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As seen in the Dayton Daily News on August 13, 2016.

There is much truth in Peter Walsh’s quote, “Clutter expands to the space you give it.”

Unlike during the depression era, today’s families have an abundance of discretionary income and buy items in excess. The problem is all these extra items need to be stored in our homes.

Frequently, you buy storage bins, furniture, cabinets and shelving units so you can organize your clutter. Is this really how you want to spend your time? Shopping for storage products, boxing stuff up, labeling it, stacking it and moving clutter from room to room or even house to house?

If not, you have to get out of this cycle by reducing the amount of stuff you allow into your home. You need to create rules to keep clutter at bay, while eliminating storage products that make it easier for you to store clutter.

The first step is to eliminate excess from entering your home. Add your name to the reduce junk mail lists.  Avoid sale items and free giveaways, unless you have an immediate need for these products.

Next, create rules that keep clutter at bay. For example, you will now use flat surfaces in your home for their intended purposes.

Any flat surface becomes fair game for stockpiling things. In many homes, the kitchen table is no longer being used for families to gather around, enjoy a meal together and catch up on life’s happenings.  Instead, it’s piled high with junk mail, purchases that haven’t been put away and items carried in from the car.

The table ends up getting so full that you often put up a card table, your ironing board or purchase additional furniture for additional storage.

To keep this from happening, you have to create a rule. The kitchen table will no longer be used to store things. You didn’t purchase your table as a storage solution so stop using it as one. Instead use it for active things like dining, working on projects or playing family games.

To make this rule stick, create a bin elsewhere to store mail. All purchases and items brought in from the car get put away immediately instead of dumped on the table.

In addition, remove the extra flat surfaces you introduced to the area. By not adding these additional spaces to your home, you reduce number of areas where clutter can collect.

Your kitchen was designed to store food and items used for food preparation and clean up. Use it for its intended purpose. Not a place to cram extras.

Go through your home and eliminate storage solutions that are harboring clutter.

The last time I organized my own garage I took cabinets off the walls and reduced the number of shelving units we had. As our children reach adulthood and get places of their own, our family size is getting smaller. I need less storage solutions then when they were younger. We’re now not tempted to hold on to things just because we have the storage space to do so.

Instead of thinking, I need more organizing products or a bigger house, change your mindset to “I need less stuff.” When you do this, you’ll stop spending time organizing and start doing the things you enjoy.

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