The Huffington Post conducted a survey earlier this year that found 84 percent of Americans who were feeling stressed out said they worry that their home isn’t clean or organized enough and data that was revealed by Ikea found that the average person spends almost an hour each day looking for things they can’t find.
Did you know that controlling your clutter can help to create a more tranquil environment that can reduce stress levels as well as saving time and improving the quality of life? Organizing your home can help you feel more relaxed, better about yourself and can even give you more energy. I
If there are things that are left undone, you may spend more time thinking about what you should be doing, depleting your energy levels, than actually just getting them done.
One step at a time
Getting everything organized all at once can seem so overwhelming nothing gets done. Instead, start small and begin decluttering one area or even just one closet or one drawer. Once you’ve achieved success, it may motivate you to start working on more challenging areas of the home.
Commit to just 10 or 15 minutes a day for decluttering; grab an empty box and put in as much of your clutter as you can. A good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything you haven’t used for over a year.
Commit to donating the contents to charity or throwing it away at the end of the day. You might need to have separate boxes for donations, giveaways to friends and family, items you plan to sell, and trash.
Clean each space completely before organizing
Tackle each space one at a time and take everything out in order to address each item. Every cabinet, drawer or closet should be completely empty and clean before anything is put back inside. This way you’ll be less likely to put anything back that isn’t absolutely necessary in the newly cleaned space.
Finding an appropriate place for possessions
When putting things back, be sure each item has a perfect spot where it can be neatly stacked or folded, and is easily accessible. Organizing your closet by color, season or another way that is more efficient for your life can also be beneficial.
If you have any clothing item that may need repair or altering, don’t put it back – put those things into a basket or box where they can be dealt with, but if you don’t think you’ll ever get around to it you might want to consider relegating them to a donation or trash box.
Organizing emotionally
It can be difficult to organize your home when you aren’t emotionally organized. If you have any destructive habits or detrimental beliefs about getting organized you may have to look back to see where they might be coming from. Does your life need to be dramatic in order to function? Is all of the clutter allowing you to hide from relationships?
For some people, clutter may be verification that their life is still important and that they are not invisible, while others fear becoming organized will interfere with creativity. There are many reasons people have for not getting organized, but addressing those can help make it easier to overcome those hurdles and simplify your home and your life.
Maintaining organization
Once you’ve gotten organized, the greater effort may come in keeping it that way. Set aside some time on a regular basis to clear out clutter. Each week go through your home and check closets and drawers for clutter as well as making sure that everything is in place. Taking a few minutes each day or an hour each week is usually all that it takes to maintain an organized home.
Clearing out our clutter is a good way to recognize how much excess we have in our lives – it’s said that 80 percent of what we own, we never use. People with less “stuff” are generally happier; Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/downsizing-your-home_n_3324986.htm