Is your home a reflection of your state of mind? Maybe it’s time for a bit of mental spring cleaning as well as clearing away the household clutter.
As a long-term clutter-junkie, I have recently been trying to establish routines to prevent the mess taking over my life.
Sandra Felton, the founder of Messies Anonymous, suggests that some people are naturally organised and others, Messies, just don’t have the inbuilt mental strategies to automatically deal with the clutter of everyday life.
Home Organisation Books
There are some great books out there that discuss how to clean and organise your home. After sifting through far too many of them, and thus avoiding actually dealing with the problem, I have managed to find a few that are genuinely helpful.
- Speed Cleaning by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming (ABC Books, 2006) - advice on not only how to clean things, but how to set up a cleaning routine that will save time and energy (always a good thing).
- Sorted! by Lissanne Oliver (Hardie Grant, 2007) - a step by step guide to clearing the backlog of home organisation tasks to free up time and space for everyday living.
- Smart Organising by Sandra Felton (Revell, 2005) - advice for Messies on how to bring order to your home.
Mental Spring Cleaning
Sometimes the best way to deal with the clutter is to think about our own attitudes, habits and priorities. Spring is a great time for a bit of mental spring cleaning, as much as it is for airing and tidying a home. For some tips and articles on having a more balanced life, visit Jerry Lopper, Suite101’s Personal Development Feature Writer.
Task for the Week
Make a decision to conquer the clutter! Get some advice from a clutter-free friend, read a book like one of those mentioned above (and apply what you have learned), or think about chatting with a Life Coach to learn some strategies for greater life balance.
