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Rise Above The average American spends one year of his life sorting through clutter at home and work - here's how to be better than average  Image courtesy Sferra After a long day at work, there's nothing like retreating to your bedroom for some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Unless you're a clutter bug, that is. "Most people put too much stuff in their bedroom. Essentially the bedroom is designed for sleep, rejuvenation and intimacy," says Wenndi Freer, a clutter and space-clearing consultant and owner of Engage The Flow in Encinitas, Calif. "Organizing the bedroom properly and eliminating clutter can have a very calming effect on your energy, and increase your quality of sleep and vitality." It can also save time: The average American spends one year of his life looking for lost or misplaced items at home and in the office, Freer says. Spending a little extra time and effort now, experts say, can go a long way to restoring your bedroom into a clutter-free haven. 1) Set Up A Routine "Lack of a schedule is the first culprit," says Mildred Munjanganja of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., vice president of LifeOrganizers.com. "Keeping clutter clear is really just a habit that needs to become second nature to you."Setting up a daily or weekly routine will help, Munjanganja says. For example, Monday, you may want to take out trash, etc., from the bedroom. Tuesday, change the sheets. And clearing countertops should be a daily task. "Think of the benefit derived from the task rather than the grubby chore at hand," Munjanganja says. "Instead of thinking, 'I hate to mop floors', say out loud, 'I love walking on a clean floor.'" 2) Start Small "People become overwhelmed by looking at the 'whole picture' of what they want to accomplish," says professional organizer Jan Hayner of Sheboygan, Wis. "By doing this, they are defeated before they begin. It becomes too big of a job for them to do at one time and they quit." The key is to work in "small steps", one project at a time, Hayner says."Set your priorities and start with the area that bothers you the most, so you have a great feeling of accomplishment and pride when you have reached your goal," Hayner says. "It will give you the boost that you need to want to go on and finish all of your projects." Adds Freer: "Give yourself an allotted amount of time to clutter clear and break down larger tasks into smaller chunks." 3) Identify Clutter If you need help identifying the clutter in your home, Hayner offers this simple trick: Stand in the doorway of a room and decide which items you would sell, give away or donate if you were going to move.One definition of clutter is anything that you do not use or love, Freer says. She offers this partial list of items to remove from the bedroom: books; exercise equipment, electronic equipment that affects the quality of your sleep; empty cups, plates and water bottles; and dirty laundry. 4) Sort and Purge Sort clutter into two piles, Munjanganja says. The first should be what you are keeping and the second should be what you are pitching. You may also want to make a recycling pile for used paper, old magazines and newspapers. Toiletries, books, electronics or anything else that does not belong to the bedroom should be taken to the appropriate room. Clothes to be laundered should go in the hamper, shoes should be removed from the floor and placed on a shoe rack, etc."Remember, belongings must have a permanent home - bags, belts, shoes, jewelry ... everything! It makes it easier to immediately place items in their right places after each use once you have identified where these items should go," Munjanganja says. |
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