Habit (noun)
a usual way of behaving : something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way [Merriam-Webster]
Bad clutter habits are hard to break.
We get so used to doing things a certain way that we don’t even notice we’re doing it until a pile becomes a mountain which then becomes a problem.
It could be paper, shoes, clothes, makeup, toiletries, cooking utensils, tools, receipts, plastic bags, magazines, flyers, boxes, tins, sewing kits, pens, rubber bands, the list goes on and on!
An easy way to break a bad habit is to become more mindful.
Psychology Today describes mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.”
Let’s look at ways we can become more mindful when trying to break a bad habit.
5 Ways To Break Bad Clutter Habits
1. Put It Away, Now.
Yes it might be boring, but it stops the clutter. Really!
2. Allocate Throw & Donate Boxes
Boxes, bags, bins, whatever works for you.
3. Choose A Target Area
Each week allocate 30 minutes to start decluttering a room in your home.
It might be the kitchen drawers. The linen closet. Your wardrobe. The laundry.
If you start decluttering projects with time limits it will help your motivation and your focus.
4. Ask Yourself, Do I Really Need This?
Every time you touch something in your home mentally ask yourself this question.
Is it loved? Is it used? Would you miss it if you didn’t have it?
Some items will be no brainers. However there will be items you can place directly into your donation box.
5. Buyer Beware!
Don’t get distracted when shopping!
Ask yourself, do I really need this?
Will this item be a short-lived purchase that adds no further value to the way you want to live?
Make good purchase decisions and keep clutter away.
It’s hard to find experienced people on this subject, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
It’s a question of priorities. I choose to spend my time researching on the computer, rather than clearing my desk. Even though in reality it only takes a couple of minutes to clear my desk, and then I feel soooooo much better!
The book “Getting things Done” by David Allen is helpful to get your mind thinking about the ‘next action’ steps you need to / can take rather than being stuck and overwhelmed thinking about several large projects at once.
Same here Pam Greenfield.
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I’ve noticed that when clutter appears it’s often because whatever it is doesn’t have an actual “home.” Things I CAN’T put away (because there is no assigned place for it to go) have a tendancy to collect on surfaces. If I take the time to look at them and ask myself does it have a home? I can eliminate much of my clutter….