Clutterbox

I was listening to talkback radio the other day (I know, excitement +) and they had a guest speaker on who discussed ways and means of ridding your life of clutter. I found it interesting so you might too!

Some of the steps are a little extreme but I suppose you ARE dealing with people who have wall-to-wall crud and are in dire need of an intervention before vermin take over. The 5 steps to a clutter-less life are:

1. Everyday for 1 week, walk around the house/shed/garage with 2 garbage bags. Fill one with rubbish and one with items to give to charity. At the end of the week you will have 14 bags leaving, never to return.

2. Go to your bedroom closet and turn all the coathangers so that they all face the same way. As you wear, wash and return your clothes, hang them the opposite way. After 6 months or maybe a year if you still have clothes unturned, to charity they go.

3. As Jimeoin says, "The 3rd drawer from the top.......is just full'a shit!". Take everything out of your 3rd kitchen drawer (or whatever drawer is the crap drawer in your place) and chuck it into a box. Put the box on the counter for 1 month and everything you use, put it back in the drawer. If there is anything left in the box, consider dealing with it appropriately.

4. Alot of clutter around the home comes in via the letterbox. If you haven't organised a workable filing system at home, do it asap. It may take some time to setup and get used to but having a one stop paperwork shop is a godsend when you need to find something quickly. Insurance docs, receipts, manuals, payslips, tax returns etc are all in their respective sections, readily accessible when needed. Have an Inbox next to your PC and when emptying the letterbox, deal with it then and there. If it needs paying, INBOX IT, if it just needs filing, FILE IT and better yet, if it needs binning, BIN IT!

5. The last step surrounds kids toy tubs. Whether you have kids or not, chances are you may have a tub of toys should any tiny tots come over and need entertainment. As a new toy is introduced to your child, in order for it to fit in the tub, another toy must come out and go to charity. This is supposed to have a few benefits other than a clutter-free home. It helps them to understand they cant have everything, that giving to charity is helpful to those less fortunate and over time they may even hesitate before wanting everything in the toy aisle at the shops....... but I wouldn't hold my breath on that last one!

So what do you think?
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