In today's fast life, we all have everything needed for survival, rather way more than that. We have overloaded closets, overflowing pantries, piles of papers and books more than a bookstore! Due to our increasing needs, we keep buying new stuff and just fail to organize or arrange everything well. As a result we end up cluttering our surroundings including our House and working area. This clutter is a nasty enemy which lives in our surroundings and keeps bothering us in many ways.
What does this clutter do?
This clutter keeps hiding itself in the corners of our rooms, filling our side tables and making our house look messy!
This whole scenario makes us sad, confused and gives a feeling of failure. Whenever we get stressed, we start cleaning our home or office because it gives us a sense of peace.
What if we get that peace everyday, every minute and every second we spend in our house or office. In this article I am going to tell you 5 secrets that will make your house clutter-free and your life peaceful.
1. A Place For Everything
It's an old Japanese saying "to keep everything in place, there has to be a place for everything." This is so true to solve our daily life chaos; for example, if you see your bills/card statements lying all over your house, then take a clear bag and put all the bills/statements in it. Announce loudly to your family that these sort of papers are going to be there in this clear bag only!
You will be surprised to see how fast these annoying bills and statements just disappear and stay at one place always! This rule is applicable for everything, right from laundry clothes to your spectacles!
2. Art of Discarding
This is a little hard to follow but is mandatory. You need to discard excess stuff to make breathing space in your home as well as in your life.
Organizing and decluttering expert Marie Kondo swears by this step. According to her you need to put all your clothing (or anything you are organizing) on the floor -- every piece has to be there on the floor. Then you sit there, take each cloth in your hand and ask yourself, does it spark joy in your heart? If yes then keep it, otherwise discard it.
You will be amazed by the insight you get by following this step. You will come to know about the huge clutter that you have, and you wear just five tops in your routine. Keep those five and get rid of others!
Somebody else may need them!
3. Label Everything
Labeling everything is the key to remain sorted! For example, you cleaned and arranged your pantry and kept three baskets for snacks, cereals and nuts. Then after a few days, you will see the nuts basket overloading with snack items and vice versa! Everything is messed up -- why? Your family didn't support your efforts? No, its not that! You just didn't tell them!
They will need a constant reminder, and the labels will do that. Label each basket and you will see that even after a month, your snack basket will have only snacks in them!
4. Cardboard boxes are your best friends
What if you want a medicine and you have a whole cupboard or drawer filled with them. Finding the exact one that you need is another pain. Solution is here, grab a few cardboard boxes (shoe box will do), cover them with your favorite piece of fabric or paper, label them as painkillers/multivitamins/ointments etc or label of your choice and keep the medicines in them.
You will always find your stuff at the right place with this categorization. Just take care about the size of box as they should fit in your drawers!
5. Minimalism is the key
Less stuff means less clutter! So move towards minimalism. If you are a keeper, then try to donate at least one old clothing when you buy a new one.
Let the old showpieces, ancient crockery that you never use, the toys of your grownup kids and the old exercising machines that you no longer use leave your house! Thank them for serving you and let them go! You will feel relieved!
If you follow these five principles, then you will see your house transform, your relationships improve, peace flourish and happiness bloom in your life!
Give it a try because,"Whenever you keep everything in place, your life starts falling in place too!"