You’re not a superhero? Well,
neither am I. No unclutterer I know is a superhero, either. We’re all just
non-superheroes doing our uncluttered, non-superhero things.
To an outsider, an unclutterer can
appear to have super powers. But, trust me, unclutterers don’t have the ability
to wave a magic wand and instantly be clutter free and organized (although,
that would be an amazing power to possess). Instead of magic wands, most
unclutterers simply do a little work each day and adhere to a few simple
guidelines to keep from being overwhelmed by an avalanche of clutter.
These aren’t laws, but these are the
routines and guidelines most unclutterers follow to keep clutter at bay:
- Have a place for everything. If something you own doesn’t have a place to be
stored, it will always be out of place and cluttering up your space.
Everything needs a home that is easily accessible so you can find it when
you need it.
- When you’re finished using something, put it away. You can’t easily find something if it’s not in its
proper storage location. Don’t waste time hunting for things, simply put
items back when you’re finished using them. If you’re finished using
something for good, put it in the trash, recycling, shredder, or donation
bin.
- The fewer things you own, the fewer things you have to
store, maintain, put away, clean, etc.
You don’t need to be a minimalist, just focus on getting rid of the
clutter so you’re only caring for the things you value.
- Only own things with utility and things that bring you
happiness. Not everything in your home
needs to be useful, but the things that aren’t useful need to at least
make you happy. If you have a knickknack that you curse at every time you
dust, it’s time for the knickknack to be passed along to someone else. If
something that was once useful is no longer useful, it’s time to get rid
of it, too.
- One in, one out.
If you buy a replacement good, get rid of the inferior good you’re
replacing.
- Everyone does his/her part. Everyone sharing your living space, including you,
needs to lend a hand around the house out of respect for the others living
in the space. Irrespective of how you choose to divvy up the major load of
housework, everyone should: put away items after they use them, put their
dirty clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, and clean up all messes he/she
makes.
- Do a little every day. When you do about 30 minutes of dedicated work on your
home each day, you can pretty much cover everything you need to do over
the course of a week.
by
Erin Doland
http://unclutterer.com/2012/01/03/seven-routines-and-guidelines-to-live-as-an-unclutterer-no-super-powers-necessary/
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