Where to start

or

deal with the Overwhelm

Let me guess.

You open the door / cupboard / drawer / box and are faced with a pile of clutter.

You instantly feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and have no idea where to start.

• Close the door / cupboard / drawer / box and leave it for another day. It's been there a while already so what difference will another day or week make?

• Find something more important / urgent / interesting to do instead.

• Force yourself to do something, even if it's just moving it around a bit so it doesn't look so bad or moving it to another room / hiding it because you've got visitors coming and you don't want them to see it like this.

• Maybe you've decluttered in the past and done a little here, a little there. You've created piles of types of clutter - and then moved those piles from corner to corner, room to room, run out of time or energy so piled the piles on top of each other - perhaps even resulting in a clutter 'avalanche' which means it all gets muddled again and next time you have to re-do what we've already done.
  

• Maybe you decide to be ruthless and start in one room, start to see an improvement there so decide to leave that room and move onto another room, never quite finishing one room before the clutter returns.

• As the bin bags sit in the hall / rubbish bin, you start to wonder whether you made the right decision. So, as time passes, you decide to do a quick check of what you've thrown out.  Hum.... maybe that'll come in useful and it should come out of the bin bag. Before you know it, more is kept than has been thrown out.

• Maybe you call a friend or family member to help, or accept an offer of help. After all, they've already told you that you 'just need to get on and do it'. It'll be easy, right? They'll help keep you motivated. They'll encourage you. They'll be able to tell you what you should and shoudn't keep because they're so naturally clutter free in their home. And it's free help. You arrange for them to come over, it starts out OK, but then after a while they loose their patience as you struggle to make the decision to throw things away, voices get raised, they resort to getting the bin bags out and putting 'obvious rubbish' in them so that at least it's not a completely wasted day. You feel you 'should' be grateful, but on reflection it hasn't helped at all and you're now suspicious of what they've thrown away.

Bad news I'm afraid.

You're perfectly normal if you've done any - or all - of the above....!

15 Secrets to Overcoming the Overwhelm.

1. Take it one step at a time. Rome wasn't built in a day, your clutter didn't appear overnight, it's not going to disappear over night. 
   
2. Set a realistic goal for completing one room.
   
3. Break down the clutter into bite-size, managable pieces. A box here, a shelf there and do one with each Clutter Clearing Session that you do.
   
4. Take one room at a time. Don't flit from room to room - focus and finish.
5. Do no more than 2 hours of Clutter Clearing at a time until you finish that room.  Then you'll see a real difference, feel a sense of achievement and motivate yourself to move onto the next room.
6. Make sure you are using a method or process that will actually CLEAR and reduce the clutter.
   
7. Make sure it has more options that 'keep', 'throw away' and 'charity / recycling'.
   
8. Include a not sure option. We must give ourselves permission to be unsure what to do with something we may not have seen for quite a while.
9. Limit the amount of time you spend categorising and sorting of the clutter, otherwise you'll run out of time and energy to action the categories.
   
10. Set a timer and do no more than 30 minutes of categorising and sorting followed by actioning the categories.
    
11. Make sure you are actually REDUCING the amount of clutter you have i.e. letting go of things you don't need and won't use in a clearly defined period of time. Yes, everything you own MIGHT come in useful - but how often has it actually come in useful, and can you actually get another one if you do need it in the future?
    
12. Make time to do your Clutter Clearing and be realistic with how much time you spend doing it. 2 hours of Clutter Clearing twice a week, using a process that ensures you reduce the amount of clutter you have is much more realistic to fit into your life than a whole day or week.
13. Notice, acknowledge and celebrate the difference each and every time you do your Clutter Clearing. Take a photograph at the end of each Clutter Clearing Session so you can have a record of the changes each time.
14. If you've got clutter out of your home when you've done a Clutter Clearing Session, that is ultimately going to make more space in your home.  So reward yourself for successfully decluttering!
15. Minimise the build up of clutter by minimising the amount of potential clutter coming into your home.

There's a lot to deal with, isn't there? That's why there is no quick fix solution to your Clutter Challenge, it requires time and effort and is why Clare provides help that is ongoing, as opposed to one off days.

To find out more about where to start, register for the FREE video e-course below.

Ways Clare can help you to get Started
Call Clare on 01295 275030   E-mail: clare@clutterclearing.net or skype: clutterclearingclare

Dear Clare,

Thank you so much for your very helpful e-mails and videos. I can't believe how much useful information you give to people for FREE!

Gillian

Clare, I tell everyone how you, 'way over in England' are helping me with my clutter clearing without ever entering my house.

I didn't know where to start, I was totally overwhelmed. Yet you have made it managable and achieveable, something I haven't managed to do for years.

At last - I BELIEVE I will clear my clutter for the last time thanks to your help to get me started!

Susan

Hi Clare!

I discovered you on YouTube and I ahve to say that you are, without a doubt, the most motivating de-cluttering expert I have found. I've spent a lot of money on useless books and read a lot of useles decluttering email newsletters. You rock!! I am so motivated now and finally know where to start. Thank you so much.

Sally