Prelude:
As
humans we are very sociable beings and often at times it becomes very hard for
us to get our hold off people and things as well. This has to do with human
psychology. We are all hoarders but sometimes it goes overboard with some
people so much so that it becomes difficult to even move freely from one room
to another.
Clutter problem?
You
might have a lot of clutter and sometimes you may feel overwhelmed by the very
look of it. Clutter not only makes your home untidy and unpleasant to look at,
but it also puts the home owner in absolute misery. Living with piles of paper
and junk alongside will leave you with little energy and highly de-motivated
and in the long run would result in more clutter to be accumulated.
What can be classified as clutter?
·
Items retained
even after expiry
·
Old clothes
·
Overfilled
drawers (both papers and clothes)
·
Things you don’t
need anymore
·
Old magazines,
books, newspapers etc…
Do
all these things sound familiar to you? If so, then there is surely a clutter in
your home and you are slowly turning into a compulsive hoarder.
Getting started
5
small steps are all you need to get started and get over with clutter:
1. Organize Yourself
Start
de-cluttering by making a list. Divide the list into four.
a.
Keep
b.
Sell
c.
Charity
d.
Rubbish
Write
all the things you need. Things you can sell and probably earn some cash,
things you can donate to charity and finally most of the things that will end
up as rubbish. Don’t forget to buy a lot of thrash bags.
2. Have a time-frame
Don’t
overburden yourself by trying to clear everything at once. Take time, do it
slowly. Dedicate a particular amount of time per day to sort things out. For eg:
half an hour per day would be quite ample to start off with de-cluttering. One
important thing to keep in mind is DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!!
3. One area at a time
Start
with a small area. Concentrate on a shelf or a drawer or a small part of the
room. Do not try to clear things out from everywhere. Concentrating on a single
area will help you focused.
4. Stay Focused
At
the very start you might find it boring and difficult to do, but stay focused
and eventually you will get into the drive and motivated to get everything
cleaned.
5. Stay in control
Remember,
never allow clutter to stay on top of you, always try to mend away from it and
if you are getting a new object into your house then always make room for it in
advance so you know where it goes. This way everything stays organized and
clean.
Remember:
After
you are done de-cluttering, reward yourself. Dine with friends or go out for a
movie. You have accomplished a great task and should be happy about it.
In
any case, if the above really doesn’t work out then you can always try for
professional cleaners. For eg: Bio Cleanse Pty Ltd, who do hoarding management.