Look around.

Take a long slow look around your house.
All that clutter?
It used to be money.

Sigh..........

Those decisions have been made.
If you want different results;

make different choices.
One at a time.

Out of your head

Saying things out loud can be powerful.
And illuminating.
And helpful.
And funny.

Voicing why you're keeping something often
helps you realize you don't really need it any longer.
Putting into words the value you've attached to an item
helps you determine what it's worth in the life you lead now.
Saying out loud what has only been a vague rumbling in the back of your mind
lowers the power of an object.

The next time you're decision challenged,
say out loud (even if you're all alone) your why,
your justification, your reasonings and see if
your perspective shifts and there is clarity.

Maybe you'll decide to keep the item,
perhaps you'll see it's time to let it go.

Be okay with whichever decision you make.
Move on.

What are you waiting for?

The perfect containers?
A bigger closet?
Losing ten pounds?
The beginning of a new month?
More money?
More time?

Stop letting perfection,
or a different place
or a new you,
or a bigger pile of money
keep you from have a less cluttered,
more organized life.

Start where you are with what you have.

Spend ten minutes today sorting one shelf.
Clearing out one drawer.
Dealing with today's mail.

Do you need it?
Does it live here or somewhere else?
Donate?  Recycle?  Trash?

What remains store like with like.
The things you use most often
get best access.

If eventually you find perfect containers,
have a bigger closet, lose ten pounds,
or have more money; you will already
be organized and all that will just
be a bonus.

Even a small step in the right direction is movement.

Better.....

Owning less
is better than
organizing more.

Action!

I found this quote on the Tiny Buddha site, http://tinybuddha.com
“Turn your focus from something don’t want to something you do want. This allows you to shift your energy from complaining to taking action.”

This suggestion can apply in many areas of our lives and especially when it comes to dealing with clutter.
By not getting caught in the endless and berating stories of
“My house is such a disaster, I’m so disorganized, and the kid’s rooms are a mess.”

Begin to articulate what it is you do want.
Find my keys when I need them, sit at the table and have dinner as a family, have the kid’s rooms be reasonably tidy. 

Stop using your thoughts and energy to complain, and start taking action.

Bemoaning your lack of organization isn’t helpful-to you or the situation. Designating a specific place for your keys to live and putting them there every time you come home,
is a positive action, and good use of your energy.
Setting up a place to deal with the mail, (instead of piling it on the table), is a specific action that will leave the table clear for family dining.
Spending ten minutes before bed helping your kids put away their toys is an action that will lead to their rooms being reasonably tidy.

Choose one spot in our house that you feel is ‘cluttered’.
Think of three actions you could take to clear the space.
Small, easy actions: Toss a paper into recycle, take something to the other room where it has a home, throw something away. 


Use your energy to act.
See the results.......

Give up on yourself

"Give up on yourself. 
Begin taking action now, while being neurotic or imperfect, or a procrastinator, or unhealthy, or lazy, or any other label by which you inaccurately describe yourself.
Go ahead and be the best imperfect person you can be and get started on those things you want to accomplish before you die."   Shoma Morita

One breath

Right here, right now, take one slow in breath.
Slowly let that one breath out.

Just for this moment, let go of your mental list:
The shoulds,
could haves,
and if only.
Why don't I?
Why didn't they?
It's not enough.
It's all too much.
I'm overwhelmed.
I'm under acknowledged.
I'm unworthy.
I need.
They want.
Where should I start?
How can I stop?

Put down the stick you use to beat yourself up.
Lower the bar you never seem to meet.

Practice letting go.
(And trust me, it is a practice........)

See if in your breath you can find a tiny bit of space
just to be right here.
And have that be enough.

Because letting go of even a tiny bit of the mental clutter
is how you practice letting go of the other clutter in your life.