By Sunny Simon
I promised myself once I sent our tax package off to the accountant my next project would be tackling the clutter issue. People who have visited my home and office might tell you there is no clutter. On the surface, counter tops are fairly barren giving off a neat and tidy appearance. The problem lurks behind the surface, in drawers, multiple closets or the garage which I confess is an over-the-top assemblage of articles muddled together in the big boxy room where the car lives.
Except for some books and magazines, I am not a hoarder. I just have a traffic issue. Trying to stay on top of the flow of articles ranging from incoming mail, both hard and soft copy, to environmental friendly dog shampoo, both dry and sudsy, makes my head hurt. Trying to design a systematic, “place for everything and everything in it’s place,” is overwhelming.
I mastered the traffic issue once. It was a simpler time when I was laden with college loan debt, and no disposable income to buy things that make clutter bloom like a creeping Morning Glory vine without the glory.
The funny thing is I love to watch those videos where six rooms morph into an 1100 square foot apartment by utilizing space saving furniture. I am drawn to an efficient lifestyle, and recognize the only way to get there is to simplify. As I gaze around the garage mentally calculating the hours of manual labor ahead, I develop a new mantra: own less, enjoy more.
In addition to ridding my home, office and garage of unending piles of stuff, embracing simplification reaps many intrinsic benefits. According to efficiency experts, streamlining your physical environment impacts your state of mind in a positive way.
Clutter messes with your head. Often thoughts of dealing with an overgrow environment trigger frustration and procrastination. Trying to maintain a semblance of order exhausts precious hours that could be spent on more enjoyable pursuits. Once my clutter is eliminated so will my embarrassment over the state of my closets and garage. I may even feel like a footloose and fancy free kid again. I’ll let you know.
How about it? Ready to echo my mantra and eliminate all the unnecessary stuff in your life? You’ll have more time for yourself, less responsibility and an enhanced view as you gaze around your environment. Let’s make a pact to kick the clutter to the curb together and take control of our space.
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
