If you feel stressed just by thinking about the clutter that has invaded your home don’t fret, there is hope! It didn’t get there overnight and won’t disappear overnight, so you need to be realistic about the time it will take to organize it. Small steps will give you the results you need to reclaim your lost energy, space and time. Before you know it there will be a massive step in addressing the chaos and clutter in your home.  Once you acknowledge the draining effect all your clutter is having on you, you will realize that the only option is to do something about it. The process of acknowledging and taking action to eliminate the clutter is liberating and freeing. You will be amazed at how de-cluttering one area of your life can positively affect other areas of your life - including your professional life, your relationships with others, the effectiveness of your parenting and so on.

Tip 1  Start a ‘To Do’ List    

Set a day and time to make a start, write it down on a ‘To Do’ List and stick to it. Break down the ‘Actions’ you need to take make it happen. i.e. – get garbage bags, labels, boxes etc. Make sure you have this all ready before the big de-cluttering day. Keep the list in a spot you cannot miss, such as the fridge. Many of us have got ourselves into such a mess that our memories fail us more often than not. Also begin such good (RE:BAD!) procrastinators - without this ‘reminder’ we find an excuse to put it off again and again.

Tip 2    Positive Self Talk

Use positive self-talk and an “I can do it attitude’ to mentally prepare for your organizing mission. It is seriously one of the most powerful things you can do for your organizing and de-cluttering success. It helps keep your energy levels up as well as the negative, lazy voice inside our heads at bay. Don’t underestimate the power of saying positive things to yourself, such as ‘It’s never as bad as you think’, ‘’One step at a time’, I can do it’ and so on.

Tip 3    Start with De-Cluttering Small Areas

It is a good idea to start de-cluttering with just a drawer here and there before tackling whole cupboards and rooms. Otherwise you risk being swamped with too much mess and clutter, which may ‘scare you off’ doing something about the rest. It’s also really important to complete one area before starting on another or you may get overwhelmed. Just remember to ‘start small’ and not to get carried away with the job at hand, and forget to clean up after yourself before going onto the next job.

Tip 4 Start with your own disorganized areas

Tackle your own messy areas first, rather than your partners or your children’s. Otherwise it’s too easy to find an excuse not to get organized because it’s ‘their’ mess, not yours. Whereas if it’s ‘your area’ then you know it is your responsibility and it will be harder for you to talk yourself out of tackling the problem.

Tip 5    It’s all in your Attitude

Have garbage bags at the ready and psych yourself up to fill them up with as much of your clutter as possible. You will need a ‘ruthless attitude’ and if you find yourself saying ‘But I might use it one day…’ tell yourself that if you were going to use it, you would have by now. It may help you to focus your attention on each item and say to yourself ‘Does this make me feel good/positive’ or ‘Does this make me feel bad/negative’. Anything that makes you ‘umm and ahh’ should be thrown. You’ll have this ‘quick assessment’ down pat in no time.

Tip 6    Become a donating Queen (or King)

Have a separate Section for Charity items to donate . Whatever you do, once full, make sure you put the bag/s full of clutter straight into your car and take it to the nearest donation bin, charity store ASAP. Otherwise before you know it, either you or your family members will see it/change their mind and it may end up back in the cupboard where it came from, only to collect more dust and cause you more grief and stress.

Tip 7 Cross off and Tick to your hearts content                

Once you start declutter and re-organizing your home, give yourself a ‘set amount’ of time to complete your de-cluttering. If you need to, break down your tasks on a ‘to do list’ - making sure you write it all down on the one piece of paper. Keep it close to you, together with a red pen to tick off the jobs you complete. You will love the feeling of ticking off items one by one, as you progress and feel more and more organized as you do.

Tip 8 Ensure you Schedule in Regular De-cluttering Breaks       

Reward yourself with a regular coffee/tea breaks (every hour or so). Then make sure you get straight back into organizing your clutter. You will find you are soon ‘on a roll.’

Tip 9  Household Item Storage – Everything in its home everything has a home…

You may need to find new, more appropriate homes for some of the items you keep. So compile ‘designated areas’, (i.e. boxes and containers of various sizes) for ‘like objects’. For example a bathroom box for soaps, hair products; makeup etc; a book and magazine box, kitchen box, miscellaneous box and so on.

Tip 10 Create your new Organizing habits by keeping your inner voice in check!     

As new items invariably enter you home, make sure you put these things in the appropriate place straight away.  Don’t listen if you hear yourself saying – ‘I don’t have time’, or ‘I’ll do it later’ – just do it!  You can make time and get into the habit if you want to. It’s all about getting into a new routine. Before you know it, you will organize yourself and your home without even thinking about it!