Every so often in our lives, we take a step back and realize it's time to declutter the mess that surrounds us on a daily basis. Whether it’s an untidy workspace or a disorganized wardrobe, there is always the need to organize the space around us and make a change in our lifestyle. When our lives are cluttered, we can feel weighed down physically and mentally. We might not know where to start in cleaning up the critical areas of our life as the task at hand can seem insurmountable, particularly if we haven't had a good tidy up in a long time. However, by decluttering our life we will not only improve our living and work spaces, but we can bring order to our minds as well, bringing a sense of peace as we go about our daily business.
No matter how large the mess seems to be, with a little bit of time and effort, it will gradually be reduced. Taking it one step at a time, let's consider each area of our lives as we begin the tidy up.
At work
Whether you work at home or in the office, if your space is cluttered you are not going to be very productive.
Let’s begin with your desk. It needs to be organized, so you have the things you need to hand. Have separate pots for those essential items such as pens, staplers and paper clips. Remove that sandwich that has been progressively getting greener as the days have gone on and wash out those cups that are leaving nasty looking rings on the surface of the desk. After removing any waste, you need to reserve the space of your desk for essential items such as your computer, telephone, priority paperwork and perhaps a photograph of somebody special in your life.
When going through your paperwork, it may be time to shred anything that is now dated and useless. For those relevant documents, create a filing system that suits you, perhaps alphabetically or in date order. Have designated drawers for client files, receipts, etc. Now, when sat at your desk, you will have the space you need to work and know where things are when you need them.
You could cut down on paper altogether and become environmentally friendly. Many people store important files on their computer, either to the hard drive or a cloud service such as iCloud and Dropbox. In the case of computer failure, it is also a good idea to store them on an external hard drive too, though a Cloud service will allow you access to your files on any portable device, such as tablet and smartphone.
Have a look at your computer desktop. If the screen is littered with folders, it is time to start organizing them and deleting anything you no longer need. Go to your email inbox and set up separate folders for work and personal messages, and set up spam filters to keep out unwanted junk.
No matter how large the mess seems to be, with a little bit of time and effort, it will gradually be reduced. Taking it one step at a time, let's consider each area of our lives as we begin the tidy up.
At work
Whether you work at home or in the office, if your space is cluttered you are not going to be very productive.
Let’s begin with your desk. It needs to be organized, so you have the things you need to hand. Have separate pots for those essential items such as pens, staplers and paper clips. Remove that sandwich that has been progressively getting greener as the days have gone on and wash out those cups that are leaving nasty looking rings on the surface of the desk. After removing any waste, you need to reserve the space of your desk for essential items such as your computer, telephone, priority paperwork and perhaps a photograph of somebody special in your life.
When going through your paperwork, it may be time to shred anything that is now dated and useless. For those relevant documents, create a filing system that suits you, perhaps alphabetically or in date order. Have designated drawers for client files, receipts, etc. Now, when sat at your desk, you will have the space you need to work and know where things are when you need them.
You could cut down on paper altogether and become environmentally friendly. Many people store important files on their computer, either to the hard drive or a cloud service such as iCloud and Dropbox. In the case of computer failure, it is also a good idea to store them on an external hard drive too, though a Cloud service will allow you access to your files on any portable device, such as tablet and smartphone.
Have a look at your computer desktop. If the screen is littered with folders, it is time to start organizing them and deleting anything you no longer need. Go to your email inbox and set up separate folders for work and personal messages, and set up spam filters to keep out unwanted junk.
At home
Considering our home is the place we spend time in to relax, we will struggle to chill out when we come home every day to find the sink piled high with dishes and the laundry basket overflowing with last week's washing. To be able to unwind effectively, it is time to make a start on making our homes calm and livable again.
Go through the house, room by room. Clear the floors and flat surfaces and store items neatly. Quite often, we chuck things into cupboards, out of sight and out of mind. This isn't helpful when we later need them or have to make space for something genuinely useful. Rather than have cupboard doors coming off their hinges, begin to go through your items and recycle anything you don't need.
Do you really need thirty pairs of shoes? If you haven’t worn certain clothes in the last few months, ask yourself if you are ever going to wear them again. If your children have toys and clothes that they have outgrown, donate them to a local hospital or charity. Your loss is somebody's else's gain. For anything else, consider hiring a professional removal service such as www.samedayrubbishremoval.com.au who will remove your unwanted items for you.
In life
Our lives often become cluttered with too many activities and demands on our precious time. Whether they be hobbies or commitments to family and friends, we need to take a step back and consider which of them brings us the most value and joy. If you are doing something out of necessity because you have always done it, or don’t want to let people down, are these the right reasons to continue doing them. It may be time to start saying no to new offers and focus on those activities you really love doing. It will give you more time to do them and enable you to spend the time with the people you love.
Make a planner of your week and set time to do household chores and any obligations you have. Look for the space in your calendar and use that as your down time, a place to relax and bring calm to your life. Of course, our lives are unpredictable, and we never know what calamity or upheaval is going to happen next, but having some routine will help bring order to our stressed minds.
When you have decluttered your life in all its facets, you will be able to stand back and congratulate yourself on your hard work. However, as the dust begins to gather, and as new demands on your time become present, you will need to declutter all over again. You can prevent this by having the proper systems in place to enable you to keep on top of everything. For starters, have a tidy up before you go to bed leave work every day. Delegate daily tasks to others to help you in the battle in bringing order to the chaos, and hopefully, you won't be as overwhelmed by clutter again.
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