No matter how cluttered your life has become, there is a way out! Even if you have piles of stuff everywhere you turn, you can gain a small victory, today!
And a small victory is all you need. It’s the next step.
When we look at the whole house or the whole project or our whole career or our whole life, and see ALL that we have to do, we get frustrated.
Don’t do that to yourself today. That will only make you feel worse.
Instead, just pick ONE area that has gotten a little out of control and do something about it.
You probably can’t solve all your problems this week, but you can DEFINITELY gain a small victory over one problem area!
It might be…
- ONE closet.
- ONE room.
- ONE countertop.
- ONE section of the garage.
- ONE car.
- ONE drawer.
- ONE bookshelf.
- ONE page of your email inbox.
- ONE stack of papers.
- you get the idea.
It doesn’t matter how small it is. It just matters that you identify your target and you make progress NOW! You need this little victory.
Pick the area, give yourself an appropriate amount of time (not too much, not too little) and then go to work with these 5 steps:
(Don’t cheat! Commit to the entire process!)
- Put all the clutter in one stack or pile or box. This may seem a bit unnecessary, but it makes a difference. It will help you isolate the task at hand, showing you exactly what you’re working with, and how much progress you’re making along the way.
- Process it from top to bottom, one thing at a time. Don’t allow yourself to set anything aside. Don’t put it down until you make a decision about it.
- Ask yourself, “What is it?” and “What do I need to do about it?”
- Put action items in your calendar. Avoid the temptation to leave the physical item out as a reminder to act on it. That’s part of what got you into this trouble in the first place.
- Put the object where it belongs. Give it a home or trash it or put it in a bag to give away. Don’t put it back in the pile or start a new pile. Go ahead and do it now.
And that’s all it takes. You just process the pile until it’s gone.
If you pick one small area, today, and run the items through this process, you will set yourself in motion in the right direction. Making progress on a small area will give you greater clarity today, and courage to do more as time permits.
That ONE little area may not even be noticed by your friends or family, but you’ll know.
And, if you keep attacking one little area at a time, it will start to add up. The war against clutter is a long one, but it’s made up of tiny little battles.
Go ahead. Get started.