Today we are going to talk about cleaning out the clutter. The clutter in our minds, and our homes and spaces often is keeping us from taking action. It paralyzes us from being able to move forward by trapping us right where we are. If you want to be more productive & have time to do the things you want to do in your life you MUST clean out the clutter.

I have talked about this before, and I truly believe it. Clutter = Chaos. This is true in the mind, home and business. I know that for me when things are piling up around me I cannot think straight. Anyone else out there feel me? When my spaces are organized I am calmer. I know where everything is and I don’t  waste time tearing the place apart looking for stuff. I am sure any busy family can relate to this, since everyone is always asking where is this or where is that? Well today I am going to give you 3 steps that will help you clean out the clutter without the overwhelm. This is what I have been using to clean out all the clutter in my mind and in my house and businesses!

I used to do awful things like completely tear apart the kitchen or a closet or an entire room, only to get half way through it and just want to cry. All or nothing mentality. It would take me months or years to do it again, but it was always on my list… & that list would grow and grow. The daunting tasks would loom in my mind and clutter up my thoughts. I realized something had to give or I would end up in a home for the special crazy people that try to do everything all at once and lose their minds in the process. I didn’t have the time or the energy to tear apart my life to get order out of chaos. I was just surviving in the chaos but barely. This was not the way to handle things, in constant overwhelm and just plain tired!

I had to make some changes and to learn some new habits since my life was getting busier and busier.  One thing is that I LOVE crossing things off my list. I actually sometimes write lists just so I can cross off every single thing I can actually accomplish. Ridiculous? I know! However, I also realized that I really didn’t have to be the ALL-or-NOTHING-girl. I could be the chisel-at-it-in-small-controllable-amounts-so-I-can-finish-it-girl, too! Whew, now that’s an impressive title! So, I started making tiny lists –things I could really get done without wanting to have a nervous break down.

1- Make a list of EVERYTHING you need to clean out. Brain dump if you will. Get it all out of there and onto paper, trust me it will help! Now don’t go looking at all that and freak out, just take a deep breath and calm down, stay with me!

2- Break the list down into organized sections that are broken up into smaller completable tasks. Take a few of the tasks and prioritize them (I prioritize these by what is driving me the most insane) List the top 10 things to get done this week and then break them up into 3 tasks a day so it gives you the whole week and some free days!

3- Follow the 3 bag rule. What is the 3 bag rule? Well its super simple! I hear the same story all the time, all day long at my shop.  Everyone complaining their closet is too full, and needing to be cleaned out but they just DONT HAVE TIME. Uh, yes you do. You really do. Take  three garbage bags in your closet. I use the giant black ones because I am a total over achiever. Ha! And even if you have the time to rip the closet to shreds and go crazy… DON’T PANIC. Just fill the three garbage bags. Stuff them full, whatever you need to do, but only do three. Get them out of there! Take them to the car so you can donate, or consign…anything.  Now you can cross that off your list! It really gives you such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

You can do this fairly quickly and it does not overwhelm you. But, it clears out a lot of junk that you don’t need, and then you free up brain cells that can be used for much better things like enjoying life!

Apply this rule to anything, like the kitchen, for example. One day, i just did the pantry while my hubby was playing golf. Three bags of all his junk food… Ridding our house of a little bit of junk that day was super satisfying, and low and behold, I crossed that task off my list. Again, brain cell freedom! I do the same thing with the junk drawers — just one or two at a time.  Somewhere along the way, I realized that the whole place was cleaned out and organized! I did not want to cry at any time during this process and everything on my list was DONE… amazing! You will find that the time passes anyway and when it does and your list is actually complete, you’ve freed your mind and your home of all that clutter! 

We can use this in a lot of areas of our lives. Just move closer and closer to our goals, one baby step at a time. One day you will realize you are there!  And, it wasn’t overwhelming, and you accomplished so much!  So I encourage you to clean out one junk drawer a week, use the three bag rule in your closets, and chisel your way to freedom in your homes and businesses.

Take a moment & comment on the 3 things that are bothering you the most that you are going to use these steps to clean out the clutter in your own life. As always, share this with people that you think could use these tips in their life. Thanks for reading!