Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook
Looking for a new, fun way to get clutter-free in ’23?
Inn-tro-du-cingg…(drumroll, please)…the long-awaited release of my latest project:
Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook
Archive for flow chart
2021 UPDATE: Getting “derailed” is one thing. Here it implies a potential for getting back on track with a little focus, some encouragement, and a few tips from me. However, falling off the trestle bridge into the canyon below, before crashing and burning, is quite another thing! This article is about getting back on track organization- and productivity-wise after common life-changes (home, work, health, events, trips, relationships). It was not meant for a worldwide pandemic with severe health, social, and financial implications, accompanied by political and civic upheaval and global warming! In severe cases “back to basics” may mean focusing on eating, sleeping, and exercising enough to recover or maintain one’s health. And, in other cases, a consultation with a medical professional, financial advisor, realtor, or government agency is called for. Even so….eventually you will find yourself either stuck in the past, languishing in the present, or ready to get back on track to meet your future.
Mom’s crystal punch bowl, usually used for fruit, is being used here for pecans.
Have you inherited keepsakes you don’t know what to do with?
I can’t tell you how many of my clients have had a garage or storage unit full of stuff they inherited from a loved one. These items represent a mix of emotions – memories good and bad; guilt over secretly wanting to reclaim the space they occupy; fear that they will accidentally discard a priceless heirloom. They are paralyzed with indecision: Am I betraying my loved one if I part with this item? Will I forget them if I don’t keep all their stuff? (I promise you won’t!) How, and where, can I get rid of it? How, and where, can I keep it?
Clutter comes in many forms. If you are worried about something, but aren’t doing anything about it — or can’t do anything about it — it’s mental clutter. For any persistent, worrisome thought, ask yourself: Can you do something about it? If you think so, or if you don’t think so, or if you’re not sure — think again just to make sure. If the answer is yes — you can do something about it – great! Do it! The pure fact that you are doing something about it will help you to not worry about it so much.
Why can’t you part with your mental clutter? Here are some reasons why this is difficult:
S.P.A.C.E. is the system I use to organize anything and everything — a room, a closet, a junk drawer, a calendar — you name it! This acronym was coined by Julie Morgenstern, whose book Organizing From The Inside Out is such an industry classic that I often find copies of it in my clients’ homes!
Here is a brief summary of the S.P.A.C.E. organizing model (in my words): (more…)
Have you ever heard the organizing rule, “Touch each piece of paper only once”? (a.k.a. OHIO — Only Handle it Once) Well, it’s a myth. But the kernel of truth inside the myth is this: If you sift through a pile of mail, or other type of papers, and if you don’t decide the first time you touch it what ACTION needs to take place NEXT, you will just have to sift through the pile all over again later. Pretty soon you will end up with what I call a mystery pile. It keeps growing, and who knows what’s in there?
So, what is the easiest way to vanquish mystery piles – and the missed deadlines and opportunities they usually represent? By using an action file!
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This is the companion article to The Original Clutter Flow Chart. It answers these questions: What is Clutter? Why can’t I part with my clutter? What should I do with my clutter? What if, despite my best intentions, I am still living with clutter? (more…)
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