Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Clutter On, In, and Around Us

I have been doing some major cleaning. I have sent stuff to the Desert Industries, I have thrown away stuff, I have given away stuff. I've always been somewhat of a clutter-er. Is that even a word? I watched an Oprah show about this hoarder.

While I am nowhere near that messy, I do have my piles of stuff that I have no idea what to do with or where to put it. Show like that inspire me to clean out what I need to do.

My two favorite Clutter/Organizing people are Don Aslett and Peter Walsh.

Don Aslett has written tons of books about Clutter, Packrats, how to clean your home effectively, even one about how to get the rest of the family (husbands, kids) to help around the house. His books have a lot of suggestions and ideas from people, so there are lots of good ideas.

Peter Walsh is on TLC's Clean Sweep. It is such a good show. I haven't read any of his books.

One of my favorite lines from Don Aslett's book: "Weekend Makeover"

The Triangle of Too Much

1) Mental and Emotional Stress (clutter in us)
2) Overweight worries and concerns (clutter on us)
3) Our stuff: all the things and possesions of all kinds we have (clutter around us)

"Too much" causes much of the "too busy" in life, so in reality we have only one giant in the battle of life to fight and defeat -- too much."


So whether you are a hoarder, a little messy, or your closets and junk drawers are a mess, these books/shows are so inspirational to get moving and clean out junk. I would very much recommend Don Aslett's books. Amazon has some books that you can read a few pages of, to see if you like the style.

I've decided that I have to get rid of stuff that I don't love, don't want, don't use, don't need. I'll have less stress, less stuff to take care of and clean, an easier time cleaning, and more time for the things that I love - like my family, my writing, my crafts, my piano.

I've done a little here and there in the past, but this week, I have decided enough is enough. I may not get it all cleaned right away, but progress is progress.

So, have a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that is celebrating it. Hopefully after this week, my posts will be flooded with writing themes.

7 comments:

Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen said...

De-cluttering is something I'm always trying to conquer but never fully overcome. But I do get better. That's something, right?

Julie Wright said...

I love throwing things away. It makes me feel like I'm in charge. Sometimes it's the only thing I can control.

Tristi Pinkston said...

I agree with Julie -- I love to throw things away. I like getting rid of the junk and leaving room just for those things that I really love.

Unknown said...

Sounds like you need to read my post today about Time Management...and clutter :-) I need to read it, also. Often. It's far too easy for me to get lost in a bunch of stuff.

Josi said...

Thanks for the book recommendations, I feel so much better about life in general when I'm conquering clutter. Have you ever tried flylady.com? She has a lot of similar ideas and you can get daily e-mails that keep you on track. She helped me develop some really good habits.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Wandering in from Tristi's page. I was going to say what Josi said, http://www.flylady.net FLYlady will help you get it together too! She's one of those rare things I will say actually changed - and continues to change - my life.

January is my decluttering push too. It feels more natural than spring somehow, for spring cleaning. I learned from a Japanese friend that this is a big Japanese tradition! Cleaning out on New Year's! Good idea, huh...?

Tristi Pinkston said...

It's very quiet around here . . .