Now this may sound a bit strange, but think about it for a moment:
Is the clutter making you procrastinate, or do you have clutter because you have a habit of procrastination?
This is how I see it – if our home or office is in disorder, or a bit chaotic, then it can lead to overwhelm at which point you’re going to find it hard to move forward – hence procrastination sets in.
Conversely, if you have a habit of procrastinating about all sorts of things, then this will show up in various ways, such as not putting items away after using them, or getting them out because you think you’re going to do a job and then ‘put it off for another day’ but don’t put those items away until you’re ready to use them. Another example is going shopping and not bothering to put your new purchases away.
And of course, we can’t forget how we procrastinate about the job of actually decluttering a room, cupboards and drawers, or indeed the house… Easy to procrastinate about this one as it can be daunting if you look at it as a whole, rather than breaking your decluttering down into bite-size pieces.
So what does this not moving forward with your decluttering look like:
– Your garage is so full of stuff that the car no longer fits.
– Your home office has no organised systems in place and there’s paper everywhere.
– Every surface in your living area is covered with magazines, books, old TV guides, papers and the like.
And how does this play out:
– You miss out on occasions because you misplaced the invitation and forgot about it.
– There may be penalties on bills which didn’t get paid on time because you don’t have a system in place to handle this.
– You’re not making those important calls because you think they’re going to be difficult, or annoying, and yet the outcome could be positive.
You’re probably thinking, okay enough examples, what do we do about it… Here are a few ideas that I use with clients when we’re working together:
– If you’ve decided to declutter your home and get organised, write a detailed plan of what needs to be done room by room and include cupboards, wardrobes and drawers.
– Maybe write a separate plan around other types of actions that need to take place; really get into the detail and try itemising actions by type. By type means you group all of the phone calls you need to make in one file, actual actions needed to be taken in another, etc.
– Have a bring-up file of these actions and check it at least once a week, if not daily; put a list of each action item in the front of the file and cross off at least two or three items on the list each week [or each day if you’re really motivated].
– Diary when you plan to get things done, in your smart phone, on your computer, or in a hard copy diary.
– Keep a notebook with you so you can write down ideas as you go; you can make a note of types of organisers for your home/office/garage when you’re out browsing the shops, ideas you see in magazines, and the charities you want to donate to and their drop off locations.
Most important, I really want you to know what a difference it will make in your life once you declutter and organise your working and living environments. Clients often tell me how much happier they feel when this has been done, and the stress, frustration and overwhelm no longer plays a part in their everyday life.
I hope you’ve found this newsletter useful, and interesting. If you have a subject you would like me to write about in my newsletters I would love to hear from you.
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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