Article: Mess Equals Stress

A cluttered home can cause a cluttered mind. As a professional organizer, I know how hard it can be to get started. I hope this article helps you declutter and relax.

Almost everyone has excess clutter somewhere in their homes and mess equals stress. Clutter can consume the entire house or just a section of one room. Many of us associate the word clutter with imagery of extreme versions of hoarding. However, clutter simply refers to possessing more items than you have space available within your home or workplace. According to Psychology Today, messy homes and work places leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Clutter consistently reminds us there is more work to be done. Here are a few tips to get you started on decluttering your home and removing an unnecessary layer of stress.

Start small. Do not attempt to clear out all of the clutter from your home in one day. Start with just one room, one shelf or even one drawer. You do not want to get discouraged so don't take on too big of an area right away.

Have a simple method for discarding unused or unwanted items. Sort the items in piles...keep, donate, and trash. Next identify each item and ask yourself a few questions to determine if you should keep or discard of the item. Do I use the item? Do I need the item? Does it have sentimental value? If you haven't used the item in over a year some experts say it's time to toss it. If you have a lot of items with sentimental value you can take a photo of each item and make a photo album to remember the items. Then you can either get rid of the items or store them out of the way.

Complete the task. If you have chosen to declutter one drawer then make sure you fully clean the drawer before moving on or quitting. Once you have completed your first task you can decide whether or not you are ready start and complete the next area.

Find new ways to get organized. Digitize photos, movies and music. Declutter before purchasing organizational products so you know which products you need. Only purchase organizational products that will improve the clutter issue. You don't need more items you won't use or take up space unnecessarily. If you are finding it extra hard to declutter, let go of items and/or get organized don't worry because there are professional organizers that can help!

Remember, when you are decluttering it is ok if your house does not end up looking like a model home. After all, you do live there. As long as the clutter is off of the counters and not just stuffed in the drawers your job is done and your stress can be relieved.