< PreviousCLUTTERBy Susan Nelson THE TROUBLE WITHSAND WHAT TO DO ABOUT ITow look at the word clutter. This word feels messy, stressful, even claustrophobic. Clutter can not only affect the way your home looks and feels, but your mind, as well. NIt creates stress and frustration when you are unable to locate an item when you need it It can cause you to feel inadequate or guilty knowing that you “should’ get your home or room cleaned up but don’t. It makes you feel anxious as you see never-ending piles that need to be addressed. It can result in you spending money unnecessarily when you are buying duplicate items simply because you can’t find the one you already have If the clutter is extreme, it can cause relationship problems if the clutter is affecting your partner negatively If rooms or closets are too cluttered, it can cause physical harm by just walking through or digging to find a missing item Clutter has been shown to affect how we think, as well. Physical clutter can cause mental clutter clouding our judgement and making us feel stressed. Clutter can distract us by forcing us to focus on what’s not important rather than what is important Excess clutter has numerous negative effects on you mentally, spiritually, physically and financially.You will feel pride in how you have taken action and are making progress You’ll gain time to do the things in life that you enjoy when you don’t waste time searching for missing items or navigating around piles of “stuff”. You will also spend less time cleaning (Bonus!) The less you have taking up space, the fewer things you will have to dust or move while cleaning. You and your partner will sleep better. According to marriage experts Bette and Michael Friedlander “We call this (clutter) environmental stimulus ‘noise,’ because its impact is similar to any unwanted noise that disturbs your peace and quiet. You just can’t relax, concentrate, or get much done as long as that racket is going on. Think of a perfectly ordered, absolutely spotless room as being ‘quiet.’ Anything that’s not in its place, is dirty, or doesn’t belong is ‘noisy.’ “ You’ll have more space for the things that truly matter and room to do the things you enjoy. You also gain more space in your head – physical clutter can be really mentally draining – and taking that away can make a tremendous difference. You’ll feel more relaxed and see your home more as a refuge from the outside world You’ll enjoy your home more and see it’s potential. With less clutter, your home will look better and you'll enjoy it more. Decluttering with your partner or family can be enjoyable as you make progress. You may even uncover missing items that you'll appreciate reminiscing about. e’ve talked about how clutter affects us negatively and some of the many rewards Wyou’ll gain once you’ve decluttered. Now we’ll share how can you achieve that organized nirvana.The first step doesn’t involve trash bags or cleaning supplies – not yet, at least. The first step is to assess each room and identify the area of greatest need. Simply list all of the rooms in your home and “grade” each using the following scale: Poor Fair Good Excellent Next, for those rated Poor, Fair or Good, jot down the biggest problem area in that room. For example: Kitchen: Fair Issue: Pantry is a mess If you desire, you can add how the condition of that room or area makes you feel and what benefits you would enjoy if it were neat and organized. For example: I get so frustrated trying to find food items to make dinner only to find that the can has expired or I’ll buy a box of rice only to find that I already had two boxes. If this pantry were organized, I would save money by not buying more than I need and having food go to waste. Making meals would be easier as I’ll be able to find what I need.he rooms that have been rated Poor are the ones I recommend that you focus on first. Let’s say you have decided that the family room is in Poor condition and you want to work on it first. TWhat do you desire this room to be used for? Think this through – more than just “a place for my family to hang out”. What do you envision them doing in this room? Having a place to play cards or put a puzzle together? Watch movies? Play board games. Think about all of the functions that this room will need to have before you begin purging and putting the room back together. The next thing you’ll need is some organizational supplies – nothing crazy here, yet. Go aheadand grab four boxes or bags and label them this way: Keep Donate Sell Trash (a bag is fine for this one)aking ActionTStart in one corner of the room or one area at a time and take out just a few items to start. Think about each one. Do we use it? Do we love it? Is it in good shape? There will be some fantastic things that you find you might have forgotten about – will you use it soon? Don’t be afraid to get rid of things. If you forgot you had it, chances are you don’t need it. If you choose to make a “sell box”, you can sell these items on eBay or a local swap shop and use the money for something to help you create the room you really want (furniture, an organizing item, new paint or curtains) – reward yourself for getting your home organized! When you have made your way through this room (this may be done one cabinet or closet at a time), take the “donate box” and put it in the trunk of your car. The sooner you get this out of the house, the less likely you will be to pull things out of it and put them back in the room (oh, maybe I need this after all).e Strong!BGo to Goodwill or your local donation center and get a tax receipt. Only the items in the “keep pile” will go back into the room. Take that trash to the curbside and look at your minimalized room! You’re making progress! Don’t be discouraged if you are limited on time for organizing. Just 15 minutes a day or an hour once a week will get you moving forward and keep you on track. You may be surprised by how much progress you can make in small time blocks. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, consider the role that clutter is negatively affecting your life. Take the first step toward simplicity by planning just 15 minutes per day decluttering your home and life.- LAO TZUREDUCING WARDROBE OVERWHELMBy Bernadette Payne 7 STEPS TOEmbarking on the path to minimising your life doesn't mean throwing away all your belongings, running away to a cabin by the lake and switching off your phone (although it sounds enticing). Minimising is just a tool to simplify your life by stripping away the excess so you can focus on what really matters. Since you wear clothes every single day, a good place to start minimising is within your own wardrobe. Wardrobe cleansing is an area that can be very confronting while on the journey, but the destination is freeing and inspiring. long the way, you may confront body image issues you have been holding onto or even buyers guilt from the purchases that you thought would spark joy within your wardrobe, but they still have their tags attached. Fast fashion and trends send us a message of not being good enough. We can never keep up as it’s forever changing. Knowing how you visually want to present and knowing what suits you is having a sense of your own style. When you know your ‘look’ you are no longer a slave to trends. Statistics show we are buying 4 times the amount of clothing that the previous generation did. 20 years ago, the global average for clothing consumption in a year was 7kg. Now it is 13kg with Australians buying 27kg each year. This is due in part, to being seduced by fast throw away fashion rather than investing in good quality clothing that suits your style. Everyone has their own style language and the more aligned and aware of that style you are – the easier it will be to get dressed and communicate your style to the world. Having a wardrobe full of clothes that are no longer aligned with your lifestyle – creates the feeling of ‘having nothing to wear'.ANext >