 Along with the first flowering buds of Spring we see each year, the other quintessential harbinger of the season is the inordinate number of magazines which broadcast cleaning and organizing tips. That's what got me thinking about decluttering. After all, it's decluttering that makes cleaning - and organizing - possible. First, some definitions: Cleaning and Organizing are different - VERY different! Cleaning is about removing dirt, grease, grime and rubbish. It's about polishing, scrubbing, washing, dusting, mopping, scouring (you get the idea). It's next to impossible to clean surfaces, vacuum floors when they're covered with clutter. Organizing, on the other hand, is about putting things together in an orderly, functional and structured way. It's about setting up systems and grouping like-items with like-items. It's what makes daily life more manageable. And while cleaning and organizing are very different, they're both important and both require decluttering! Have you ever felt exhausted just looking at a room in your home? You want to clean, but there's too much stuff - stacks of papers, clothes, mugs, random objects and detritus of years gone by? The more you think about cleaning, the more exhausted you become, while dust- and more things- pile up. The job looms larger and larger in your mind, until you get to the point where you just can't stand it another second. But what do you first? Do you clean? Do you organize? YOU DECLUTTER! Start by removing the things that no longer have value in your life (clothes that don't fit, outdated papers, objects you no longer care for). Here's the interesting thing. By ridding a room of clutter, you're actually changing the energy in the room. And since, in my opinion, clutter is toxic, you're removing the largest, singlemost impediment that's standing in the way of cleaning. Once I've eliminated my own clutter, it always amazes me to see how energized I feel....so much so that I want to break out the Swiffer and get everything sparkly clean. One of my favorite products to help me declutter is the  collapsible mesh cube from the Container Store (also good for storing toys or moving things from room to room). I keep a couple tucked away in the closet because they take up almost no space at all. Nothing is more immediately visible and gratifying than a clean and organized home and office. So go forth, Dear Readers, and Spring Declutter........I guarantee it'll put a spring in your step and give you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. 'Til next time, be well, be safe, be organized - xxx's, Nancy |
