My sweet husband comes from a family of pack rats, and I've accumulated a lot of stuff in the 18 years I've lived in this house. When he moved in after our wedding, we were overflowing with stuff. Too much stuff.
Today I am tackling our 'junk room'. It's the same concept as a junk drawer, but it's a whole room! Yikes! So I'm getting that organized today and getting rid of all the stuff we don't need...empty boxes, useless papers, stuff like that.
Once I've accomplished that, I can start organizing the living and dining rooms more effectively, and will finally be able to have friends over without feeling embarrassed by all the stuff piled here and there.
Getting the house organized and serene is part of living a healthy life. I firmly believe that your surroundings influence your mood and attitude, and a messy house causes stress and even anxiety.
My sister-in-law forwarded a Fly Lady email to me that I want to share here. I've highlighted some things that really spoke to me in my situation:
Eviction Notice - Clutter Pack Your Bags!
Dear Friends,
Clutter has a way of taking over our lives. Clutter becomes that unwanted houseguest that you can't get rid of. It robs us of peace while we are home and it also steals any bit of joy when we leave home; the dread of returning to that mess. What about those of you that will not even go anywhere because of the chaotic state of your home.
We received a message today from a member that gave up their family vacation to clean and declutter their home. "Thank you for the God Breeze." I realize that it had to be done for the safety of a crawling baby, but I felt that I needed to address this inconsiderate squatter, so you could see what he is doing to you and your family.
When a home is filled with clutter, it takes on a life of its own. Your whole day is spent giving it attention, instead of your family and yourself. Let's look at some of the things we give up so we can devote our lives to this inconsiderate houseguest.
1. Clutter filled homes are not welcoming to friends or family, so we do not invite them over often. When we do, we almost kill ourselves trying to get the house presentable so we will not be embarrassed. You know the drill. Major Crisis Cleaning until 3:00am and they are coming the next day. As a result of not wanting to make the preparations, we alienate ourselves from our friends and family by closing our doors and throwing away the key. Clutter is a very selfish housemate. It wants you all to itself. This is another way for the Evil One to attack families. When the structure of the family is broken down, he wins. Clutter is his most effective weapon.
2. Clutter in your home does not allow your mind and body to rest. The guilt of all the clutter keeps you working non-stop. You can't organize clutter; you can only get rid of it, like a diseased cancerous tumor. Purge it from your life and you will find out what living is all about. Clutter causes you to turn down invitations to lunch or weekend getaways with your husband. It will also get in the way of you taking time for yourself. It yells at you, you don't deserve to have any fun; you have not taken care of ME yet. Oh selfish clutter. Like a spoiled child, it requires all your
attention.
3. Clutter tells the world that you are not worthy. We have all heard it. If you can't take care of this, you can't have it. We have been brainwashed by this clutter to believe that we do not deserve to have nice things since we can't keep our home looking presentable. So we only buy more clutter at yard sales and junk shops, because it only cost a dollar. Now don't email fussing about this. I love yard sales as much as the next person, but think about this mentality for a few minutes. Don't we deserve to be surrounded by pretty things that we love, instead of someone else's cast-offs? When we quit wasting our money on more clutter to feed the already growing demon in our home, we can save to purchase things that make us smile. (I disagree with this one, I've found some perfectly wonderful things at thrift stores and yard sales, it's about the quality, not the source.)
4. Clutter never wants you to leave home. This is why he make is so difficult for you to pack and go on vacation. Laundry has to be done, you have to get people to come to the house to feed your critters, or worse yet, you need someone to house sit for you. Clutter will never allow strangers in his domain. He wants you all to himself. The bills have to be paid, so you can go, clutter invades your finances and family responsibilities. You don't have wills done, because it is just too much trouble. So you stay home, so you won't have to make the decision of who will care for you children in case of an accident. Clutter loves to keep you home, so he has your full attention. He throws every obstacle in your path.
5. Clutter loves to make you sick. This way you are totally dependent upon his way of life. He robs you of your health, so this gives you an excuse to give him more clutter. The more there is the happier he becomes and more sick you get. Sometimes you will not allow people to come into your home to help, because clutter has quarantined you. Or shall we say imprisoned you in your dungeon.
6. Clutter's main sustenance is chaos. So when you are running around your home searching for something in all the mess, clutter is celebrating with a feast. Trying to find a document on your desk is not fun for you, but clutter begets clutter. You end up making an even bigger mess during the search.
7. Clutter loves ignorance, because you know no other way to live. If you did, he would not have a home that provides him of all the undivided attention that you give his needs. You have never enjoyed a peaceful afternoon without clutter vying for your every thought and deed. He knows that if you ever feel one ounce of peace, you will tell him to hit the road, because that peace is so contagious.
It is time to put clutter in his place and send him packing from whence he came. So where does clutter belong and how do you get rid of this unwanted houseguest? It is not easy. He keeps pleading with you that "you need me", and laying many guilt trips on you for what relatives will think if you put him out into the cold. (You know those gifts and inherited clutter you have been saddled with over the years.)
Your clutter did not accumulate overnight and it is going to take days, weeks and sometimes several months to rid yourself of this squatter. We do it in small steps to make it easy on you. This way, your houseguest has no clue that you are evicting him. Slowly but surely the clutter will leave one boogie or one room rescue at a time. Some of you may need to take a "get tough" approach and order a dumpster or set up regular pickups from charity thrift stores. What ever you decide to do, consistency is the ticket to getting him to vacate your premises. Just 15 minutes a day is all you need to set him on the road. When you kick his bottom out your door, you will begin to have your home to yourself again.
Peace is just a boogie away.
It is time to pack his bags and send him out into the world to fend for himself. You have wasted enough of your time on him. From now on, you are going to become very particular about whom you bring home to reside with you and your family.
Are you ready to evict this squatter, so you can FLY?
FlyLady
P.S. Are your special clutter friends taking you from your children? One day after you are gone your children will have to evict clutter once and for all: a dumpster is a proper coffin. Clutter took you away from them. Don't let clutter become your only loved one. You have flesh and blood precious souls around you.
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