Gulf Coast Family

Here we are in a brand new year with all the hope that a new year brings.

Clutter has a way of making us feel bad about ourselves and our homes. This year we are striving to feel alive in 2009. Our clutter keeps us from living up to all that we can be. So let’s put our homes on a diet for this new year.

Here are some of my favorite tools to help you eliminate clutter from your home.

1. When to de-clutter: Decide how often you are going to de-clutter a zone. Do a little every day — use a timer. But be warned — this can become compulsive! Once you get started you will want to clean like a banshee! Don’t burn yourself out! Only do a small amount at a time. The house did not get dirty overnight, and it will not get clean overnight.

When you set the timer you can only do two sessions at a time. This goal may seem unattainable right now, but you can do it in little pieces. In a couple of months, the whole house will be de-cluttered.

2. De-cluttering equipment: You will need garbage bags, boxes, magic markers and a feather duster. Label the boxes “Give Away,” “Throw Away” and “Put Away.” Line the “Throw Away” box with a plastic garbage bag.

3. Set your timer: for one hour (or 30, 15 or 10 minutes — it doesn’t matter how long). Just do the job as fast as you can, and do not pull out more stuff than you can put away in that length of time. This means just one drawer, one closet — or even one shelf in one closet, one magazine rack, or digging under just the furniture in the zone. Don’t do all of them at once!

4. Start at the entrance to the room, then work your way around the room clockwise. Do not skip a spot. Whatever happens to be next, just do it.

5. De-clutter away! With boxes at your feet and feather duster in hand, start off by cleaning out and getting rid of the things that do not belong in this room. Put garbage in the “Throw Away” box, donations in the “Give Away” box and stuff that goes somewhere else in the “Put Away” box. Don’t worry that you do not have a place for everything right now. By the time you finish, you will. That’s a promise from FlyLady!

6. What to de-clutter? Things to ask yourself as you get rid of your clutter: Do I love this item? Have I used it in the past year? Is it really garbage? Do I have another one that is better? Should I really keep two? Does it have sentimental value that causes me to love it, or does it give me guilt and make me sad when I see the item? Cleanse this room of everything that does not make you SMILE.

7. Sing this song: “Please release me, let me go” as sung from the stuff’s point of view. It needs to be loved by someone, and if you don’t love it — GET RID OF IT!

8. Get rid of the garbage! When the “Throw Away” box gets full, pull out the garbage bag, close it and put it in the trash can, the pickup truck or wherever you keep your garbage. Put a new garbage bag in the “Throw Away” box and keep on Flying until the timer goes off.

9. Donations: When the “Give Away” box gets full, seal it off and put it in your car. The next time you are out, you can donate to the area thrift shop.

Do not save your clutter for a yard or garage sale; you will be blessed by giving it away. The value can be de- ducted on your income tax. Remember you are trying to get rid of clutter — not relocate it somewhere else in your home. Now, grab another box, label it “Give Away” and get back to work.

10. “Put Away” stuff: When the “Put Away” box gets full, take the box in your arms and run around the house (good thing you have shoes on, right?) and put the items in the room where they belong. If they have a place, put them there, if not put them in the room where they logically belong. By the time you have finished you will have a place for everything and everything will be in it’s place.

11. Timer Goes Off: When the timer goes off, you have to put away all the boxes, but first you have to empty them all. Go as fast as you can.

For more help getting rid of your CHAOS; check out her website and join her free life coaching at www.FlyLady.net, listen to her channel http://www.blogtalkradio.com/channels/flylady show or read her books, Sink Reflections published by Bantam and her New York Times Best Selling book, Body Clutter published by Fireside. Copyright 2008 Marla Cilley Used by permission in this publication.