How To Look For Signs That Your Life Is Cluttered
How do you know if you really should clean out some clutter from your house? Here's how to spot (and handle!) clutter in your life.
Do you have to move furniture around so that someone may sit down?
Creating a junk closet where you hide all of it away is one thing (not good, but certainly somewhat more tolerable). But when your "junk" starts spilling out into your living and working areas, it's time to re-consider the situation. I have seen individuals who could not turn on the stove as it was piled up with paper -- or they could not get into bed because it was covered with "stuff." If you are unable to use parts of your home or office due to untidiness, then it is time for that hard hat and shovel!
Is there something you know you own but cannot find?
Not being able to find things when you want them is a sure sign -- you don't have a set place for your belongings. And not just any old place, but a logical spot nearest the place where you use the item -- a small cubby hole or section of a drawer that may be dedicated only to the scissors and nothing else. Where do you look for those scissors when you needed them? That's where they should be stored. And if you will need scissors in several different places around your home or office, buy 2 or 3 pairs.
Does it take you ages to leave the house on a morning time?
Let me guess, you walk out the door without your briefcase. You then walk out again minus keys. Finally, you head out the door and realize your lunch is sitting on your counter. This is nothing much more poor planning. Take a minute the night before to gather up everything that you need to take with you in the morning. Put it in a designated area near the door so you don't forget it. You can even place a sticky note on the door to remind yourself to get your lunch from the fridge!
Do you need to pay a late payment fee to the bank?
If you had a regular way of handling bills every month, you would not get behind. Set up a tiny filing rack where you place all of your bills as they arrive, in the order in which they are due -- and write the due date on the envelope. Then, schedule in some time each month to pay the bills that are due in the next week or so. Treat your bill-paying time like an arrangement, don't forget to mark it off on the calendar and don't let anything get in the way of implementation that laborious task. If you have to delay paying the bills because you do not have the funds to pay them, then it is time to re-evaluate your spending habbits and adjust them.
Do you ever need to request an extension on your tax return?
For some people, tax day is not April 15th -- it's August 15th! Most folk who file extensions do so because they can't get all of their paperwork together on time. So set up a filing box solely for tax receipts. Break your receipts down into basic categories -- office supplies, charitable donations, medical expenses, travel -- and file any new receipts as soon as you get them if you can. Then, you can hand the entire box over to your CPA. Better yet, set yourself up on a computerized accounting program (like Quicken or Quickbooks) and enter your expenses each month.
Does your life feel as if its out of control?
Many signs of clutter are tangible -- you can see and feel them. But that sense of overwhelming can be ten times more damaging than a stack of unopened mail or a pile of junk in the closet. If you ever feel that you are overlooking something essential, forgetting to do something vital which you will certainly pay for it in the end? Or that you won't ever get caught up, regardless of how hard you try? Or that you are losing your mind because you can't deal with the mess anymore? The first step to curbing these anxieties is to tackle a cluttered drawer or today's pile of mail or a tiny pile of filing. Just putting a dent in the mess can take a great weight off your shoulders -- and sometimes provide you with the motivation you require to dig in deeper. Just realize that "de-cluttering" is a process, and it will take you many small baby steps to reach your goal -- and take pleasure in the satisfaction at completing each step.
Do you have to move furniture around so that someone may sit down?
Creating a junk closet where you hide all of it away is one thing (not good, but certainly somewhat more tolerable). But when your "junk" starts spilling out into your living and working areas, it's time to re-consider the situation. I have seen individuals who could not turn on the stove as it was piled up with paper -- or they could not get into bed because it was covered with "stuff." If you are unable to use parts of your home or office due to untidiness, then it is time for that hard hat and shovel!
Is there something you know you own but cannot find?
Not being able to find things when you want them is a sure sign -- you don't have a set place for your belongings. And not just any old place, but a logical spot nearest the place where you use the item -- a small cubby hole or section of a drawer that may be dedicated only to the scissors and nothing else. Where do you look for those scissors when you needed them? That's where they should be stored. And if you will need scissors in several different places around your home or office, buy 2 or 3 pairs.
Does it take you ages to leave the house on a morning time?
Let me guess, you walk out the door without your briefcase. You then walk out again minus keys. Finally, you head out the door and realize your lunch is sitting on your counter. This is nothing much more poor planning. Take a minute the night before to gather up everything that you need to take with you in the morning. Put it in a designated area near the door so you don't forget it. You can even place a sticky note on the door to remind yourself to get your lunch from the fridge!
Do you need to pay a late payment fee to the bank?
If you had a regular way of handling bills every month, you would not get behind. Set up a tiny filing rack where you place all of your bills as they arrive, in the order in which they are due -- and write the due date on the envelope. Then, schedule in some time each month to pay the bills that are due in the next week or so. Treat your bill-paying time like an arrangement, don't forget to mark it off on the calendar and don't let anything get in the way of implementation that laborious task. If you have to delay paying the bills because you do not have the funds to pay them, then it is time to re-evaluate your spending habbits and adjust them.
Do you ever need to request an extension on your tax return?
For some people, tax day is not April 15th -- it's August 15th! Most folk who file extensions do so because they can't get all of their paperwork together on time. So set up a filing box solely for tax receipts. Break your receipts down into basic categories -- office supplies, charitable donations, medical expenses, travel -- and file any new receipts as soon as you get them if you can. Then, you can hand the entire box over to your CPA. Better yet, set yourself up on a computerized accounting program (like Quicken or Quickbooks) and enter your expenses each month.
Does your life feel as if its out of control?
Many signs of clutter are tangible -- you can see and feel them. But that sense of overwhelming can be ten times more damaging than a stack of unopened mail or a pile of junk in the closet. If you ever feel that you are overlooking something essential, forgetting to do something vital which you will certainly pay for it in the end? Or that you won't ever get caught up, regardless of how hard you try? Or that you are losing your mind because you can't deal with the mess anymore? The first step to curbing these anxieties is to tackle a cluttered drawer or today's pile of mail or a tiny pile of filing. Just putting a dent in the mess can take a great weight off your shoulders -- and sometimes provide you with the motivation you require to dig in deeper. Just realize that "de-cluttering" is a process, and it will take you many small baby steps to reach your goal -- and take pleasure in the satisfaction at completing each step.
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