ClutterMeister - ClutterMeister ::: Blog

Are you disorganised or cluttered?

21/6/2021

There is a common misunderstanding that clutter and disorganisation are the same thing, or at least closely related. In fact, they are two distinctly different things. They may affect each other, but the reasons and effects of both issues are totally separate things.

The terms themselves give us a clue as to what is involved: “clutter” is initially an issue with physical items, while “disorganisation” has to do with the way we deal with things, both in the physical world and in the mind.

Choosing the right tasks

7/6/2021

I often come across clients who have reached out because they feel overwhelmed by the prospect of making their homes work for them. Sometimes we have to delve deep into the reasons behind that feeling, and often the feeling has nothing to do with the stuff in that household. Maybe the partner is creating more havoc than they should, or the kids are too much to deal with, or someone interferes with their sense of calm in some manner.

But in other cases, the matter is completely unrelated to the physical items in a home, and is all about the tasks my client has chosen to take upon themselves…

Distinguishing important from sentimental

10/5/2021

Over years of working with my clients, one thing has become painfully obvious: it is much harder to let go of things than anyone could imagine. There are so many distinct reasons that are being mentioned that I have given up on trying to make sense of them.

The only thing that is useful when it comes to deciding what stays and what goes is ultimately gut feeling. That gut feeling can be informed in certain ways, and I have found that it’s useful in general to steer my clients away from feelings of guilt, remorse, obligation, sentimentality, etc., and towards a more practical question: “is this personal, or is it important?”

More organised looks less cluttered

19/4/2021

Have you ever walked into a space and thought that it looked cluttered without it really being full to the brim? Isn’t it strange that sometimes things look cluttered without much physical clutter in sight?

What you are experiencing in such moments is often simply a strange side-effect of things not being organised, or at least not giving off that feeling of being organised.

Finding out what you really want

5/4/2021

Have you ever taken the time to sit down and consider what you really want? I’m not just talking about what to do next, but to seriously think about your general goals in life.

Very few of us will ever do that, and if we do it tends to be a rare occurrence. Usually those moments are the result of a clear and drastic change in our lives and the need to readjust our expectations to the new status quo.

Floating and static clutter

22/3/2021

When you think about clutter you’ll probably consider the idea of items that are out of place, that block the way, that need to be taken care of. Of course, there is also mental clutter: beliefs that hold you back, that make you wonder about the right path forward, long-held convictions that may or may not serve you, and of course, self-doubt.

Either way, those things may all be important elements in your quest to let go of things that don’t serve you anymore. However, this whole consideration does not take one thing into account: the fact that kinds some clutter are more permanent than others, some are temporary, some only show up in particular situations, etc.

Take care of yourself

8/3/2021

How much of your day is dedicated to yourself? If you are like me, you’ll always find way to keep yourself busy. That is especially true in times of Covid: we are not able to go meet friends as we would normally do, and it’s easier to stay active doing all kinds of things than facing the thought of not being allowed to do certain things.

Speaking for myself, I have been pretty much isolating for the last 12 months now. I have only really met friends for a socially distanced cup of coffee maybe 20 times, if not less. I live on my own and am lucky that I have a bright apartment with lots of light and a bit of a view to keep me sane.

Nevertheless, I find myself avoiding situations where I’m not doing anything productive. I am finding projects that keep my mind active, and lately online work has picked up substantially, so I am actually making a little money again after a long stretch of financial worries. Anything to not allow myself to feel lonely, because I have been there in the past and I know where it leads.

This whole setup does lead to another issue altogether: Being constantly busy means that you are not taking care of yourself properly. Of course, there are ways of deriving pleasure from a job well done, but to find proper balance you also need time to regenerate your mind, to be creative in unproductive ways, to just bumble along without a particular goal in mind.

I usually do that by taking long walks in nature or bringing my bicycle out and spending time on my own with the sun and the wind. Unfortunately, after 12 months of this situation, I have become sick and tired of the same old paths, the same old areas, and the throngs of people populating every single spot that I used to be able to get to and spend time with my own thoughts. I find myself busy avoiding people, to the point where I prefer not going out at all.

So how can I take care of myself in this situation? Some tips that I have used to stay mentally healthy:

Use the pomodoro technique to create regular interruptions in whatever activity you are engrossing yourself in. Personally, I aim to spend about half as long on regeneration after a period of work/activity: 30 min active followed by 15 min (drinking tea and watching people outside, listening to music, doing yoga or jumping rope for a while and crashing).
Make sure you schedule time to do something creative and ‘unproductive’ (meaning no work or activity you are obliged to do). Something you truly love to do and care about. Once it’s scheduled in: stick with it! It’s as important as a business meeting, believe me. Ask yourself: if I had some time for myself, what would I like to do?
Keep in mind that ‘doing your best’ does not mean working yourself to a nervous breakdown. In these times of uncertainty and constant change of parameters, it is important to remain realistic. We have been conditioned for a good number of years that ‘doing your best’ in the work sphere means ‘pushing yourself to the limits’. Maybe this is an opportunity to reset that gauge from ‘to the limits’ to something like ‘going as far as is necessary’?

As I said, these are unprecedented times, but more than ever we have to look out for our own mental health, much more so than usual. Many of you will be you on their own, working from home and lacking in social interaction, while others are overwhelmed by the constant interaction with family members because everything happens at home.

A good while ago I have started to count my blessings: I have a home to live in, I have the means to feed myself, I have been able to shift a good part of my business online and, in addition, I have found new lines of work I had never considered before. Yes, I am busy, but the good kind of busy. I have left worries about the past and the future behind and stay firmly focused on the present.

Ask yourself: wouldn’t it be simpler and more helpful to focus on what IS rather than what COULD BE?

If you have enjoyed reading this, you may find these other articles interesting:

Distinguishing keepers from temporary thrills

22/2/2021

We all love to browse something. It may be clothes, decorations, power tools, crafting materials, jewellery or that new selection of phones.

I believe that nobody is totally unaffected by this, although some are more prone to browsing than others. Either way, we often end up buying something for the most diverse of reasons. Each of us is different and we function in our own way. This can make it hard to figure out the 'why' of buying, but it's not impossible!

Case Study 2 - kitchen reshuffle

8/2/2021

I’ve talked and written at length over the years about ideas to help you get your stuff sorted. What I have not done so far is really talk about specific situations and how I work with my clients to find solutions that work for them and that they will be able to maintain on their own, going forward.

Sometimes what appears to be a lot of clutter is – in fact – a question of organisation skills rather than a sign of neglect. Here’s the tale of a client I worked with a couple of years ago.

Saving time

25/1/2021

In the spirit of not keeping you from doing something else, this is going to be a short blog entry for once!

A lot of people are complaining about not having enough hours in the day to get everything done. I strongly believe that it is up to everyone themselves to take a couple of simple steps to make sure that you don’t get overrun by all the things you ‘have to do’. Let’s answer some questions.