As seen in the Dayton Daily News on March 26, 2016.
The National Soap and Detergent Association did a study and came to the conclusion that getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40% of housework.
That’s a lot of hours you could gain to do something you enjoy, rather than dusting and vacuuming your life away.
Since most people would agree that cleaning their home is not on their list of favorite things to do, it makes sense to organize before you clean.
Sometimes while working with my clients, they often get out the vacuum before we finish organizing a room. They vacuum where they can, then head down the hallway and into another room vacuuming like crazy.
This puzzled me at first. They hired me to help them organize, then abandon me while they go off cleaning instead.
Then it dawned on me. When you clean, you don’t have to make decisions about your things.
When you organize, you come face to face with difficult decision making. Therefore when the going gets tough, you head for the vacuum to avoid making hard decisions.
Disorganization is caused by the lack of making decisions. When you continue to escape by going the cleaning route, your home becomes more cluttered and consequently more difficult to clean.
Consider this phrase, “An uncluttered house looks cleaner than a clean house that is cluttered?”
If you agree with this, it’s time to lock up your cleaning supplies and start making decisions about the things you have been keeping.
You only have two times to make decisions about your stuff; now or later.
If you do it now, you get to reap the benefits of letting go of excess things that have been in your way and stressing you out. Plus, you’ll spend less time cleaning.
If you wait till later, you’ll be overwhelmed by having too much and have a constant nagging feeling about it all. You’ll also waste time looking for things, live in a home where you’re not comfortable and continue to worry that someone may see it like it is.
You can also decide to postpone making decisions and do nothing. If you choose this route, two things will happen.
You will age and possibly become ill or weak. You’ll be unable to deal with your stuff so your loved ones will be the ones making decisions regarding your things. You may not be happy with what they decide, but you can no longer control what happens.
Or, you’ll pass away leaving your loved ones to deal with a house full of things you should have taken care of. This is completely unfair, since they probably have busy lives of their own.
Making decisions about your stuff is difficult, but not making decisions can lead to a life of wasted time cleaning and unpleasant consequences.