Let It Go!

Well tis the new year and many of us (not me) start by trying to follow a new regimen. I say why wait til the first of the year. If you are overweight, and it is July, then get out and walk. If you are looking to rid you house of stuff, then have that garage sale. If paper piles are taking over your home, then sit down, and go through them. Will this transformation happen overnight? Absolutely not. But your mess did not get there overnight so do not expect it to get cleared up overnight. Baby steps. People dive in with both feet and then get discouraged when their plan fails. So don't set yourself up to fail. One thing at a time.

There are plenty of sites that can help you over the hump of organizing. And do not think that just because your get some organization in your life that you will now be popping open your daily planner and checking to see what you are supposed to do next. People are under thee impression that with organization comes the loss of spontaneity. Oh so no. It just means you will be able to better find things, know when you can be invited to dinner somewhere, what time appointments are. And hopefully you will learn to be on time if you are someone who is constantly late, and you know who you are.

One that I use to frequent is Fly Lady . Now here is the deal with this site. You sign up for daily Emails...lots of them. They are reminder for you to follow. Like put your shoes away, make your bed and such forth. You scoff now, but once you get into a routine, you will be surprised how automatic decluttering will become. It's just a reconditioning of the brain. For many of us it is just laziness. You may not want to admit it, but if you step back and see the situation it is a form of laziness. 'I don't have time." Well listen here sister. If you have to plop your backside down for an hour reality show then you have time to do some cleaning/decluttering. And before you know it, things will just be automatic and you won't be giving a second thought to what you are doing.

Learning to De-clutter is something that most people know how to do, they just don't implement their knowledge. It's there, we know it, but we seem to be stuck in a hoarding mood. Let it go. You can't take it with you, and just what the heck are you doing with the 1973 edition of Better Homes and Garden. I mean really. Clip the recipe and recycle the magazine or donate it to the library. Give your junk to someone else. Let them deal with the clutter.

Also, clutter breeds critters. And unless you are planning to be an epidemiologist, then I say let the roaches breed elsewhere, not in your home. And that's just the tip of the iceberg on what junk collecting brings into your home.

Then there is the issue of, "Honey, where is that paper from last week?" Heelloo. Read the darned thing, clip what you need and let it hit the recycle bin. Or better yet, use it for cleaning your mirrors. That is what I do.

And how many people do you know are unorganized and successful in their lives. I doubt the Donal Trumps of the world have to walk over a pile of shores. Granted he probably has someone to do it for him, but you get where I am coming from.

I am planning a garage sale in the next week or so, and what does not get sold goes to Goodwill or some other organization that needs our help. And when all is said and done, I feel so liberated when this stuff is gone. I look at my parents who are pack-rats for sure, teetering on hoarders, and I know how I feel when I visit them. And I truly do not want to get like that , or have my children have to come visit me and spend all their time cleaning. That is not their job. So do yourself a favor and take a good look at the 'Stuff' you do keep and ask yourself honestly is it worth it or are you just keeping it for keeping sake.