Procrastinating?

Sometimes this is the most overwhelming and off-putting questions asked. You have the best of intentions and have set aside a block of time to chip away at your pile o’ stuff! Five minutes later you shut the door on your clutter project, and get a huge bowl of ice cream and head for the TV.

You’re not alone, friend. This is the most common scenario I hear about. Sometimes it’s impossible to decide where to start. That coupled with the onset of dread and resistance blocks all those initial good intentions.

The first thing you need to do is make some space so you can begin to sort. And you’ll find that moving things around helps free up your mental energy. Don’t worry about making any decisions about what to do with things or what should be tossed. Just move things around and leave a big space.

If you’re dealing with ‘things’ and ‘stuff’ – get some bins to toss things in (at least three). One might be for trash, one for donation, one for put aways.

If you mostly dealing with paper, then you need file folders. If you intend to actually put them in a working file (as opposed to a box for storage that won’t be accessed on a regular basis), you need hanging files, too. Maybe you only want to keep some of them accessible. For example, you don’t have to keep your 2010 tax backup information in your every day file drawer. That can be one of the files relegated to a file box. Generally speaking you need a file drawer or bin and a storage file box with a lid (better yet is a plastic file box to keep out dampness, critters, etc.) for starters.

Get comfortable and get ready!