You are staring at paper clutter, email clutter, or maybe that pesky pile of mismatched socks, You may not see “dead people”…but you see clutter…clutter and MORE clutter everywhere, and it can be just as scary. Perhaps the clutter you see is not all out in the open, but when you’re looking for something in a drawer, a closet or some other compartment…..you see more and more things that you didn’t realize were tucked away.

The trick of the Clutter Monster is to get you to think that you are the only one whose space looks like this. Absolutely NOT!! You are not alone. Sidebar…I’m convinced the Sock Monster and the Missing Fork Monster are besties….or at least 1st cousins.

Anyways, with life seeming to get busier and busier between juggling family, work, and careers, etc., it may seem like tackling clutter, especially paper clutter is just not attainable.  Not to mention, we are also trying to prioritize our mental, physical and spiritual wellness.  There is just so much to keep up with!

There are a few tips that I would like to share, that have helped with seeing progress in this area.

1. Try not to look at a clutter free life as a destination, rather it is a lifelong journey.  Some “cluttery” situations may require more time in one setting when dealing with a large amount of various items.. While other times, we may just need to tackle the clutter a little at a time and see it as a part of keeping up with our space.

2. Schedule time in your calendar, or set a reminder or an alarm on your phone.   Being intentional with having a time for dealing with clutter in small sessions of 10-15 mins once or twice a week can really be noticeably productive. Sometimes just forming a consistent habit of tackling the clutter in small timeframes is enough to build a habit of consistently dealing with clutter. 

3. Get a “Clutter Buddy”. A family member, neighbor or friend may be willing to help you in person with a larger clutter job? My mom has enjoyed helping me in these moments in the past. She helped me clear out a closet to turn it into a craft closet. Another time she helped me clear our spare room for a nursery when my husband and I were expecting our first child.

Another way to declutter with a buddy is to hop on a virtual call. They can assist you with deciding what to keep, toss or donate. Or perhaps you meet up on the call with the camera off and on mute and just declutter. This way you know you are really holding this time to declutter, and with accountability it is less likely you will hit “snooze” on your appointment with yourself for this task. You can also bond with the person or group you’re virtually decluttering with. It’s all about trying different things to see what works.

Give it a try! Implement one or all of these suggestions and see how it works for you.

Let us know how it goes.  Paper clutter is our specialty, but we are here to help with clutter awareness and practical solutions.