Fast Clearing

I was going through a stack of clippings I’d collected when I came across a piece of paper on which I’d typed, “Clutter and unused possessions violate the Law of Use.” I don’t recall where I found it—did I read it? hear it? Googling didn’t help. Oh well.

The phrase itself—the paper it was on, that is—was fast becoming an example of clutter. I wasn’t using it, since it was tucked away in a pile, not easily seen. But I’d been keeping the piece of paper in my little stack because I was afraid I’d forget the phrase, which I found interesting. (Classic reason for cluttering ourselves up, by the way: fear of something or other, but that’s another subject.)

This is how clutter starts: we collect something that seems useful, and then neglect to use it. It could be due to lack of time, or the lack of a “home” for the item, or just that we’ve collected too many things already to deal with any more. We have our priorities: things like work, childcare, eating, exercise—going through those old boxes we’ve been meaning to is so very easy to justify putting off. But aren’t I neglecting some part of myself if I don’t attend to this small piece of paper with a little quote on it? Just because this bit of paper isn’t BIG, it still occupies the same amount of space in my brain’s “to-do” list. Think of your computers, and all that e-data that keeps coming in. It’s invisible when you’re away from your computer, but it’s still there, waiting to be sorted or filed. Eek!

Sometimes, dealing with a tiny scrap of paper gives us just the boost of self-esteem we need in order to take the bigger steps to a clearer, simpler life. It represents a successful decision made, and this is where clutter-keepers need all the confidence they can get. Early in life they likely adopted the belief (probably it was pushed upon them) that they were bad decision makers, or perhaps they were not allowed to make their own decisions and so they never learned how. If that is you, please realize that you CAN learn to make decisions now, and make good decisions. Sitting down to sort through a pile of “unused” items is a good decision. Deciding to do it as slowly as you need to is a good decision, too. Handle each item one at a time until you can make a decision about it—don’t go on to the next until you’re done!

Get one thing now, that you’ve been undecided about. Something easy. A jar of extra pens. A book, maybe. Go get it! Now sit here with it. If it’s a book you haven’t read, why haven’t you read this book? How does it make you feel? Do you want to get rid of it? Will you? What will you do with it, and what is the next step? Put it in the Goodwill box? Put it on your nightstand so that you will remember to read a little each night? How do you feel about this decision? Have you decided? Okay—good.

There—feel that energy? The decision’s been made about that item, and that feels good. It’s done. That’s what it feels like to use your power to decide.

Every year on my birthday—which is back in September—I like to do a little review of the past year and see if I’m on track with my Life’s Goals. But this year, when I sat down to think about my goal progress, knowing I’m approaching my 40′s, my head started to swim with so many projects, tasks-to-do and goals that I realized that going forward, I NEEDED A NEW SYSTEM!

So: I’ve been reading a book called To Do, Doing, Done! A Creative Approach to Managing Projects & Effectively Finishing What Matters Most, by G. Lynne Snead & Joyce Wycoff. The book’s techniques are based on the Franklin Quest “Planning for Results” seminar. You’ve probably heard of the Franklin Quest system, and maybe even bought one of those expensive day planners just to find you never used it. (Yes, I’m guilty of that. In fact, I might have even done it twice for good measure.)

It is easy to walk into an Office Depot, buy one of those mahogany brown or shiny black day planners and think it will solve your problems: “It’s leather, surely that’ll keep me organized!” But buying more stuff before you even know what you need is never the answer. That’s a very good way to end up with clutter!

TIMESAVING TIP: First, Build Your Canoe, THEN Launch it Onto The River!

The catch to all those fancy day planners out there is that they depend on a system of use that doesn’t come naturally to everyone. For some, that system really requires a bit of training in order to understand it and make it work. And the problem with the system is, if you are creative like me, soon you’ll want to have your OWN forms that work for YOU, or at least want to be able to customize the existing ones.

My birthday present to myself this year is just that: a customized-by-me day planner, with a much better understanding of how to use it, thanks to the book I mentioned above. I am on the last couple of chapters, and all along I’ve been reviewing my life values, my long term goals, my intermediate goals & projects and my tasks. I’ve been creating forms in Excel and Word that include a daily sheet, project sheets, calendar pages and timelines. These all fit into a single binder! Also in the binder is a password “one-sheet.” Last but not least, I am in the process of coordinating and mapping this system with both my paper files and my online files.

I’m very pleased with my birthday gift to myself, and look forward—soon—to having my life’s art, writing, business and a whole bunch of miscellaneous projects and tasks under my control again! Next year on my birthday, I will see all my progress. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself! After all, I want to have fun and satisfaction while ON the journey toward the destination, not just “get somewhere.”

As your life evolves, remember that every once in a while, you need to pull your canoe out of the water, check it for holes and think about whether it will carry you through the next stretch of rapids. Sometimes, you find your life has grown so much that you need to switch your canoe out for another vessel altogether. If you have to do that, sure, you’ll be ashore for a little while, and that might feel frustrating or even like a waste of time. But once you’re back on the water, you’ll be glad you took that time to prepare when you find how easily you’re staying afloat! No need to stop for repairs. Just enjoy that sunny day. Hey, you even remembered to pack sunscreen! Ahhhhhh! Now, that’s the life!

Welcome, declutterers–past, present & future!

As I’ve partnered with people to create the look & especially feel of their dreams within their homes, I’ve discovered that often, one person’s very specific problems will lead me to come up with solutions on-the-fly that many more people could benefit from knowing.

Clutter clearing, and the feng shui work that I do, is very creative work—Art Work, if you will—meaning it is tailored to fit YOU and your unique situation. But when I do arrive at these Awesome Solutions and Timesaving Ideas, I want to share them with as many people as possible. And that’s what this online site is for, so please bookmark this link or subscribe to the RSS feed. This is where I’ll be periodically posting the great ideas that come to me and my clients as we process through junk and blocked space together. New ideas are constantly being generated with each new clearing episode & experience!

If you need a partner to assist you in clearing your space of old stuff and stagnant energy in order to create your own Zen Haven or Pretty Palace or Castle of Creativity or Family Funhouse (the options are unlimited!), please contact me about my availability and rates.

TIMESAVING TIP: The “In Case Of Loss Or Theft Call List”

Yesterday I was chatting with my mother, who is one of the first people to recognize & nurture my love of organizing. My freshman year of college, she even signed us up for a DeCluttering seminar & workshop that we attended together! My mom is a very creative person, and she is constantly coming up with organizing ideas. Recently, she needed to travel 10 hours by car to stay with her brother in another state while he recovered from eye surgery. In the hours prior to the trip she realized she’d never gotten around to making that emergency list with credit card account information & numbers to call in case of a lost card—you know that list, the one you keep hearing you should create, but, like so many people, haven’t gotten around to. What my mom ended up doing is brilliant, quick and easy, and perfect for very visual folks like myself!

Simply place all your cards (credit cards, driver’s license, Zipcar card, etc.) side by side on the copy machine, and photocopy. Turn the cards over and copy the other side. Put this “one-sheet” in a sheet protector or cover with clear contact paper and—done!—you have your list.

Oh–IF YOU DO NOT have a copy machine & are going to a copy center or your local library to make your copies, I recommend scotch-taping your cards to a sheet before you go in order to prevent, well, the very loss we’re hoping to avoid! Make your copy, and, voila! A finished list. 

Now, where to keep that list (binder, file cabinet, etc) is a topic for another day, ha!

*Note: You can also scan the sheet into your computer to store as a digital copy.