn't get behind. Set up a small filing rack where you put all your bills as they arrive, in the order that they become due -- and write the due date on the envelope. Then, schedule in some time each month to pay the bills that are due in the next week or so. Treat your bill-paying time like an appointment, don't forget to mark it off on the calendar and don't let anything get in the way of finishing that task. If you ever have to delay paying the bills because you don't have enough money to pay them, then it's time to re-evaluate your spending habbits and adjust them.
Do you ever have to request an extension on your tax return?
For a few people, tax day isn't April 15th -- it's August 15th! Most people who file extensions do so because they can't get all of their paperwork together on time. So set up a filing box solely for tax receipts. Break your receipts down into basic categories -- office supplies, charitable donations, medical expenses, travel -- and file any new receipts as quickly as you get them if you can. Then, you can hand the entire box over to your CPA. Better yet, set yourself up on a computerized accounting program (like Quicken or Quickbooks) and enter your expenses each month.
Does your life feel as if it is out of control?
Many signs of clutter are tangible -- you can see and feel them. But that sense of overwhelming may be ten times more damaging than a stack of unopened mail or a pile of junk in the closet. If you ever feel that you are overlooking something important, forgetting to do something vital that you will definitely pay for it in the end? Or that you will never get caught up, no matter how hard you try? Or that you are losing your mind because you can't deal with your mess anymore? The initial step to curbing these anxieties is to tackle a cluttered drawer or today's pile of mail or a tiny pile of filing. Just putting a dent in the mess can take a great weight off your shoulders -- and sometimes give you the motivation you require to dig in deeper. Just realize that "de-cluttering" is a process, and it will take you many small baby steps to reach your goal -- and take pleasure in the satisfaction at completing each step.
Source...