I have had the privilege of working with many clients over the years and one thing they have almost all shared with me is the emotions that come crashing down on them when they look at their clutter. It brings them to a standstill, and I believe all of us at some point have reached that stage of total overwhelm.
We’re often not really present to the emotions that clutter causes because we’ve almost become inured to them, to the stage where we ignore the frustration, stress and embarrassment. I’m really not trying to be negative here, I just want people to get the emotional impact that clutter and disorganisation brings to their lives.
How do you feel when you search high and low for items such as car keys, that you absolutely know are somewhere in the house, but you’re having to waste precious time in the search and becoming frustrated and stressed?
Some of my clients have told me they wouldn’t invite friends over for dinner or drinks, or have their kids’ friends over for play dates, because they were ashamed of their home. And they certainly couldn’t have family or friends to stay because the spare room had become so full of stuff that there was no room to move.
But you know what is wonderful – it is fixable! The delight my clients have experienced after we’ve decluttered even just one room in their home is lovely to see, and once they’ve done one room they can create the momentum to continue on and tackle the others. It’s just a matter of getting started. And that’s the important first step.
And to prove it, here are just a few quotes from clients and friends after they’ve decluttered and become more organised:
“The sense of calm and peace of being sorted and organised minus the extra stuff we really don’t need is priceless.”
“It was the kick start I needed and it’s seriously had a huge impact on our life as a whole! It’s amazing seeing the flow on effect into lots of other areas…”
“I completely underestimated the value to me of getting my office organised. I have saved time and money by being more organised, but more importantly it has freed me to spend energy on the creative side of my business and I have reaped the rewards from that.”
“From disorganised chaos and a very tired mind to logical order and easy time management. Life is just easier and more relaxing.”
“It has given me a huge sense of relief to have a tidy wardrobe of clothes that I actually use, and an office that flows beautifully. I have been so much more efficient and free.”
“We managed to sort the study out to bring it back to a functional room again. This helped me enormously as I was beginning to feel like my possessions were taking over my life.”
“I’m so glad we downsized [from a 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom unit], it’s lovely to live in a smaller space and it only takes minutes now to clean up.”
These few quotes will give you an idea of the difference decluttering can make in your life.
If you haven’t got started yet on your decluttering project, but would love some ideas, and maybe a bit of inspiration, here are a couple of suggestions:
Come along to my workshop on Sunday 8 April at Selwyn Community Education in Kohimaramara. The details are below.
Or you can check out my website http://gioia.modernwebsites.co.nz/decluttering-blog/ and scan through my previous newsletters. They go back to 2009 and there are hundreds of tips on how to declutter absolutely any area of your home, office, or your life. And under the resources section there’s a number articles I’ve written over the years which you also might find useful.
I am conducting my second full day workshop at Selwyn Community Education in Kohimaramara Road on Sunday April 8th, here’s the link to the course:
http://www.selwyncomed.school.nz/courses/1106-declutter-and-or-downsize-your-home/
We will be discussing downsizing and decluttering, what to keep and what to let go, storage ideas, organising personal papers, and your wardrobe, and more… And there are some comments as feedback on my course last year from some of the participants.
So if you think this is ‘just what you need’ I would love to have you join us.
I wish you joy and blessings for a wonderful month ahead.
In Joy!
Angella Gilbert
P: 09 410 4166
M: 027 224 8937
E: angella.gilbert@xtra.co.nz
W: www.gioia.net.nz
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