The first thing to realize when facing a clutter disaster in your home is that everything can be accomplished if you take it once step at a time. Beginning with efficiently handling mail and paper clutter, other clutter can be managed with one simple process – surfacing.
Beginning to surface
Choose a surface to begin with. Start small and don’t overplan. Also consider the surfaces you are closest to and spend the most time at. For example:
- The area immediately near your computer
- Bedside table
- Kitchen counter
- Bureau top
- Entertainment center
First sort paper clutter into a few select stacks or trays to be handled later. Trash anything you don’t need immediately. Consider each item still there and put it away where it belongs. If you don’t know where it should be, don’t just set it somewhere else. Consider whether you really need it, and if you do, make a permanent place for it.
Clean the surface and arrange items that stay there. Keep in mind you should limit what stays. Only things you touch daily several times a week should be there. On the bedside table maybe only a lamp and a clock. On the kitchen counter leave the coffee pot and toaster only if used often. Otherwise store those things.
Once you get those frequently used areas under control, you will feel better about yourself and your home. Set a day and time to work on those: right before you use them or just before bedtime, surface them.
Expanding
When you have developed good habits in your frequently-used areas, you can begin addressing other surfaces more seriously. Don’t forget low, vertical, and upside down surfaces. Examples:
- Curtains
- Floors
- Cabinets
- Washing machines
- Under beds and other furniture
- Closets
- Bookshelves
If any one of these places is overwhelming, break it down. Do the closet by shelves or do under the bed by itself. Only tackle what you can finish or it will quickly fill up again and you will find yourself back where you started within the week.
Focus on habits
Again, develop good habits in those areas before moving on to surface the next area. For less frequently used places it may be easier to choose a time and take care of them all together on one day a week.
Pick a quiet, relatively relaxed time, not when you are trying to do everything else like help with homework, do the dishes and pay the bills. For example do it on Saturday afternoon after lunch when you can shoo children, friends or partners out the door for an hour or so. It won’t take long if you keep up the surfaces regularly.
Don’t allow distractions to stop you
It is easy to get distracted and find your focus has moved away from its original intent. If you are working on your computer space you may find a fork under the keyboard and decide to do the dishes instead. Don’t. Keep your original focus and get it done, even if the distraction seems more pressing or important. You will thank yourself.
Writing lists or reminders can help prevent the distraction problem. Post a word or two on the refrigerator like “cabinets today,” or “Photo Box.”
There is nothing quite as welcoming as walking into your own space without those mind-melting burdens of cluttered spaces.
