Seven rules to “order” your life

Seven “cleaning rules”

Here are several “neat rules” that I try to live by. No, I don’t always maintain them myself, but they are goals to be achieved. The good news is that the more I follow these rules, the less time it takes me to return to a completely clutter-free environment.

Whether you want to get your life in order because you want to create more attractive chi energy to flow through your home, you want to land that big contract at work, or (and this is the goal of most of us!) you just want to walk through your house without tripping, then this article was written just for you.

Order your rule of life #1:

When in doubt, throw it away.

This is the simplest, but the most difficult. We have all experienced it. We finally threw out that widget that we haven’t used in literally years. The next day someone needs it.

And that’s the horror story we remember every time we search for an article and start submitting it. My counter to this: suck it up and get over it.

If you haven’t used it in a year or more, chances are it’s not that important in your life. If you find yourself tripping over it more than using it, then it probably serves no useful purpose.

And if you just discovered it in a box in your garage with other “stuff” you didn’t unpack from your move five years ago… guess what? Chances are you can live without it quite well! After all, you have been awake until now, haven’t you?

This doesn’t just apply to books, newspaper and magazine articles, but seriously consider this when you come across that old electric sandwich maker and even that newer but rarely used George Foreman grill.

Clear your rule of life #2:

Store objects in the most efficient spaces.

Maybe you don’t use an object because it’s not stored in an easily accessible place. It’s easier to show you what I mean than to take the time to explain it. We all do this quite naturally when it comes to the “efficiency” of our kitchens.

And I do this more when it comes to my morning coffee. My coffeepot sits on the counter immediately below my coffee cups. My coffee beans don’t store too far from that, and my coffee grinder sits on the same shelf as my beans.

If I were to place my coffee grinder on the opposite side of the stove, that setup would not serve me well. Two events are likely to occur. First, the coffee grinder would never return to its home on the other side of the kitchen. Or I would stop grinding coffee and switch to ground coffee (No, I would never stop drinking coffee!)

As you can clearly see, “efficient storage” means nothing less than placing the objects you intend to use in the most accessible places. Did that George Forman grill fall under the sink because you never used it? Or just didn’t know where else to store it?

If you really want to give it another try, try saving it where it will be useful to you.

Another helpful tip in this regard is to store similar items together. For example, if you have several vases, keep them together. Next time you’re looking for a vase, you only have to visit one place to find them all. There will be no going to the first place, only to realize that the perfect vase is hiding under the stairs in the basement.

Order your rule of life #3:

Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!

Did I make myself clear enough? However, when you think of recycling, think creative lines. Take books to booksellers who sell used books or to libraries for their book sales. Recycle newspapers and magazines.

Clothing? Consider taking them to thrift stores or donating them to thrift stores where they will be sold at low, affordable prices to families who not only need the clothes, but also appreciate the cost.

Even a garage sale is a form of recycling if you think about it. You don’t want to go through the trouble of defending yourself? Perhaps your neighbor wants to sell some of his old furniture or some of his unused kitchen utensils.

There are even trading services you can access online where you can trade CDs, video games, and children’s books.

Churches may also be looking for salable items for their rummage sales. Schools usually hold annual fundraiser sales and you won’t believe what one of the most popular items is: used trophies! Ask around. You know what they say: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Decide now to get rid of what you are clearing out within 3 days of the time it is removed from circulation in your home. In other words, if donating to a specific charity takes too long, simply take your items to the nearest charity stop on the highway. Don’t let your castaways clutter up your garage because they can’t get to the ultimate charity. Release and let go. The best possible action you can take is to place your donations in your car the same day they leave your house, not the garage! Hood?!

Clear your rule of life #4:

Do the words filing cabinet ring a bell?

You have papers? Get a file cabinet. Make sure it’s a good quality file cabinet with sliding drawers that don’t stick. You don’t want to file if you have to wrestle with drawers, and trust me, you want to make filing as easy and effortless as possible.

