| Below are some tips for great ways of tackling | | | | - August - Summer Break or Catch-up |
| seemingly endless clutter situations for busy | | | | - September - Organise Children's Rooms |
| mums. | | | | - October - Organise pockets of clutter |
| Five a Day | | | | - November - Preparing for the Holidays |
| Set yourself a small goal of dealing with 5 or 10 | | | | - December - Holiday Shopping |
| things per day. Remind yourself by putting up a | | | | Enlist a Brutally Blunt Friend |
| post-it with "Five a Day" near the clutter corner. | | | | Get the help of a straight-talking, brutally honest |
| Once you've completed 5, you can leave it for | | | | friend to help you get clear. Just seeing the look |
| the day, knowing that you've achieved something, | | | | on my friend Cath's face when I try to explain |
| and that every day it's getting better, rather than | | | | that I'm keeping a cheap sweater that I bought |
| berating yourself for not doing it at all. | | | | 10 years ago "for sentimental reasons" soon kicks |
| Say NO to "Just in Case" | | | | into touch. |
| Go through your files - both paper and electronic - | | | | When In Doubt - Throw it Out |
| and discard all the stuff that you are keeping "just | | | | When you are wavering about getting rid of |
| in case". | | | | something, ask yourself the following questions: |
| Trust that the Universe Will Provide | | | | - Do I really love this item? |
| Next time you are tempted to keep something - | | | | - Do I really need this item? |
| "Just in case", ask yourself - "What if I trust the | | | | - Is it too nice to use? |
| universe to bring me this information/item when I | | | | - Is it too ugly to use? |
| need it?" | | | | - Will I benefit from keeping it? |
| Do, Delegate or Ditch | | | | - Will I benefit from tossing it? |
| For dealing with your "virtual" email clutter - this is | | | | - When is the last time I used this item? |
| a tip from the entrepreneur Simon Woodruff of | | | | Free Yourself from Unwanted Junk Mail and Calls |
| "Yo! Sushi" fame. Simon was interviewed by | | | | Get rid of junk mail. Throw it straight into the |
| coach, Ginny Baillie, MCC and Ginny passed it onto | | | | recycling bin. Even better, get your address |
| me when I asked her how I could manage my | | | | removed from mailing lists that bring junk mail into |
| email better. Simon and Ginny both have an | | | | your home by registering at the mail preference |
| "empty inbox" rule for their email. Whenever an | | | | service: mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr (you can also |
| email arrives, they either deal with it there and | | | | register at the telephone preference service to |
| then, delegate it to someone else or delete it. | | | | reduce those double-glazing sales calls: |
| Keep the Best and Ditch the Rest | | | | mpsonline.org.uk/tps. |
| This is a great tip that came from my mother | | | | Don't Hang on for the Car Boat Sale |
| years ago when I asked her what I should do | | | | Don't get me wrong, if you have loads of stuff |
| with all my university photos, letters from old | | | | that you genuinely think will make you some |
| boyfriends and so on. | | | | money at a car boat or similar sale, then go for it. |
| - Get rid of anything that gives you a knot in | | | | Gather it all together in a huge box/corner of the |
| your stomach | | | | garage, etc. and label it. |
| - Ditch anything that you don't have any particular | | | | However, make sure the car boat sale is not just |
| reaction to | | | | another delaying tactic. Ask yourself the following |
| - Keep anything that makes you smile or laugh or | | | | questions, and be honest with your answers: |
| warms you | | | | - What affect does this clutter have on my |
| - Treat the treasures like treasures. Keep them in | | | | energy levels in the meantime? |
| a beautiful box or tie them with a big silk ribbon. | | | | - What might I earn from the car boat sale and is |
| Make It a Manageable Project | | | | this figure worth my time and effort? |
| If you're thinking "But where do I start?", here's a | | | | - If not, what else could I be doing with this time? |
| great way of attacking every area, by simply | | | | - How would I feel if I gave it all away to charity |
| designing your own de-clutter project for each | | | | instead? |
| month of the year. This is taken from Stephanie | | | | A Place for Everything and Everything in it's Place |
| Culp's "12-Month Organizer and Project Planner" | | | | An oldie but a goldie. Decluttering is all about |
| 1995 publisher: Betterway Books, Cincinnati: | | | | boosting your own energy and making your life |
| - January - Desk Organizer | | | | simpler and easier. Just think how much easier life |
| - February - Organization of Files | | | | would be if you knew your could find something in |
| - March - Tax Records and Receipts | | | | the same place. OK, I know this one doesn't |
| - April - Kitchen and Bathroom Organisation | | | | always work when you factor in partners and |
| - May - Closet and Drawer Organisation | | | | children, but there's nothing stopping you from |
| - June - Garage or Basement Organisation | | | | having a place for all f your personal stuff. |
| - July - Reading Catch-up | | | | |