For many of us the clutter in our lives is like white noise. It surrounds us, invading our personal space. There is no escape. Every room in the house is the same and we have let it overwhelm us. We need to be better organised.
We think enviably of those few very efficient people we know. Somehow they manage to fit in everything. How they do and still seem happy and sane is a mystery to us. We are rushed off our feet and late for appointments. We forget to pay bills and take back library books. We are constantly late with assignments and have to forgo pleasurable activities to keep up.
Life, it seems, to a great many people, is a constant state of chaos. The bizarre thing is this state of being is not in the least bit enjoyable or relaxing. Yet becoming that other organised person seems an insurmountable task. We do not know where to begin
We even laugh at the premise that there is a connection between organisation and happiness. Cynically, we write off those who are well organised as lacking something better do with their lives. They are clearly trying to compensate for the lack of something else. Yet when we visit their house or perhaps see their office desk there is something that nags at us.
Privately, we wish things could be that simple and clear. The truth is, our own rattled, exhausted and distracted state is the proof. It is a direct result of the disorganisation and chaos in our life. There is a direct link between organisation and productivity. There is a connection too between the clutter of our lives and all the goals we want to achieve.
Freeing ourselves from clutter will have an immediate effect on our lives. We will feel calmer and more relaxed. We will know where everything is. We will find ourselves being more productive. We will be more effective in the things that we do. We will feel more creative and spontaneous. There will be an increase in our vitality and at the same time we will feel calmer and more ordered.
There is no doubt of the very real direct link that exists between the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves. If one is out of balance, the rest suffer. Most of the things we can readily change are the physical ones in front of us. That means the clutter that we have allowed to build up around us. It overflows in our desks, places of work and in our wardrobes, kitchens and living spaces. It stuffs up our closets but our bedrooms and places of relaxation. It overflows out into the yard, clogs up our passageways and follows a trail down the basement and garage. We need to free ourselves. This stuff has to go.
Many of us can see the benefit here. We can appreciate the logic and the reasoning. Yet we still persist in thinking that there is some fundamental chemistry that separates us from the 'super beings' who manage to live, exist and even flourish in clean, tidy and ordered spaces.
The truth is there is no difference and you can be that person. We simply need to let go of all that 'stuff'. We know the logic we understand the science, but still we put off starting. There is an aspect of us that says, 'This might come in handy some day'. We really need to get a grip.
Deep down, this has no basis in reality. It is nothing more than a deep seated insecurity This is just a feeble excuse not to get started. We need to understand that insecurity for what it is. These people are closely related to the 'sentimentalists'. They hang onto every artefact from labels, newspapers, letters, to every picture their child has drawn. Not that these are stacked away somewhere special, they are often found stuffed in every available space.
Ask yourself what is important. Is it the past or the future? These artefacts need sorting out ruthlessly. Often such collections can be radically reduced, by simply saving the best or by 'scrap booking'. There are those who procrastinate, often thinking themselves as perfectionists not wanting to begin until tomorrow, or until they posses some as yet unidentified method of organisation. "I'll deal with that tomorrow," applies to dishes in the sink, housework in general, the clutter in the yard. The bad news for these types is that tomorrow has never got any more time than today. In fact it has less, as you will have lost today.
The best remedy is to begin now. 'Never put off until tomorrow the things you could do today', is a wise saying. 'Do it now,' boils it down a little further. The best remedy is action and we need to begin. Sure, you'd rather be doing something else but if you walk away now you will lose the day. It is a day that will never return and it will be lost to you forever.
Reschedule what you have planned. Better still make it a reward. Tackle this clutter, mess, heap of correspondence, one item at a time. Don't sit there not knowing where to start. Make out a list. It will the first of many, but already you will be freeing up your mind. Prioritise, that is work our what needs doing first, second and so on. Now choose where to start.
You are going to have to be ruthless. In your kitchen, in your office, at your desk and in your attic, things are going to have to go. Why? Because you need the space to relax and grow and finally start following your dreams.
This is not an exercise in punishment. It is one in liberation. Start a filing system, sort out those spices, go through that top drawer. Do you really need it? A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used it in a year, probably not. Don't want to throw it away? Instead of trashing it, why not recycle it? Think about what you could donate to the thrift shop/Red Cross/Salvation Army. Be ruthless, but in doing so you will be doing yourself a great kindness.
The truth is people who are organised have more time. They achieve more with that time. You can achieve far more if you are organised. It frees up other areas of your life. That means you have more time to spend on more rewarding tasks. You will need to devise a system, but think about this. The system you devise to keep things in order is a tool created by you, to free you. It is there to serve you, and not the other way around.
Organisation is a lifestyle choice. You do not stop when the sorting out is done. It is something that needs to be followed through. Otherwise the piles simply start to build up again. Create a filing system, have a place for bills, all the time be asking what can I deal with now? Once it is dealt with, it is gone. Leave it or ignore it and it begins to eat up space inside you.
Too much to deal with? Write it down, and prevent it from clogging up your head. Keep all your papers in a designated place. If you don't need it, recycle it, trash it or give it away. Start to use proven tools for organisation such as calendars, and filing systems. Tidy up your computer each day. Start to put things back exactly where you got them from. Encourage everyone who shares your space to do the same.
Organisation is not expensive, but THIS clutter is costing your dearly. Good organisation has underpinned all great enterprises from armies to industries. Organisation gets things done. It gives you time and the energy to do the really important things in life. Time is life, it is also a major irreversible resource. To waste time is to waste your life.
You simply must decide what you want from it and set your personal goals down. Do this for the short term, medium term and ultimately the long term. Getting organised will be your first objective and clearing the clutter is where you begin.
Cut the clutter - get organized
Cut the clutter, be organised
Throw out the rubbish and see
How much more you're able to do
How much happier you can be.
If you're on top of things
Life feels so very much better
Do you really need to hang on
To those old clothes and that old letter?
Clearing the decks for action
Is a naval saying, the attraction
Is that if you do, you will survive
By having room to shoot you'll stay alive
So clean up your act , de-clutter, get rid
And I guarantee you'll be glad that you did.
Cut the clutter, be organised
Throw out the rubbish and see
How much more you're able to do
How much happier you can be.
If you're on top of things
Life feels so very much better
Do you really need to hang on
To those old clothes and that old letter?
Clearing the decks for action
Is a naval saying, the attraction
Is that if you do, you will survive
By having room to shoot you'll stay alive
So clean up your act , de-clutter, get rid
And I guarantee you'll be glad that you did.