If you look around your home and see lots of clutter, consider it a sign. Clutter equals stress, and stress equals clutter. They just seem to go together. It’s kinda like you’re all stressed on the inside and it spills out to the outside.
Not only is a cluttered, disorganized and untidy home a sign of stress, it also causes stress. Can you imagine looking at that big pile of magazines, junk mail, miscellaneous household items and stray clothes piled up on the desk and not feel stressed? You are wondering how it got so piled up, where will you put it all and how you’ll ever find the time or energy to clean it up. You’ll be a calmer, less stressed person if you clean up all that clutter. Easier said than done, though, right?
We actually have a stress hormone called cortisol. When you are surrounded by clutter, your body secretes this hormone, making you feel ill-at-ease. Clearing out some clutter will make you feel more at ease, allowing you to not only reclaim the space that was once cluttered but also find some serenity.
So where to start with the great de-cluttering? First take baby steps. That mess didn’t get there in a day, and you shouldn’t try to clear it out in a day. That would result in the dreaded clutter burnout! Break up the task into manageable pieces. For example, you could clear out one spot at a time, or even work on the old newspapers today, and tomorrow get rid of the old magazines, and so forth.
Set a schedule. Give yourself 20 or 30 minutes, whatever makes you comfortable, and when the time is up, you are done for the day. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in 20 minutes!
Keep a day book. Write down your goals, whether or not you achieved them and how it made you feel to complete them. This will give you something to look back on and will encourage you to keep going. Sometimes you have to see where you’ve been to realize how far you’ve come.