You know one of them or maybe more: Their counters have no boxes of Cheerios and four different coffee containers. Their floors are spotless. Their desks have only a single sheet of paper and a pen on the surface. And, worst of all, there are no stacks of junk mail on every tabletop or baskets of unfolded laundry hurriedly stashed in closets when unexpected guests arrive.
Here’s an important story from my life:
Twenty-two years ago, when we first looked at the house that was to become our home, we were stunned by the glorious mountain view, the huge deck, the rustic cedar siding. We knew immediately it was our long-sought home.
What didn’t impress us was the clutter: Every tabletop had stacks of sweaters, folded towels, magazines and unsorted mail. It wasn’t dirty, but it was patently obvious that there was not enough storage space in this house.
I understood why the house had been on the market for three years. I also knew this house was waiting for us. Fortunately, I have good visualization skills. The sellers’ lack of imagination in creating storage space helped us get a really reasonable price for the home of our dreams. After spending a few hours drawing up floor plans, I could easily see where storage would be added.
That’s all history. I freely admit that I am a storage nut. And yes, my storage stays pretty clear almost all of the time. I’m not a fanatic, I just resent having to spend time repeating my organizational efforts again and again.
I’m a devotee of Marie Kondo, although I think she goes too far on some things—especially on books. I mean, realty? Why should we ever restrict the numbers of books we have? I know. You’re asking why we should restrict numbers of shoes or wine glasses. It’s up to you. Whatever you love or need, keep. If you don’t love it or need it, don’t keep it.
Then there’s the day-to-day. Once you get organized, stay organized.
Just by observing over the years, I’ve discovered that people who live in relatively minimal clutter have some things in common.
They are constantly “tidying up,” putting junk mail in the recycling bin, deciding which of the kids’ artwork is worth keeping, donating unneeded or outgrown pieces of clothing.
They put things back where they belong.
Clean as you cook and don’t let the sun go down on dirty dishes.
Fifteen minutes projects.
Constantly tidying up: I didn’t realize this until I saw this is a decluttering book that I automatically do this. It’s not at all onerous. If there are spouses, kids or others in the house, enroll them in this simple project. (Good luck with that. My dear husband won’t co-operate. His office door stays closed at all times because it is a complete wreck. His problem, not mine, although I have threatened to “help him out” if he goes out of town.) I probably spend five minutes a day, sorting through mail, putting junk mail in the recycling and things I need (like bills) in my office. I sweep past the counters and return things that have migrated there during the day back to their rightful places. Pick up stray shoes and go to bed. On the occasions this doesn’t happen, I find I have difficulty going to sleep. OK. You can call me OCD. It’s just a fact.
Put things back where they belong: Which would you rather do: Spend five extra minutes at the end of a tiring day putting things back where they came from or spending half a day re-organizing everything when you couldn’t the find missing hammer for the umpteenth time? That’s a no-brainer. It’s amazing how many screws can accumulate from a simple Saturday afternoon project or how many half-empty seed packets can wander around the garden shed after the first spring planting. It’s worth that last little bit of energy.
Clean as you cook: It’s simple to wipe down the counters, rinse the prep tools, scrub down cutting boards and put them away or in the dishwasher while the chicken is in the oven or you’re waiting for the pasta water to boil. That makes after dinner cleanup a breeze so you never have to let the sun go down on dirty dishes. All the kitchen cleanup person has to do is rinse the dinner dishes and place them in the dishwasher. Boom. Another quick hack: Cook ahead. I always cook at least enough for two meals so there is an easy to heat up meal on nights when we get home late.
Fifteen-minute projects: Is your office a nightmare? Your closet clogged with who-knows-what because you can’t even find the floor? Does the thought of straightening it all out make you want to jump into bed and cover up your head? It makes me think of the adage: How do you eat an elephant? The answer: One bite at a time! So make a commitment you will spend 15 minutes on clean up every day. In 15 minutes, you can probably clean out a drawer or sort a pile of papers.
Don’t keep things you don’t need: I know, this really goes to the core of decluttering, but it never hurts to revisit your closet or your office and ask if you really need or love something. If you don’t say goodbye. This include clothes that no longer fit or that favorite T-shirt that has an indelible grease stain or the scripts from a play you were in ten years ago. Say goodbye. You’ll feel better.
You know one of them or maybe more: Their counters have no boxes of Cheerios and four different coffee containers. Their floors are spotless. Their desks have only a single sheet of paper and a pen on the surface. And, worst of all, there are no stacks of junk mail on every tabletop or baskets of unfolded laundry hurriedly stashed in closets when unexpected guests arrive.
