Clearing Out Your Life’s Clutter

You need to have a strict “no clutter” policy if you want to be productive during the day.

Are you overwhelmed and stressed out because of all the clutter in your life?  Did you know that even just looking at clutter can cause you a lot of stress and anxiety? Clearing away your clutter can improve your overall well-being. It’s not that hard to begin decluttering your life, just follow these simple steps.

Cluttered up

Clutter seems to sneak up on us and it can be found just about anywhere: in our drawers, on our desk, on our shelves, in closets, on the computer… No matter the place, clutter seems to find its way into all available space. This clutter can cause us to feel overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, and depressed. You can achieve an uncluttered life with some simple methods.

Starting today, devote some time to getting rid of the clutter from your life and keeping it as clutter free as possible. When you do this, you will be greatly rewarded with a less stressful life, pleasing living spaces, and improved productivity and organization. Clutter only distracts us, weighs us down, and causes a very chaotic lifestyle.

Let’s go over ways you can clear out the clutter in your life!

1.  Declutter your desk

If you can’t see your desk because of all the clutter, then it’s time to clear it off so that you can have a better working environment. Here is the best way to declutter your desk top.

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• Clear the entire surface: Take everything that is on top of the desk off and place it in piles on the floor. The only items you want on top of your desk are your computer, phone, printer and other equipment.
• Clean: Wipe off the entire desk until it shines.
• Sort: This is the major part of this whole process. You now need to sort through all the piles one at a time. Have a garbage bag ready and throw out as much as you possibly can. File the papers that need filed and put away the things that do not belong on your desk.
• Find homes: Now you’ll have to place things back onto the desk. Set up a filing system and use folders, one for each client or project. Use drawers for the office supplies and other type things. Be sure that everything is in its designated place.
• Leave all the flat surfaces empty: Do not place things on the top of your desk. Use an inbox for incoming papers, then be sure you sort them daily to either toss, or file so that nothing is left on the desk.

2.  Declutter your files

You need to declutter your files regularly. Keep your files using an alphabetical system and keep all files in one place.

You should go through these files and get rid of anything you no longer need. You will drastically reduce the size of your files down when you do this regularly.

Toss out as many papers as you can: many times we will have copies of things we will never use again.

3.  Declutter your information

In our digital world, there are endless ways in which information finds its way into our lives and it can become overwhelming. This is what I call information clutter, and we get way more of it than we ever need.

You need to schedule certain times of your day when you check things like RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, email, forums, news, etc. Find a way to reduce the amount of what you read daily, get rid of the things that are not giving you any value, reduce the amount of TV and news you get, get rid of those magazine subscriptions and just keep your information to the bare minimum.

Don’t let information overload rule your life. Only access information in the allotted time slots.

4.  Declutter your computer

Declutter your computer by deleting files you no longer need. Clear the icons on your desktop, as they cause visual clutter, slow down your computer, and do not provide the best way to access your programs, files or folders. Learn to set up hotkeys instead. 

SEE ALSO: If you want to get more from your life, and are looking for concrete action steps to get you there, check out our Request a Coach page. It’s a “cut the fence-sitting and take action” way to tackle your issues and actually find success. You’ll be matched with the coaches most suited to you to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To get off the fence and start to take action, click or tap here.

With so many online search programs and tools you really don’t need to have your files in a complex collection of directories and subdirectories—all you need to do is archive them and search later. You should go through all your computer files every two months and delete as much as possible.

5.  Declutter your commitments

We don’t just surround ourselves with physical clutter, we also are cluttered by all we feel we have to do. Go through all the areas of your life: work, home, civic, religious, family, friends, hobbies. Write down all your commitments such as meetings, sporting events, volunteer work, and so on. All these tasks can become very overwhelming.

Examine each of your commitments and decide which ones truly give you value and enjoy in your life, and if the commitment is worth your energy and time. Pick the commitments that you truly enjoy doing. Get rid of the rest.

You will need to learn how to say no but it’s for your own happiness and well being if you do. One by one, let go of all the commitments which are not bringing you value and you will find that you’ll now have the time to do things that really are important to you.

Conclusion

Well done! You have decluttered your life and are sure to find yourself that much more relaxed and productive. If you find yourself having difficulty with any of these decluttering steps, consider talking to a life coach to help motivate and guide you through the process. Enjoy your clutter-free life!

If you want to get more from your life, and are looking for concrete action steps to get you there, check out our Request a Coach page. It’s a “cut the fence-sitting and take action” way to tackle your issues and actually find success. You’ll be matched with the coaches most suited to you to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To get off the fence and start to take action, click or tap here.