Changing Your Mindset
I knew I had to get organized when I hit bottom—literally—by sitting on a piece of buttered toast on a dish I’d set on a chair to get it out of the way, off the top of my dining room table.
That’s where I should have placed the toast, but didn’t because the table had become home to small mountains of papers, clothes, and other things used but not put away.
If you’re like many of us and need to get organized to know exactly where your car keys are before leaving for that meeting (for which you’re already late), or don’t like the sound of crunching glass as you walk over papers or clothes on your bedroom floor, perhaps these virtually painless ideas will help you clear the clutter and be better organized at home by first looking at your mindset.
1. Make a list of why you want to be more organized. I know this may seem like a tedious process, but the list only needs to be as long as you want to make it. Do you want to be able to pluck something from a file just when you need it? Would you like to have friends or family be able to actually walk on carpet, not last year’s tax receipts, when they visit? Post the list where you’ll see it often, as a motivator.
2. Make a Rewards List. Make this a fun one. What are some things you’d really like to use to treat yourself after you’ve taken a bag of no longer needed items to be donated or going through a section of clothes wedged tightly in your closet and removing some shirts that are too old, or too stained? The rewards could be as simple as having some tea and delving into the next chapter of the novel you’re reading, or something a little more expensive like getting a full body massage from that great masseuse you’ve heard so much about.
3. “No Unnecessary Buying” If you adopt this mental reminder, you’ll bring a lot fewer things into your home that you’ll have to find a place for later.
4. “Paper Diet” This means any unnecessary paper does not come home with you. As with the previous suggestion, you’ll find you have fewer papers to deal with.
5. “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” If that’s been your conscious or subconscious motto and justification for keeping everything where you can see it, try switching to a positive phrase that reflects your new attitude and reminds you about clearing the clutter and uncovering more space.
6. Use Visual Cues. This may seem in direct conflict with the previous suggestion, but it isn’t. These could be small reminder notes posted in a few critical places where you’ll see them throughout the day. For example, the notes could say, “No Unnecessary Buying,” or “Paper Diet,” and one of each could even be posted in your car. Another note could have the universal sign for “no parking” on it.
7. If you feel overwhelmed by any item on the above list, know that this feeling is normal. Don’t be afraid to take one thing on the list at a time and make changes slowly.
One thing to remember is that you have to want an uncluttered home or apartment because you want it that way. A spouse’s or friend’s cutting comments or rude remarks may be enough for you to begin the decluttering process, but you may end up resenting them and the organizing. Whether you’ve hit your “bottom” regarding organizing, or are just tired of the clutter and lack of usable space in your home or apartment, you may find it’s time to change your mindset.
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