Weight loss is a journey and when you are on a journey, you often stop at many locations. One of the stops should be decluttering and organizing your home.
When I say organizing your home, it does not mean that you need to have a multiple page spreadsheet with notes and lists on it.
But you should be able to find things that you need daily without having to unbury them or spend an hour looking for them.
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If you watch weight loss shows on TV, one thing that many of the main characters have in common is a very cluttered living space.
There is often “stuff” everywhere. Valuable time may be wasted looking for a pair of tennis shoes or something as simple as your car keys.
By the time you locate your keys, not only are you angry you are also going to be late to your destination?
Now a situation that should have been simple, has you stressed out and you are looking for a way to relieve the feelings of stress.
How much time do you spend each day looking for things? What could you do with that time if you had it back?
Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions. — Peace Pilgrim
How would you feel if you did not have to experience the stress associated with clutter and things being out of place?
The world is full of professional organizers and there are hundreds of books that have methods for organizing anything from soup to nuts.
The easiest way to get started organizing is to declutter. Start with what you can see. Having a clear space will help clear your mind and allow you to focus on your body and emotional health.
Simple Tips for Decluttering
Make it easy…you either throw it out, donate it or keep it. If you are going to keep it, put like things with like things and put them in a designated place.
The secret to reducing stress is to have a place for everything and put everything in its place. The next time you need something, you will know right where it is.
There will be no time spent looking for something you cannot find and no resulting frustration.
Another aspect of organizing is downsizing. If you don’t have an excess amount of “stuff” it is much easier to keep the clutter under control.
Do It Today
One of the biggest mistakes I make when decluttering is keeping things because “I will probably need it one day”.
Funny thing about “one day”…it usually never comes. I end up getting rid of the things a year or 2 later without ever using them again.
I can live with that, but what if I could not part with things and they just kept accumulating?? Your external environment is a reflection of your internal environment.
Getting rid of things can be very difficult, but if you never get rid of anything and you keep adding to your possessions the stress will grow as the space around you decreases.
Having fewer physical possessions is a great way to lighten the load not only physically, but mentally as well.
Start with a drawer, a small space or a table before you move on to large closets and the garage.
Just get started with something simple and take note of how it makes you feel to have a neat space. There is something zen about the simplicity of an organized space.
And you can declutter and organize your spaces, one area at a time.
What does your car look like? Is it full of fast food bags and candy bar wrappers? It is interesting what you can tell by looking inside a person’s car.
Do you work at a desk? What does it look like? If a coworker asks you for something, can you find it? Is it buried under piles of crap (err…I mean paper) or is it easily accessible?
What does the inside of your purse or backpack look like? I am sure by now you get the idea.
You need to be able to find things when you need them and you cannot do that when there is trash and unnecessary items present.
Next, that brings us to the digital clutter. Email and computer files are here to stay, but there are things you can do to keep the noise to a minimum.
People have written whole books on managing digital files.
Get Rid of Digital Clutter
It all starts with your inbox. Start by deleting nonessential emails. If it’s more than 30 days old and nonfinancial, get rid of it.
If you can, deal with emails daily. Unsubscribe from email lists periodically. It only takes being on a handful of mailing lists, to add hundreds of emails a month to your inbox.
Let go of old files. Files can be like other possessions and it can be difficult to part with them. Purge unwanted and unnecessary files periodically.
If you really need to keep files, consider moving them to an external hard drive.
Uninstall old and unnecessary programs. Clean up your computer desktop. Nothing looks more chaotic than a desktop full of files.
And guess what…if your hard drive dies, those desktop files will die right along with it. Get rid of what you don’t need and consider putting like items in folders.
Don’t forget other digital devices you may have, such as; your cell phone or iPad. Most people have more than one electronic device these days.
The fastest way to get organized is to reduce and have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. Here are 2 of my favorite books that can help you declutter and get organized.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?
Why Simplify, Declutter and Organize
Decluttering is one of the quickest and simplest ways to begin the process of improving your emotional health. Set 10 – 15 minutes aside each day to reduce and organize.
Organize your house one room at a time and see how you feel at the end of the process. Why should home organization be part of your weight loss journey?
Decluttering and organizing is a small change that can give you the motivation necessary to take the next step in your weight loss journey.