|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Are you plagued by clutter in your personal or professional life? Is there someone in your family or your work who is? Based on my experience, the answer is probably "Yes!"
As a professional organizing consultant for more than 20 years, I have discovered that eight out of ten people are bogged down in life with physical clutter somewhere in their lives. Ironically, most of them suffer in silence. In many cases, you would never know it just by seeing them, or even working with them, because they are frequently some of the smartest and most successful people in the world. In far more cases than most people believe, the clutter actually drives them to do or not to do the very things they want most or want not to do. In some cases, it causes emotional paralysis, even mental illness. The only thing stronger that their desire to get of the clutter is their desire to hang on to it, and a vicious cycle results.
My consulting business has been built on the concept "Clutter is Postponed Decisions®." In the beginning, I was referring to the physical clutter that plagues so many people in our increasingly materialist society. When I began to explore this issue, it became evident that the physical clutter was an outgrowth of another kind of clutter: emotional clutter ? internal beliefs that control our behavior and our results.
If I just get organized, I will be able to do it all. I, or someone else I know, might need it someday If I keep it long enough, I can justify the fact that I bought it. I can't get rid of it because someone else gave it to me.
You can keep everything you want if you are willing to pay the price: time, space, money, and energy.
It suddenly occurred to me that decision-making about our emotional environment is just as important as decision-making about our physical environment. Deciding what thoughts to keep determine whether we just "keep on keeping on" or learn from our experiences, move on to even better things, and help others to learn by our example.
I once interviewed an extremely talented and prolific painter in her home studio. It was filled with beautiful paintings. "Do you ever like something you create so much that you can't let go of it," I asked. "On, no," she immediately responded. "I have to. Otherwise nothing new would come."
© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
Wind Chimes and more... So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't... Read More The Productive Environment Scorecard?Read the statements below and rate your... Read More At this point, you have probably run across some belongings... Read More I gathered some things you can do this spring while... Read More Sometimes major life lessons come from the most unlikely of... Read More The word "compartmentalize" means to separate into distinct parts. I... Read More Do you feel like you just get too much e-mail?... Read More I recently had a conversation with a friend about clutter.... Read More Questions come my way all the time regarding my God-given... Read More Have nothing in your houses that you do not know... Read More It takes effort to get results, and not just any... Read More Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such... Read More "Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts... Read More Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More Getting and staying organized is critical to achieving your goals.... Read More Back-to-school time ? what does that mean to you? For... Read More Clutter costs you time, money, space, and peace of mind.... Read More Your closet is often the first thing you see in... Read More Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More Life is about maintaining a balance of all aspects. At... Read More Some people would say I'm the last person in the... Read More Have you ever heard that having a cluttered home can... Read More Clothes. Check. School supplies. Check. No doubt you've got to... Read More Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More Finish each day and be done with it. You have... Read More
Windchimes
for great gifts!
Basic Organizing Principles
Just How Organized Are You? Take This Quiz For Individuals
Letting Go Of Your Excuses
It?s Spring Cleaning Time? Let?s Make Room For Abundance!
Life Lessons - Get What You Want; A Lesson from a Green Sea Turtle!
Compartmentalize
Overcoming E-mail Overload Using Microsoft Outlook
The Five Ways To Ease The Process Of Eliminating Clutter
Organized For Life
Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools
Get Organised and Transform Your Life
Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces
Can You Make a ?Torpedo? Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have
Spring Clean Your Life
Getting Organized for Achievement
Ending The Morning Madness
Clutter Crisis?
Creating The Perfect Closet
Clutters Side Effects: How the State of Your Home Affects Your Life
The Balance of Balance
Letting Go of Clutter In Your Office
How Clutter Chases Money Away
Family Management Tip #3: Getting Ready for the New School Year
Thinking Outside the Box
Declutter for Sucess
I recently read an article that had some interesting but... Read More
1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing... Read More
1. Sink to their level. Get on your knees in... Read More
Are you plagued by clutter in your personal or professional... Read More
Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space... Read More
Ever wonder how they do it? How a short-order cook... Read More
Do you feel like you just get too much e-mail?... Read More
I talk about the mail a lot in my newsletter,... Read More
Take a look around you right now. Look away from... Read More
Spring is here and its time to sweep away the... Read More
Finish each day and be done with it. You have... Read More
1) It's easy to have a good clear out: Not... Read More
"My job is an endless series of deadlines, I am... Read More
Paper1. You may already be in the habit of filing... Read More
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Have a to-do list a mile... Read More
What's an item that can help you organize every room... Read More
We are in a society where people are applauded for... Read More
After a long winter, this is the time of year... Read More
The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More
Keeping on task and getting organized starts with a basic... Read More
Spring is such a refreshing time- we are filled with... Read More
Digging out from under stacks of paper might seem like... Read More
Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day... Read More
Buried under mountains of paperwork from your company? Do the... Read More
After more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and a... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |