Removing Clutter Quickly

REMOVING CLUTTER QUICKLY

Do you say to yourself, "I don't have time to get rid of clutter"? It is a misconception that removing clutter from your home or office must take hour upon hour of your time. If you can schedule a fifteen minute session at least once a week, you can complete many of the projects listed below in that time. After a few weeks, you will notice a significant reduction in your clutter.

Sort your mail. If you let mail pile up, it's time to go through it. Recycle items you don't need, place your bills in your bill paying area, file items that you wish to keep, and place material to be read with your other reading material.

Recycle reading material. Go though your newspapers, maga­zines, catalogs and other reading material. Remove any item that you have already read and recycle or donate it. Cancer Centers, Dialysis Centers, Senior Centers, doctor’s office waiting rooms are good places to check to give your reading materials an added life. If you have too many subscriptions, cancel them or donate them to someone who will love them and have time to read them.  Publisher contact information can be found at the bottom of the Masthead page with the list of the publisher and editors.

Electronic payment can be set up for most accounts and you can keep the paper from ever entering your space. Accounts can then be viewed on line and you can print only what you need.

Put items where they belong. Take a shopping bag, and go through your house or office looking for 10 items that don't belong. Now bring these items back to their proper homes.

Clear off a horizontal surface: find at least one cluttered surface, be it your coffee table or kitchen island, and clean it off. Throw away trash and put items where they belong.

Toss items that you no longer need. Take a trash bag or box and find 10 items in your home that you no longer use. This can include clothing, kitchen items, books or toys. Donate, recycle or if they are really useless put them in the trash.

Update your files. Go through 5 files in your file drawer, removing any item you no longer need.

Purge a drawer: pick a drawer (kitchen, junk or bureau drawer) and remove items that are broken, or no longer used or needed.

Remove items that have expired. Go through your refrigerator and medicine cabinet and pantry throw out all items that have expired. This is best done right before trash day.

Remember, don't agonize, organize!