Mindful Clutter Combat by Hannah
People have a tendency to accumulate stuff. We cram it onto bookshelves, nightstands, closets, and corners. We’re all guilty of accumulating clutter, even when it may not seem like a problem clutter can cause unwanted and unneeded amounts of stress. For me, my desk is clutter central. Anything and everything can (sometimes) be found on, under, and in that desk; who knew one drawer could hold so much stuff!
The desk and all of its clutter is centered in the room nearly at the foot of my bed. I was unknowingly letting the clutter consume me. I woke up to the clutter, studied with the clutter, and sometimes even dusted around the clutter. I don’t know about you, but waking up to a desk full of late night caffeine fueled lab reports and paperwork can wreak havoc on one’s stress levels.
I started noticing this little clutter stash atop my desk migrating to the floor around it and to the chair beside it. The clutter was metastasizing and slowly taking over my room and my life. I decided to take action!
Now, cleaning is not my strong suite, the idea of spending a weekend cleaning and organizing exhausts me before I even pick up a dust rag! So, I took it slow and started with THE desk.
At first, I was a little overwhelmed at all the junk I had to sift through, but the idea of trashing some of this stuff was exhilarating! (I decided to keep the Otis (the big dust bunny sitting on my textbooks)
I plugged in my headphones and went to work (Dave Matthews Band certainly knows how to come up with some awesome cleaning jams!) First, I cleared everything off the desk and took all the knick-knacks out of the drawer. I dusted every nook. It almost looked brand new again!
Once, I had dusted my heart out, I moved to the clutter hoard that had moved to my floor. There are just some things that you can’t get rid of, like tax papers, as much as I would love to get rid of that folder, I didn’t (even though I was so very tempted!). Instead, I sat and went through every folder and notebook and trashed things I didn’t even remember were in that little drawer. My trashcan was overflowing. The hardest part was over! Now, I just had to organize what was left. Every highlighter and sticky note had a home and my running shoes were no longer sitting with my notebooks. The clutter was gone!
Often, cleaning and organizing can seem like the most daunting task in the world, but if taken in baby steps it can be a quick and easy (maybe even fun!) mission.
To make the de-cluttering sessions seem a little less stressful. I played some of my favorite work out jams to make it a little bit more enjoyable (Dusting and dancing go hand in hand!). Plus, who said you have to de-clutter the whole house in one day, take it slow and start with one area or piece of furniture that’s sprouted some unnecessary junk.
Trust me, once the clutter is gone it will make a world of difference! I no longer have to wake up to piles of paperwork and search frantically for my dog, when he’s buried under mounds of homework! It’s such a relief to have a clean de-cluttered area! Next week, I’ll tackle the clutter in my closest. Clutter 0 Hannah 1! (No animals were harmed in the making of this blog!)