Step away from the sale rack.

Oh, it's tempting, I know.
Prices reduced by 10, 20, 50%.
How can you pass up such a great deal?

But before you grab that bargain
and make your way to the checkout, ask yourself:
"How is this one better than the one I already have at home?"
"Where will this live?"
"Is this what I came to the store to purchase?"
"Is this something I need, or merely want?"
"If it weren't on sale, would I even be considering it?"
"How many is enough?"

One of the best ways to prevent your home from being cluttered and disorganized is to 

make conscious decisions about what you bring home.
Practice the One in, One Out rule.

No matter how much and item is marked down,
how much money you save buy buying it on sale;
if you don't need it and it is only going to become clutter-
You paid 100% too much!

Become aware of the sources and costs of your clutter.        

Use what you have.

It is easy to think if only I had the perfect __________ then I could organize my ___________.
If I could just find the right ______________ then I could keep track of my ______________.

Often we write things down but then can't find 

the paper once we want it.
Or we make a list that gets misplaced or forgotten.
Or we have random notes and receipts left here and there 

all over the house.

Sometimes the solution is closer at hand than you may think.
If not literally in your hand, then certainly within reach; your phone.

Although there are hundreds of apps, you can use the basic Notes/Lists feature.

For example, in Notes I have a list for Fred Meyer and Trader Joes.
That way I always have my shopping list with me.
When someone mentions a book I might like to read, 

I add the title to my Books note.
Same with Movies.
If I see an idea for an art project, 

or I get an idea for a blog post; it goes under Ideas.
Restaurants I want to try?  Restaurants.
You can be as specific or as vague as suits your needs.

A receipt you think you may need in the future?  

Take a quick picture of it.

You can easily delete or trash items once they are 

no longer needed or relevant.

Why write things on a piece of paper, 

if later you can't find the paper
or you end up entering it in your phone anyway?
(A chance to practice the Two Minute or Less Rule)

If you are looking for more ways to find/search/organize/share your notes,
Evernote or Google Keep are great options.

Changing the habit of writing things on a scrap of paper,
adding items to the grocery list on the fridge, or
stuffing receipts into your purse or pocket
takes time, but
I think helps uncluttered your life.

Where else in your home and life can you
Use What You Have?

Letting go

But when we really delve into the reason for why we can’t let something go, there are only two:
An attachment to the past or a fear for the future.  Marie Kondo

How much room in your current life do you want to fill with items from your past?
How does being afraid of the future serve the life you currently want to be creating?

Is letting go easy?
Not always.
However, holding onto things we no longer need, use or value doesn't simplify our lives.
And anxiety or worry about what may happen in the future
keeps us from being present with the abundance we now enjoy.

Practice letting go.
Of clothes that don't fit.
Books you'll never read.
Household items you no longer use.
Sports equipment you don't play with.
Thoughts about situations out of your control.

Be present to the life you have now,
have it reflect who and what are your most heartfelt desires.

Your life.
Your choices.

Invisible clutter

The visual clutter is usually obvious.
(Unless you've gotten to the point where you don't see it, or just ignore what you do see....)

There is also invisible clutter.
One type is mental clutter.
The plans, the fretting, the worries, the replay of conversations,
the trying not to forgets, the I'll get to in a minutes.

You know it is effective to spend ten minutes
sorting and decluttering a shelf or drawer.
Ten minutes of mental decluttering can have powerful results also.

A simple way to do this is to grab a pice of paper,
set a timer for ten minutes and do a brain dump.
List everything you've been worrying about,
planning, dreading, meaning to get to, hoping to find time for, etc.
Don't edit, censor or worry about spelling.

Keep writing until the time is up.
(You may be surprised what comes up after the initial few minutes)

Just getting it all out of your head is a relief.
You'll open up a bit of mental breathing room.
And will ease the tension and some anxiety.

Now go back over the list and figure out:
What's important with regard to the life you want to be living?
What can you can let go?

See if there are things
you can take care of with a phone call, an email or text.
Perhaps there are items you can add to a project list.
Or you can delegate to someone else.

Sometimes just the act of writing things down is freeing enough.
Or gives you perspective on how important or silly some of your thoughts and worries may be.
And helps you see your true priorities.

It's important to have our physical spaces organized so
we can access what we need when we need it.
Making sure we have mental space available is just as necessary for us to be able to make good decisions and use our time and energy wisely.