Mind Over Matter Of Clear Lake invites to CLEAR THE CLUTTER
Myrene Dickinson
Okay, if the title of my article caught your attention and now you are reading these words, then you are genuinely motivated to declutter your living space. As I write I am making a mental list of items that no longer serve a purpose in my life.
I know that our living circumstances vary; some of us still have children living at home, others work over 10 hours a day, and some simply don’t have enough storage space.
Transitioning from a full house to an empty nest can be a slow process. From time to time, we shop for an army instead of one or two people; we cook for a whole brigade instead of one person; we keep knick-knacks around thinking someone in the family will use it someday. Who are we kidding? Are you keeping furniture for your kids? Do you think 2 years from now they will want it? Are you willing to continue stubbing your toes for another 2 years?
The result of the mounting mess we accumulate creates lethargy and slows down our brain. Our lives revolve around what we are used to and make us comfortable, but are we really happy hoarding all those beanie babies or 6 cupcake pans? My take on this is that if you are an adult or empty-nester, you shouldn’t have one, period.
Now that we have concluded that you need to do a complete overhaul of your living space, be mindful of putting away things in their respective abodes. Ready? Grab some gloves and comfortable shoes. Let’s start with the floor.
Floor
No telling what you’ll find in those far corners of the closet. You’ll need enough space for bins, hampers, and to move around. Separate your finding into three piles: keep, throw away, and donate. If you are over 50 and an empty nester, consider two piles: donating or throwing out. Now, take those bins or bags out to your car for a short trip to their final destination.
Now that you have decluttered your floor space, let’s tackle the kitchen.
Kitchen
Make a quick mental inventory of all those pots and pans you never use that clutter your cabinets and kitchen counters. Quick, please, we are not going to stall in memory lane. Be ruthless! Do you really need a super-sized chili pot? C’mon, what are you going to use it for if you are over 50? For the family reunion? If I am being presumptive, please ignore; I am talking to myself. If your old cookware is losing its coat, you don’t want it and neither does anyone else. Separate ferrous and non-ferrous pots and pans. If the pot sticks to a magnet, it’s ferrous, so check your curbside recycling guidelines. If your recycler does not accept scrap metal, look online for a place where you can drop these off.
Dry Edibles
Now that you have separated what can be donated from items you no longer need or want, let’s check out your condiment rack, drawers, and shelves. Have a magnifying glass handy and read the expiration dates on each item. Get rid of anything that has expired or is about to expire including medicines you keep in the kitchen. Now, take a look at the remaining products. Are you going to need those anytime soon? If the answer is no, you know what to do.
Bathrooms
We tend to accumulate hair products, makeup, lotions, sprays, and soaps that we only use once and stash away in the furthest corner of a bathroom cabinet. If you haven’t used a product in the past 2 months, what is the likelihood that you will use it anytime soon? Toss it!
Medicines
Safely dispose of any expired medicines, whether over the counter or prescribed. Just get rid of it. You don’t need these items constantly reminding you that you once suffered from stomach ulcers.
Broken figurines and other décor
Broken figurines and other décor
If it’s broken why are you keeping it? Don’t mend it; it’s lost its value. Keeping broken items around the house may keep you from moving on to greener pastures.
Incomplete sets of ‘whatever’ – nope, you don’t need that either. Stained tablecloths, cushion covers, and more. Why do you still want it? Broken chair leg? Puzzles with missing pieces? Burned out bulbs? Dead batteries? What on earth? Scratched DVDs and VHS movies you can now find on the internet? Seriously?
Hall or catch all closet and laundry room
Now, let’s take a look inside the closets. All the holiday décor (you probably have 12 Stars of David and Menorahs and 10 super-size plastic containers of Christmas decorations). You have 5 wool coats, yet you live in Texas, or you have 10 raincoats and live in Arizona. Can I ask, “Why?”
Take a look at your sheets and towels. Are they in good enough condition to let your taste-discriminate guests use? Are your small appliances working? Why do you have an empty can of starch on your shelf?
Clothes
Now, let’s move onto a very personal space in your home: your closet. Let’s start with shoes. You probably have some beautiful footwear that no longer fit, are no longer in style, or simply totally worn. OK, get rid of these; they are taking up precious space.
Now, what’s hanging? Take our all your pants and check for tears, fit, style, comfort. If some of your pants have shrunk, more than likely you would look goofy wearing them – Out they go. Now take a look at your shirts, tops, t-shirts. I dare you to try them on – half of them don’t fit, right? Toss ‘em! OK, let me guess . . . if you are a man, you are certain your physique will go back to how it was 20 years ago. In some cases, that might not be a good thing. If you are a woman, you are sure that top makes you look as adorable as it did 10 years ago. Sister, if that’s the case, please share style, color, and brand.
Desk
The most dreaded space on earth must be the workspace. Though we keep our files organized in our electronic devices, we may tend to keep paper junk piled on one corner of our desk. Looking at bills, mailed coupons, brochures can be distracting when working; don’t allow those to accumulate.
As an afterthought, unsubscribe to any causes and organizations you no longer support and online stores you no longer trade with. All that digital propaganda clutters your computer and distracts you from work. Adjust all social notifications to target your needs; you don’t really want to know a LinkedIn’s member’s birthday.
Resulting satisfaction
Once you have reached this point of decluttering your home, you will feel positive energy seeping into your life.
Abstinence – no shopping for a while
Consider yourself clean and banned from soiling your mind and home. Just because the universe hates a void, don’t go shopping to replace the items you just got rid of. Wait at least 2 months before you decide you need something new.
The only purchases you will need are those dealing with food and toiletries. Shop only for nutritious food that you will consume within a week and always take a list with you.
Last but not least, don’t spend money you should be saving. Use the envelop method; if the money is not there, you are not buying it. So, now you are clutter free and probably have a few more dollars in the bank than you had last month. Now, you may begin planning your new home décor. 
