The Clutter Campaign: Eliminate Your Excuses

Clutter is dandruff on the shoulders of your room. -Christopher Lowell

"I always seem to have some good excuses for the clutter in my life. I'm too tired, too busy, the kids are doing a project for school. I guess I'll always have clutter and I'll always have excuses." This is what one person reported when we worked together to eliminate the clutter in her home.
So consider some tips for getting past your excuses to create the results you want.

Here are six options for you to explore:

Let go of any excuses today - Recognize that excuses are a form of procrastination. You can be free of those excuses as soon as you act. And the most powerful time to act is now. If you hear your own excuses, reword them into positive action statements. LET GO OF... SAY INSTEAD: I don't have time... I'm taking time today to organize one area; I'm too tired... I get new energy from clearing away clutter; I don't have room for all this stuff... I'm creating systems that handle everything I own; It's not all my stuff... I'm sorting out my areas of responsibility...

Recognize your right to claim this freedom - you deserve to live and work in a place that supports your dreams and directions. When your setting matches your needs, you will be happier, healthier, more focused, relaxed and energetic. How will this setting influence the results you need to produce?

Embrace your opportunity and responsibility to affect your environment - not only do you deserve this ideal setting, you have the power to affect the area around you. Whether you need to be creative in hanging a false window in a work cubicle, or you need to be as ordinary as cleaning the bathroom that others have neglected, it is within your power to make a difference where you are right now. And since that power is available to you, and since it can make a difference in how you live and work, are you irresponsible to ignore that opportunity

Banish guilt, fear, and resentment: you feel guilty throwing away certain items because they were gifts from people you care about; you are afraid to get rid of other items because you might need them again one day; you resent having to store certain items because relatives or friends are imposing on you. What would you do with these items if guilt, fear or resentment were not in the equation? What if these were pure choices and all you needed to ask yourself was, "Does this item add to or subtract from my feeling the way I want to feel about the place I live or work?"

Tap your natural source of organizing energy. Some of us find unexpected energy when getting our home ready for a visit from a special guest. Some find energy when going on a cleaning binge periodically. Some love the schedule of completing tasks on a regular, rotating basis. Some work best when enlisting the help of one or two friends on an ambitious project. You have one method that works best for you. Think back on all the approaches you have followed, from childhood to today, and ask yourself when you felt most productive and accomplished. When did you surprise yourself with satisfying results? What can you learn from those experiences?

Observe the successes of others - you are not alone. So if there are millions of people out there facing the same challenges you face, what solutions have they found? Who do you know who manages to keep the family areas of their house looking good in spite of kids, pets, hobbies and active family enjoyment? Who gets through the holidays smoothly without a giant flutter of shopping, gifts and entertaining to drain away their true reverence and spirit? If someone else has a good idea, how can you adapt that approach for your life?

As long as you have excuses, you'll have clutter. As long as you have clutter, you'll have excuses. Isn't it time to let go of both?