When I moved homes in February, my home office set-up changed. While I have a great office to see my clients in, I also do a reasonable amount of work on my computer in my home office.
While there was more physical space in my new office, there also seemed to be lots of belongings that didn't have a designated home. The office was used as a "dumping ground" and the result wasn't pretty, as you can see from my before picture!
It took a couple of months before I had the time and mental motivation to address this clutter. Part of the problem was that whenever I looked at the pile of "stuff" my energy disappeared.
I clear clutter in the same way I advise my clients, 15 minutes at a time. Some days I could do more than 15 minutes, but only if I was very motivated. Once I had made a big dent and there was less "stuff," it was much easier to spend more time on the project.
The first plan of attack was to throw out "stuff" that I no longer needed, used or made me happy. That was a good psychological boost because it was easy to see the progress I made.
Belongings either went to the charity store, in the garbage, through the shredder or to the recycling box. Sorting through papers was hard. Each piece needed reading and a decision to be made: keep or shred. This was time-consuming and not very satisfying because the visual process was slow.
The hardest items were ones that had sentimental value but were not nice enough to donate. For example, a "Winnie the Pooh" pencil case that I had had since I was 15 years old. I no longer used it and it had an ink stain, but I couldn't throw it out.
Once I had gotten down to the bare bones of the belongings, I realized that I needed some new storage supplies. I bought new hanging files for my filing cabinet to store important paperwork and I also found a lovely six drawer cabinet (in the After picture) to put my "to keep" items in.
When I started putting these items in their new home, something very pleasant occurred. As the new storage unit was so new and shiny, I only wanted to put "good stuff" in it. So I had another phase of decluttering. This was when the "Winnie the Pooh" pencil case got sent to the trash.
Finally, I went on a search for some containers to make the insides of the drawers tidy. By this point, my heart lifted when I walked into the office and I felt energized rather than depleted.
So now it's your turn!!!
1. Pick an area you want to address / attack.
2. Take a "before" photo.
3. Spend 15 minutes a day on your area. Sometimes you might be inspired to do more.
4. Begin by removing everything that you no longer want, need or use.
5. When you know what your "bare bones" belongings look like, think if you need any new equipment or furniture to house it neatly.
6. Give yourself permission to buy what you need. You will be able to find your new supplies, whatever your budget.
7. Through the process, acknowledge any resistance or uncomfortable emotions you have.
8. Take an "after" photo.
9. Enjoy your new tidy and organized space!!!
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Jacqueline Sinfield is an ADHD coach and author of the book, Untapped Brilliance: How to Reach Your Full Potential as an Adult with ADHD. She has worked in the healthcare field for nearly twenty years. She has an Honors degree in Psychology and trained & worked as a nurse in England before moving to Montreal, Canada where she has her own private coaching practise. http://www.untappedbrilliance.com
Friday 26 February 2010
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