The effects of clutter on mental and emotional health.
Clutter Effects on Mental Health
● Close call.
I am somewhat claustrophobic. I would not do well trapped in an abandoned vertical mine shaft, but sometimes that’s how I feel when navigating through my stuff: confined, hemmed in, trapped.
IKEA has lots of cheap organizing solutions
● Contain yourself.
Clutter makes it hard to find misplaced items. Just moving stacks from one place to another can be frustrating. So, if you are ready to become a reformed Clutter Bunny like me, you are ready for organization. Any loose piles must be contained. Try large plastic stackable bins to avoid a slowing-moving avalanche. I have two wonderful closets in my main office. I took out the clothing rods and built shelves. One closet holds tools and repair items. The other, office supplies, tax returns, and some of those bins of papers—yeah, I’ll get to it.
● File that.
Even though the goal of dealing with clutter is to minimize and eliminate, some papers may need to be stored. Keep books in a bookcase and papers in file folders in a file cabinet. I have a three-drawer file cabinet I painted black. If you have the space and need more, a four-drawer file cabinet would be great, as would a storage cabinet. Just don’t forget to periodically check for files you can purge. After all, tidying and hiding clutter are just the beginning.
Love my slant file, this one from Office Depot
● Dr. Chaos.
Simply looking at out-of-control stacks gives me the heebie-jeebies. Clutter can create noise and debilitating confusion when looking for documents or timely job orders. Place current job orders and related information in separate folders in an incline desktop file folder sorter. I have two and love ‘em and they are within reach of my desk.
● Out of focus.
Clutter distractions create noise and an inability to focus on the task at hand. “Um, where was I?”
● Tomorrow and tomorrow…
Yeah, we promise. Broken promise after broken promise. Tomorrows stacked end to end. Sometimes the procrastination is literally more stressful than the clutter. So, TODAY pick up just five pages from one pile (now in storage bins, right?) and file or toss. Even I can handle that.
Before/After organizing from Woman’s day
● Red in the face. My friend Rebecca felt terribly embarrassed about her clutter and refused to open the door to friends, even family, and never gave out her address to clients. Unable to entertain her daughter, grandchildren and friends left her sad and lonely. Rebecca since has started to work with a professional organizer, and now handles the disorder a little better with each session.
Clutter can affect your mental, emotional state. And “mess” with your mind. Jumping in to dispose of your clutter just won’t happen with Clutter Bunnies. So, take baby steps. First assess your office or home, then check out storage options: closet organizers, bookshelves, file cabinets, storage cabinets, stackable bins, totes and baskets. Once your clutter is contained, regularly grab at least 5 pages, more if you can stand it, and see what you can better organize or toss. Do this three times a week and send you inner Clutter Bunny hopping!
