Would you like to simplify your life and get back to basics? Want to turn your home into a sanctuary, a haven from the craziness going on outside your front door? Are you looking for a sense of relief, well-being and control that comes when your home is organized?
In this fast-paced world it can seem like there is no time to breathe let alone time for reading a book, listening to music, playing with the kids or leisurely walking the dog. As the pace of life has quickened so has the trend toward collecting things and stuffing them into our homes.
The opportunity either forced or by choice, to take stock of your life, how you are living, and how you feel about your life, may be the silver lining in these crazy times. Now is a good time for a shift in your thinking and awareness while letting go of the desire to acquire more. If you have decided it is time for a change in your life, the place to start is by eliminating the clutter and creating clear space.
Here’s how to start the process of simplifying and getting back to basics:
1. First, acknowledge you want to change and that it probably won’t be easy but it is possible.
2. Pick a room and do a “surface purge.” Toss the trash and put things not belonging in the area in a box “to go elsewhere.”
3. Sort like items together.
4. Clear everything else that you can easily move out of the room. Decide what activities you will do in this space.
5. Only return items that will be used in this room. Do one room until it is completed before moving to the next.
6. Commit to maintaining your new organized system by setting limits and sticking to them. Use the one in, one out rule.
7. Take 15 minutes each day to pick up the area.
8. If you attempt this project and have difficulty sticking with it or are too overwhelmed to even start, get professional organizing help!
Your home is a reflection of what is going on in your life. As you slowly make these changes by simplifying and getting organized, you will gain control, reduce stress and feel relief.
Barbara Ricketts is a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO). If you need professional assistance to get organized, contact her at MessDoctor@Mac.com or call 661-263-0124.