De-clutter before Spring Cleaning

By Mary Rose Remington

Don’t reach for the Lysol and sponge just yet. Before you dive into spring-cleaning, take a day to de-clutter. It will simplify your cleaning process and may have positive, life changing effects.

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese study dating back 6,000 years ago, based primarily on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It integrates ecology, psychology, astronomy and astrology into the practice of living in balance with nature and energy. Experts who have studied this Ancient Chinese philosophy of energy flow say our personal energy has to go out to every single item we own: we must look at, store, clean, dust or repair every single possession. Carol Hyder, a Minneapolis Feng Schui expert and author of Wind and Water explains it this way, “Your space reflects your life, and if you have fewer things in your space, it’s going to reflect more simplicity in your own inner world as well.”

De-cluttering is a tangible way to organize and prioritize your life. With fewer distractions, it’s easier to think, focus and find things. To begin your home clearing process, start by contemplating these questions.

1. What do I own? (walk around and take a visual inventory)
2. How much of it do I need?
3. How would I benefit from de-cluttering? (find things faster, think more clearly, be more efficient, have a more sacred, peaceful environment).

Next, develop a plan of action
Deniece Schofield, author of “Confessions of an Organized Homemaker” gives this five-step approach to de-cluttering.

1. Think before you act
   Consider the fact that there may be a different, better alternative to how you normally work. Strategize your plan of attack. Do you work better in small chunks of time or one long day? Would working with a friend make it more enjoyable?

2. Discard and sort
   This may be your hardest task, yet it is the most important! One guiding principle: if you haven’t used it or worn it in a year, get rid of it. Decide what the function of each room is, then sort items accordingly.

3. Grouping is the key
   Store similar items together for easier retrieval. For example, everything in a junk drawer can be categorized: pens and pencils, paper clips, etc.

4. Be motion-minded
   Put things where you use them most often. Strive for one-motion storage, where you can open a cupboard, reach in and grab what you want using only one motion.

5. Practice preventive maintenance
   Prevent clutter build up by de-cluttering on a daily basis and let the kids help. It only takes five to ten minutes.

Decide which room in your house you want to start with and estimate the amount of time you’ll need. Consider tackling small jobs that will yield immediate results. A completed drawer or closet shelf will provide the incentive to attack bigger projects. Honor your energy: when you feel like tossing, go for it! Set a goal and stick to it. Be sure to have a large supply of heavy-duty garbage bags and boxes on hand and label accordingly.

• Charitable donations: Some charities like the Viet Nam Vets will even pick up your items.
• Garage sale: Join the neighborhood sale or simply donate items to the church rummage sale.
• Consignment shop: Make money. Take your gently worn women and children’s clothing to consignment shops and sell old books to a used bookstore.
• Give away: Share excess household items with young adults just starting out.
• Garbage: Be ruthless. Toss broken items beyond repair.

Sentimental attachments
If an item has special significance, you love it, use it and have room for it, go ahead and keep it. But does it make sense to keep all twenty of Grandma’s cookbooks when you hardly cook anymore? The hardest items to discard may have sentimental meaning. Can you commit to keeping the love expressed, while getting rid of undesirable items? Eliminate the guilt factor by handing down family heirlooms to extended family members.

Spouses stuff
Encourage your spouse to get rid of their excess items by setting an example and offering to help. Tempting as it is, don’t discard their belongings behind their back. It isn’t fair.

At the end of your de-cluttering session, reward yourself with dinner out or a movie. When you come back home, you’ll love what you see- and don’t see!

Mary Rose Remington, B.A., M.S.Ed. is a career counselor, syndicated columnist, motivational speaker and author of "Career Quest, a Practical and Spiritual Guide To Finding Your Life’s Passion," available from her website, www.maryremington.com, amazon.com and most major bookstores. Readers are welcome to email her at mrose@maryremington.com or phone 651-457-1302.