Cut Clutter

Many of us cannot resist pursuing a vision of a perfectly organized world: a place for everything, and everything in its place. I have a natural affinity to being well-organized, and, at times I can be almost compulsive in my actions.

But, when I retired from teaching, it took me almost three months to organize my den. It was a period of transition and I lacked direction. It didn't seem to matter if there were extra boxes, or if there were stacks of papers and files on my desk. But, that clutter prevented me from moving forward with my life.

I finally got it together, and, more importantly I have kept it up. I found the following strategies very useful:

• I decided to set aside two entire days for decluttering. If that is not possible, one hour a day for a week or two would also work.
• I focused on one drawer or shelf at a time. I would take everything out of the shelf or drawer, sort through it, and just keep the essential stuff. I got rid of the rest.
  
• I designated a home for the essential stuff, and for the first month or so, I was a bit fanatic about putting things back where they belonged.
• Since that time, I have scheduled regular decluttering sessions once a week.