In the book Alice in Wonderland Alice falls down a hole. The first time I read this I felt so closed in I never finished reading the book. I know this is silly but that's the way it was. Do you ever have fears about how to declutter your home and it seems silly but that is just the way it is?
I wondered if I had suffered a time in my life when I felt stuck in the dark and I couldn't get out. But the answer is; I have never had this happen to me. The closest I could come to being stuck (and it wasn't even me) was when my two year old daughter climbed into a metal milk can and she couldn't get out. We tried everything. We greased her with Vaseline thinking she would come right out. I thought if she could get in the can certainly she could get out.
We tried the Vaseline and tipping her (like she would get thinner that way?) We pulled on her but that sure didn't work and was uncomfortable for her. Finally we contacted the fire department and one of the firemen brought a hack saw and after making a 12 inch cut they pried the can apart wide enough so she could be pulled out. We were so grateful and happy that she was free.
Often we can see the clutter, just like we could see our daughter was stuck in the milk can, but we just can't seem to declutter using the ideas we think will work.
When Alice was in the hole she came to two roads and sitting there was a Cheshire cat. She asked the cat which road to take and he asked her where she wanted to go. She told him she didn't know. The cat's response to this was ‘then it didn't matter what road she took'.
What a wise cat! When we decide we are going to declutter we need tools to declutter just like we needed the hacksaw to free our daughter. Here are some organizing tips and tools to help declutter:
1.First we need to know what road to take. Ask what do I want this room to look like? What do I want this room to be used for? Are there things that can be moved to a different room? Evaluate the area you are going to declutter before beginning the project.
2. Set your goals. Our goal was go get our daughter out of the can. When the goal is to declutter some goals could be: Make homes for everything in this room. When you've picked up an item decide right then and there where it is going to live. How many times have you picked up something and then put it down again, picked it up and put it down again? Make as many goals as you need, these are just a couple to get you started.
3.Set a timer and give yourself permission to work for that length of time. I recommend as a professional organizer that you start by taking tortoise steps. It is not the swift that always wins the race but the person who keeps on at their own pace. Going too fast can cause burn out and discouragement.
4.Where ever you are getting rid of clutter in your home gather a few containers before starting. These can be three plastic bags that are labeled, one trash, one donate, one to sell. In addition have a sturdy container such as a basket, box or plastic container. Call this your BE basket—Belongs Elsewhere. As you are organizing clutter stay in the room or place where you are heartily attaching clutter. When you are finished for the time you have allotted then take the BE basket and distribute the items to their rightful homes.
How to declutter your home can be significantly easier by using these few tools as you organize.
