The Cost of Clutter

What is the cost of clutter in your life?

I have become aware that clutter exists in several areas of my life and by clearing the clutter away I can have a more productive and peaceful life. Here are a few clutter areas worth considering.

Awards – Awards are a good reminder of our past achievements but they can also hold us back from your future accomplishment.

Balance this with a dream board and some white space, or why not place an empty shelf with a sign, future awards? (Resource: How to Create a Dream Board) 

Walls – Wall clutter such as pictures, awards, books shelves, even art, can contribute to making a space feel small. Lack of “white space” also detracts from the perspective of art.

Why not rotate the wall ornaments like some people do with seasonal decorations? Art galleries do this all the time to show different works of art. You too can do this with your home or office space. (Resource: Random Interior Ideas)

Kitchen – Some people love gadgets like food processors, food steamers, bread makers and other kitchen appliances that can add to kitchen counter clutter.

Why not approach your kitchen appliances another way: What one or two items will do multiple tasks? Now if you are a specialty cook or maybe an avid cook or baker this may not work. But for the average American, we can usually do with a few less items on our kitchen counters. (Resource: Real Simple)

Closet – Almost everyone in America has too much clutter in their closets. There are people who earn a living just from helping you with your closet: organize it, build a bigger one, select what not to wear and select cloths to get rid of.

Why not take it all out and only re-hang what you really wear or really like. Then give the rest to Goodwill, sell to a ‘gently worn’ store, or on eBay. It might be easier to do it one section at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed. (Resource: My Home Ideas)

Garage – Can you park your car in your garage? I am surprised to see how many Americans park their $30,000+ automobiles in the driveway or in the street. For some of us, it is due to an abundance of “stuff” that just won’t fit in our house.

Why not get rid of the items you really don’t need or use and organize the garage like a professional. It’s nice to pull into the garage on a rainy day, especially with an automatic garage door opener versus parking outside in the rain. (Resource: The Family Handyman)

Work – Is your desk or cubicle a tool for efficient work or a place where things stack up and get in the way? There are many books and blogs on the subject of organizing your work space with principles like “only touch a piece of paper once.” In our digital age it can be written as “only open an email or document once.”

Why not block out time for specific task, especially the high pay-off ones like strategy or creativity? Also, try to remove all distractions from your view. I use head phones to block out distractions and close my email, Skype and Social Media sites. (Resource: 10 Ways to Remove Clutter from Your Life )

Life – Do you lead a busy life? Most of us do. We find ourselves “running” from event to event in work, social and family life. We even fill our vacations with tasks like Chevy Chase in the movie “Vacation.”

What would it mean to you and your family to have “down time” or “quiet time”? How might life be richer? So many of us are running to or from something that if we slow down we have to face the reality of life. But the reality of life will eventually catch us. Why not address the issues of life in a “head on fashion” so we can enjoy quiet time? (Resource: Simple Living Manifesto)

In closing, I suggest you give yourself some time to remove the clutter of life. It did not build up overnight, so it might take longer than one weekend to de-clutter your life. My goal is be in a place of less clutter by this time next year. When I move, I want to have less to move. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

P.S. A great Dallas based resource for help de-clutter your life is Misty Keown

Future Events of Worth

April 20          DFW AMA: GameStop – Designing a Loyalty Program for Today’s Consumer

April 20          World Affairs Council: Ending Iran’s Quest for Nuclear Weapons – Barry Blechman, Ph.D.

April 21          Untyed Arlington: What the Heck is Sales 2.0?

April 25          iPhone Dev MeetUp: A Tour of the AT&T Foundry, Plano

April 26          Dallas Business Club: Bell Helicopter President & CEO John Garrison Jr.

April 26          Dallas Harvard Club: From Social Media to Mobile Apps: The Next Big Wave

April 27          DFW AMA: Google 2011: Impacts on Local Internet Marketing

April 27          Digital Dallas: “Moroch: Be Curious”

April 28          AAF Dallas: Happy Hour at Blue Mesa Addison

May 3             Aggie Business Luncheon: Rachel Hayden, P.E. President of Hayden Consulting Inc.

May 5             World Affairs Council: Richard North Patterson, Author of “The Devil’s Light”