Putting Away Things in Present Time

This looks like a child's room, but it might be the catch all room.
The point is that most people who deal with clutter have had a
room that was a frustration and a mess.  Did you know
there was a study done on how having
too many toys in an area is frustrating for  children?
This makes them feel overwhelmed and depressed.  If
this bothers children, what do you think it does to grownups,
especially an adult that is dealing with chronic illness.  Yep!
It is overwhelming for her too.  
Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are you putting up things in your house as you go along?  For the past month, I have been making a concentrated effort to do this as I clean up my messes.

I tend to be a piler:  here a stack, there a stack.  Sometimes, it isn't even stacked.  Sometimes, my stuff is strewn.  For instance, I had a hamper full of things I needed to go through.  I have some of those hampers that can be squished flat for storage, and they work well for cleaning up clutter:  put up, throw away, and give away.  I have also used one for a quick clean up, when I ran out of time.

Image courtesy of sattva - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The truth is that I hate going through stuff I have thrown into a hamper or box for a quick clean up.  Sure, it seems efficient when you are in a bind, but getting to it later is hard.  You have to very disciplined in that area or learn to do the first time.

Do it the first time.  What do I mean by do it the first time?  If you get it out, put it up when you are done.  If you come home and you have brought in a couple of bags of things from the store, hang them up and put them in the cupboards.  If you bring in a newspaper, read it and recycle it.  If you have mail, go through it when you bring it in.

Even when your house is a cluttered challenge to be worked on, you can learn to put up things the first time.  This means you will not pile mess on top of mess.  This is one of the ways we become more unorganized and lose things.  Believe me I know.  When you pile stuff on a table or chair, you forget where you put things, because you cover them up.  I am not fussing at you, because I am guilty of this as anyone.

When I visit someone, I always do better in the areas I am talking about.  Do you notice this is the case for you?  Is it because we are more relaxed in our own homes;  or, maybe it is because we get caught up in other things as we come in the house or we are working on a project.  We are interrupted by other family members, our own immediate needs, the phone ringing, or time schedules.

Image courtesy of photostock - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Maybe, you think it is impossible to change.  I simply refuse to believe that. Habits can be changed with baby steps.  Take small steps in the right direction everyday.  If you have a glitch or backslide in an area, work it again.  Actually, working this way can be quite methodical and organized.

Are you living in a mess now?  Spend a little time every day working on one area.  While you work on your messy areas, put things up as you go along in your daily life.  This is so much easier than letting things pile up in little stacks all over the house.  Also, I cannot emphasize enough the need to get rid of the things that are not useful and beautiful in your lives.  If you make the effort to get rid of the clutter, it actually gets easier.  Try it, you might like it.

Hugs, Deborah