Clutter and procrastination.  Procrastination and clutter.  One leads to the other in a never-ending loop, sort of like a mobius circle.  As we move forward into another new year, I have one over-riding resolution.  I am once and for all going to get rid of the clutter in my life!  Perhaps it is due to my getting older, but I am determined to streamline my life and possessions.  Part of me says that I would never want my children to have to sort through a bunch of junk that they probably don’t want anyway.

Our clutter stems from keeping things we really don’t want or need or worse yet, sticking them on a shelf or somewhere because we can’t decide where to put them.  Perhaps the most difficult is deciding what to do with gifts that may not make your heart sing.  I used to think I had to hold on to all previous gifts from your Mom, your Aunt Ethyl, or whoever, but now I’ve learned that there is probably someone out there who might really enjoy that gift instead of having it sit in the closet and collect dust!  Once the clutter starts to build up, we really don’t feel like tackling the task of putting everything in its place, so we procrastinate doing anything about the mess.  I’ll work on that next week . . .or next month . . . or next year.

I actually got started on this quest last year, so rather than being a complete start from scratch, it is a finish what you started.  Several years ago I found myself in January with a whole year of receipts and data for our company to sort through and file in order to prepare our tax return.  I vowed that never again would I get caught with that sort of a nightmare!  I have managed to abide by that resolution both for the business and the personal taxes ever since.  One more thing off the list!

Do you ever feel as if you are drowning in paper?  I went through a period of time where I literally could not see the top of my desk.  I finally tried doing just one little stack at a time and finally after a few painful days, I was able to rediscover the color of the wood on the desktop!  Paper remains one of my big problems.  Do I need to file it, toss it, or pay it?   Have you ever gone to one of those time management seminars?  They always say you should only handle a piece of paper one time.  Somehow I haven’t quite figured out how you can realistically do that!  I am doing better with my “PIA-TIA” (Put it away or throw it away), but I still have a ways to go.

We have a work room that we use for our consulting business.  It has storage units, the printer, the binding machine, files, and on and on!  It was a total mess, and so was I.  I couldn’t bring myself to put the time in to straighten it out.  I finally set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes and worked for only 15 minutes a day on straightening, filing, throwing, and, my all-time favorite, shredding!  Most of you who know me know I’m a little weird.  I bought a new paper shredder last fall after my old one died.  It can take up to 100 sheets of paper at a time!  I was as happy as if someone had had just given me a new pair of diamond earrings, well, almost as happy I suppose.  Shredding old papers is totally fulfilling! After a week or so of setting my 15 minute increments of straightening, I pretty well got it all cleaned up.

I am reminded of the Carl Sandburg poem called “Fog.”  It begins, “The fog comes in on little cat feet.”  Clutter is like that fog; it sneaks back in on those little cat feet!  I suspect that may be why so many of us have a problem with clutter.  It is truly insidious and keeps sneaking back.  That stack of papers on the corner of the desk grows overnight.  The kitchen junk drawer only stays neat for a short time, and then it keeps trying to revert to its previous unkempt state, not to mention those pesky closets!

I am one of those people who likes to read up on everything under the sun, including how to manage your clutter.  One of my favorite books on coping with your clutter is The Clutter-Busting Handbook by Rita Emmett.  Rita is the best-selling author of several books dealing with clutter, procrastination, and time management.  She does a great monthly tip sheet too which always has a few little gems.  You can sign up at www.RitaEmmett.com.  One of the things I really appreciate about Rita’s Tip Sheet is that it is monthly, not daily or weekly!  If I might digress for a bit, I am so tired of all of these daily emails, wanting you to listen to some free webinar, buy something on sale, contribute to yet another worthy cause, etc.

I will keep you updated on my clutter battle.  Do let me know if you too are trying to do this!  Until next time,

May your favorite charity be happy [with all the donations you're sending]
        May your closets be neat, and
                  May your dumpster be overflowing!

©2019, The Eclectic Grandma