Clutter in our lives is a common thing. We human beings are prone to hoarding and collecting unnecessary things. We buy what we don't need out of greed and temptation and we do not throw what is not needed out of insecurity and a series of questions like, ‘what if I need it later?’ Or ‘what if I lose weight and can wear it then?’
What we really don't realise is clutter adds stress to our day to day lives. Not only does it occupy physical space but also mental space. It blocks energies and makes places stagnant.
If you want to feel fresh instantly and start moving the positive energies in your home, work and life, start de-cluttering now. And here are the top 8 things you could start with. There really is no end once you begin.
1) Your mobile phone – Do you realise how much junk your phone carries? Unnecessary emails, a barrage of useless forwarded photos, unwanted video recordings, long wattsapp chats, never used apps, so on and so forth.
• Start by going through your wattsapp chats. Delete unwanted chats. Exit all groups you are just a passive member of or which eat away your time. Any important chats you need, mail to yourself. Stop posting random messages or forwarding irrelevant messages. Do not clutter other people’s inboxes as much as you do not want them to clutter yours.
• Delete all unwanted photos and albums. Any photos you want to store, store on your mail drive like Google. Check for photos sent to you through wattsapp. They automatically get downloaded and saved on your phone.
• Go through your videos and audio files. Delete the knees you don't need. The ones you need, you can mail yourself and save on your laptop, computer or hard drive.
• Go to applications and shut down all apps which are on automatically. These not only occupy space but also eat not your battery life and slow down your phone. You can also remove or disable apps on your phone.
• Keep your phone screen free of clutter. Have only two or three applications on your main screen. Seeing a cluttered screen every time you use your phone adds to the stress.
2) Your wallet – More often than not, our wallet becomes a dumpyard to shove every paper we find, get or use. Atm receipts, bills, notes, challans, cards, coins, chits of paper you scribbled on etc.
• Empty out your wallet every Sunday. Sort out all the receipts and store them for your records. Keep the cards you have accumulated in a box meant for cards. Drop all the coins in a piggy bank or a bowl kept by the door side so you have sufficient change to pay when you get home delivery. Arrange all the notes in a neat fashion. Any phone numbers you have scribbled in chits of paper, feed them in your phone. Throw away all the papers you do not need. Air out your wallet and then place all the things again in it in an organised manner.
3) Your work desk – Your work desk is a very sacred space. Whether you work in an office or from your home, your desk is what inspires, motivates and drives your work life. Make it a space you look forward to coming each day. Whether you are a minimalist or a person who loves to stock things up in your desk, make sure it's clean, organised and uncluttered. An ideal desk space can have a photograph of your family, best friend, inspiration, your favourite quote etc. Your laptop or computer should have the main space. A potted plant brings energy and vibrancy to your desk. Good stationery, a lamp, a rack to keep files and a few other knick knacks along with your favourite mug for coffee could occupy space too.
• Clear out your desk every Friday evening. This way you will have a clean desk to come to on Monday morning.
• Keep your favourite items close to you.
• Empty out your drawers and file away papers in the correct files.
• Throw away broken stationery which cannot be used.
• Refill staplers, pens, sharpen pencils etc.
• Throw away things or papers which are no longer needed.
• Empty out the trash bin near your desk.
• Take a printout of a monthly or weekly calendar and start filling in your list of to do things day wise. This will keep you organised, relive the pressure of having to remember everything and show you all your work at a glance. Top most tip to reduce your work stress instantly.
4) Your wardrobe – Enough has been said about this beast, your wardrobe. Organising and de-cluttering your wardrobe seems like the hardest task on this earth, closer to launching a rocket in space for most people. But it needn’t be.
• Divide your wardrobe into three sections – Work, Home and Party. Now divide your clothes into these three sections.
• In the work section, put pairs of cloths you wear together onto hangars. So white shirt with blue jeans goes on one, dress with stockings goes on another, a blouse and a skirt goes on third etc. Make as any sets as these as you can. As each one gets used, washed and ironed, add that set again to the end of the chain.
