You have too much stuff in your house!
And it's causing all kinds of problems in your life.
- Lack of time (because you spend time shopping for, arranging, cleaning, storing, and tripping over it).
- Money troubles (because you spend money that could be going towards debt repayment, retirement account, or a new car fund on buying junk). Also, the increase in junk you own may lead you to think you need a bigger home or off-site storage, both of which are extremely expensive.
- Health concerns (because time and money issues lead to increased stress, and stress taxes the immune system, which in turn leaves your body less able to fight off infections. Plus, chronic stress can lead to chronic health issues.)
- Arguments with housemates such as your spouse, kids, or roomate (because you don't want them borrowing or moving or in any way touching your junk, or vice versa).
Anything that causes that level of trouble in your life deserves to be called a four-letter word.Today, spend a few minutes getting some of that "junk" out of your life. Throw away or recycle
- four magazines
- four pair of socks you don't like or that are getting old and ratty
- four pens or pencils you never use
- four dated books (think of computer manuals, phone books, dusty college textbooks, pulp fiction)
- four CD's you will never listen to again (pass them on to a co-worker, neighbor, or friend)
- four BIGGER things in your garage, attic, basement, or storage shed (cracked terra cotta planter, bent artificial Christmas tree, non-working weed-eater, bookcase you've been meaning to refinish for the past five years, leaf rake with a broken handle, boxes of maternity clothes, "extra" box of plastic drinking cups, bag of baby shower decorations you haven't used since your best friend was pregnant SIX YEARS AGO)
- four pair of shoes.
This will give you some relief from that junk.
Blessings!
I'm not sure how the term discipline has fallen out of favor, but I have not seen it written ONCE in any of the women's magazines I've read over the past three decades. We seem to have degenerated into a society of people who desire an organized home (there are "get rid of your clutter!" articles in almost every issue of the leading women's magazines), but who are unwilling to do anything remotely difficult or sacrificial in order to create what we want. But discipline* is a key ingredient in creating an organized, clutter-free home and life.
Most of us know this already; we may just need reminding now and then.
I define discipline as doing what I know needs to be done, when it needs to be done (or sooner), whether or not I feel like doing it.
For example, I process the mail each day, down to throwing out the trash and shredding unneeded but sensitive documents. I discipline myself to do this task, doing it when it needs to be done (daily), whether or not I feel like opening it up, sorting, shredding, and filing.
I never have mail lying around, ever. There is no mail clutter in my life because I discipline myself to deal with it every day.
The only way your home will begin to look organized and clutter-free is when you embrace discipline and apply a little of it to your life: simply DO the jobs that need to be done, whether or not you "feel" like completing them.
If your house is a wreck right now, apply discipline in small doses and work on a small area (one drawer, one shelf in the closet, one storage box) at a time, while keeping up with daily tasks such as doing the dishes, making your bed, and taking out the trash.
You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish!
*Many women work full-time outside the home, and others go to school full-time. If either of these situations apply to you, then you are ALREADY applying discipline to your life in order to work or study. You have my admiration. Ignore this post and hire a housekeeper. If you're a stay-at-home mom and live in a royal mess, read every post in this blog and learn how to bring order to the tremendous blessing you've been given. There are thousands of single working moms out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