If you have a home office, it’s imperative at some point, even with the age of digital forms and online savings sites, that you buy a “real” filing cabinet. I don’t care what anyone says, the “hard copy” of many documents, magazines, warranties and the like, will never completely disappear from the face of this earth.

Don’t overlook the fact that every major appliance you buy comes with some sort of instruction manual. From that hot water tank to your refrigerator to your car, there are papers to save for each of these purposes. It is better to have them all stored together than scattered on the floor and in the drawers of your home.

Order your rule of life #5:

Get Zen with space.

Ok, so this rule is a bit cryptic. But it’s still useful. Instead of focusing your mind on all the clutter you currently have, start visualizing your home free of clutter. Really. Visualize it as clutter-free. You’ll find as you go through your day that you’ll not only become more aware of clutter, but gradually do something about it!

This particular rule may take some time to adjust. But I have tested it for myself and my clients, and it works. After a while, you will have an image of your house as it should be: clean and without useless things lying around. And the next thing you know, you’re taking steps, sometimes just baby steps, toward your vision.

Clear your rule of life #6:

Do it now!

Oh! Now we have hit the nail on the head. I can tell by the way you cringed when you read this rule. Much of the clutter accumulates in our homes simply because we refuse to deal with it “in the moment.”

We can take another piece of advice from those Zen masters who always encourage us to “live in the moment.” Now, we can add to that “live in the moment to avoid that mess.”

This rule is best illustrated by daily mail. Every day, your postman drops the mail in your mailbox. What exactly do you do with that email? If you’re like most of us, you review it and put it aside. “I’ll take care of that after dinner,” you say, as you hurry to the kitchen.

However, you forget about spam and instead read a good book while watching TV.

The next time you find that particular sales flyer for your local supermarket is three weeks after the offer has expired. If it wasn’t buried under a mound of other junk mail, it fell under the couch.

Oh yes, I understand the nature of clutter.

Instead of putting everything aside, you could have dealt with this in a more efficient way. You could have taken a few moments to separate the bills and place them on your desk in a small vertical container, where you will sit the next time you pay them.

Take the spam and start prioritizing that. Mail that doesn’t appeal to you at all, discard immediately. Flyers you might want to look at later, like for your trip to the grocery store, put them in another basket, preferably one near where you sit at night. In this way, their presence encourages you to at least look through them.

Now at least you know where it is when you decide to go through this week’s shopping list.

Clear your rule of life #7:

LabelThings

Do you have your objects stored in bins? Instead of opening them every time you want to see what’s in there, why not just tag them?

Containers with Christmas decorations can be labeled as such. You can even buy bins in the colors of the season. That way, when you’re looking for that Halloween costume from three years ago, you don’t have to go through those particular bins.

In fact, container labeling can help you pinpoint with uncanny accuracy exactly where the item you’re looking for is actually hiding.

However, don’t limit this labeling system to just containers. Look through that garage. Do certain tools or garden equipment need to be in specific places? Don’t be shy about putting a sign up on the spot. If you have tools hanging on a pegboard, label the space where the hammer hangs “hammer.” If necessary (and for some family members this might work even better) trace the shape of a hammer here! This way every member of your family will know where to hang that rake. No apologies.

I have some clients with large families who even do this with their kitchen cabinets. That way, everyone agrees on where to replace the clean plates and glasses.

This is just the beginning of how you can begin, with a little determination, to “clutter” your home. It’s something we all deal with every day to one degree or another.

When you see a neat house, ask yourself this question: What did it look like 48 hours before this, before this family expected company?

Then ask yourself the following logical question: Did Mom, acting like a Gestapo, enlist the help of everyone in the house to “mess it up”?

Odds are the answer to the last question is a resounding: I bet he did!

Don’t be too hard on yourself because you’ve let clutter take over. Just get down now that you’ve decided to get rid of him and stand your ground.

Because you can declutter your home…increase your enjoyment of life…and breathe freely once again!