• Keep all accessories sorted in an accessory organiser hung inside your wardrobe. Similarly for lingerie and socks too. You could also have separate baskets for lingerie and socks.
• Your shoe rack too can be divided into work shoes, party shoes and home wear if slippers, flip flops etc.
• The home section can be divided into shelves of day wear and night wear.
• Party section could have your dresses, hats, shoes, accessories all separated and organised neatly. You could take one day in a month to just re-organise whatever has gone off track and you will be back in top form again.
• Winter wear and things not needed everyday or only during specific season like sweaters, raincoats, umbrellas could be packed and kept away on the higher shelves.
5) Your kitchen – Your kitchen can often become a storehouse of expired food items, broken vessels and lots of disposable plastic tubs.
• Once a month, go through your kitchen cupboard and throw off expired packets of food, soups, noodles etc. Similarly check your refrigerator for sauces, jams etc which haven't been touched for months.
• Check shelves for broken vessels, plastic items etc which your house help have kept for posterity sake. Dispose them off. Throw off chipped glasses, mugs with broken handles, tiffin boxes with lids missing, heaps and heaps of plastic bags, frying pans with missing handles etc.
• Replace all your broken vessels with the best you can afford. After all it's in these that you cook and eat your food. Ensure its of good quality.
• Repair any electrical appliances that aren’t functioning. If you don't need it or it's beyond repair, throw it away. Dead appliances only gather dead energy.
• If you have dining sets you got as gifts but they do not fit into your choice of things, donate them to an orphanage of let your house he'll take them for her family. Make sure they are in good condition and not broken.
6) Your Purse or bag – Men may not fall in this category but a woman’s bag carries her entire world. Hence the chances of it being filled with unwanted things is only thousand times more.
• Invest in a good, sturdy bag.
• Clean out your purse or bag once every week.
• Use organisers to keep things in their proper place.
• Discard all broken things including expired makeup and broken lipsticks.
• File away all important papers dumped into your bag through the week. Same with receipts.
• Replenish things which have gotten over like snacks, sanitary essentials, wipes etc.
• Carry face wash and other leakable items in a leak proof pouch.
• Sanitise or wash your bag frequently and air it well.
7) Your Balcony – Having a balcony is a boon in big cities. But often these become storage spaces for unwanted things. Nurture your balcony as a green space instead of making it a dead godown.
• Throw off unwanted items.
• Attend to dying or wilted plants.
• Have pretty planters in your balcony.
• Hang a string of lights to beautify the place.
• Wind homes add charm and character.
• Keep a rug and some portable stools to sit in your balcony.
• If you have the space, add a small table and a couple of chairs.
• Once a week, get this space cleaned to keep the energy flowing.
8) Your life – While clearing your home and office space is an important part of de-cluttering, cleaning the clutter from your personal life should be topmost priority for everyone. So work on making your life simple.
• Concentrate on quality instead of quantity. Less is more, be it friends or things. Have few things but of good quality. Have few friends but solid ones.
• Learn to say NO. You do not need to say yes to everything which comes your way. Saying no often saves you time and effort and keeps you from fulfilling obligations you don't need or want to.
• Get out of the rat race. Work to be happy. You aren’t competing with anyone. Your happiness is within you. Do not depend on external factors to make you happy.
• Give freely to receive more. By giving not only do you believe in the abundance of the universe, you also do a huge favour to your soul. Give time, money, services, love, respect whatever you can. This world needs a lot more than just money.
• Buy experiences, not things. Invest in travel. Invest in people.
Minimalism is the key to happiness. The lesser you have, the lesser efforts to maintain it. Hoarding only adds to the clutter and the stress. Keep you life clutter free. Keep the energies flowing. And then see the magic unfold in your life.
If you have any tricks you use to de-clutter, please share in the comments section for our viewers. Also if you feel this article could help someone's, feel free to share or tweet it. Remember giving & sharing are important parts of living a fulfilled life :)
Have an abundant, uncluttered life of happiness!
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