tips on having an organized life and staying organized. ex: your space like closet & room as well as mentally
Random out of order thoughts popping up:
(Context: I'm a ex-hoarder teen turned borderline minimalist adult)
Get it done as soon as possible. peace of mind is priceless and you will wish you did it earlier. So might as well get it done now without derping around.
Try thinking of the ideal lifestyle you want to acheive. What is Ideal You doing in her life? How is her schedule? Her lifestyle? Imagine. Then you got a good goal to acheive, a WHY to your process.
Physical clutter equals to mental clutter. Mental clutter equals to physical clutter. Attack both at the same time. Eliminate stressors from your life. Simplify your routines to the essential. Simplify to a level you feel HAPPY in.
Do NOT minimize to a level where you become UNCOMFORTABLE because of lack. You aren't in some survival show. It is daily life, not catastrophe re-creation.
Limit your organization tools to only a few simple ones. To the point. No need for 5 or 6 schedules, stick to one. Get ALL your organization in one spot. For me it's Google Agenda and mirror stickies for next day reminders.
If you have tasks, target to make them a daily, weekly or monthly routine. It makes easier, liberates mental space for better opportunities. My Saturdays are cleaning days. My Sundays are art days. My Fridays are spin-down evernings. My Mondays are "Do as muc of the week's work so the rest of the week goes smoothly". I never really change from that basic routine. Some days I may change things up (Parties, unplanned stuff, emergencies) but I try to at least MAINTAIN my routine. I pace my brain's pace that way. Human braisn freaking love routine, they THRIVE in it. I am not different, neither are you.
The stuff that can be repaired then routinely worn? Go repair it RIGHT NOW. If you aren't going to fix/repair within the week, give it away or trash it. If you can't do it now, it's gonna occupy mental space and make your mindspace cluttered. See the physical clutter equals mental clutter point earlier.
Start with trash first, then clothes, and papers. All three are major sources of clutter. It WILL be time-consumpting. But it is normal.
Why are hotels so fun? Because everything is to the point. And is designed for extremely easy cleanup. Only a FEW decorative items. Everything in small baskets. Minimal laundry (only sheets, towels, maybe curtains). And when you go sleep in hotels you only bring the most essential stuff. The stuff you need NOW. Then... how about trying to recreate that hotel feel at home?
Try to EMPTY first before buying more. If that face cream is not really efficient, downgrade it to a body cream. Empty the shampoo and conditioner bottle before buying more. Empty the toothpaste before buying more. Once it comes close to become empty, write the item on the shopping list. You DO NOT need 5 of a kind. if you don't know where such item is, it is an issue. Not some "silly mistake". Reorganize your stuff until you find the stuff you needed. You DO NOT buy more.
On the same vein, same thing for food. Only stock up on the ESSENTIALS (highly dependent from one household to another, for me it's flour, pasta, broth, onions, potato, squash, rice) when they are on sale. Only buy as you go and try to EMPTY the food unless it's spoiled. Do not buy another pot of yogurt if there's already two in your fridge sorta thing.
Obviously, if the product you did buy is ultimately shitty and can't be repurposed for something else, or it is expired, make yourself a favor and get rid of it.
The reason people accumulate clutter, shop excessively, accumulate food, are scared to get rid of stuff, in my honest personal opinion, is related to a fear of the future, an insecurity. Our behavior is a reflection of the mindset we are in. A fear of losing everything, a fear of stepping lower, a fear of lacking. Work on rationalizing those things and BECOME ACTUALLY PREPARED instead of constantly worrying. Once prepped, let it GO. It is gonna be fine. You are prepared.
A well maintained household with less stuff will go through things better than an overwhelmed household.
One lady I used to know hoarded food, she had 6 fridges chokeful of food (frozen, not frozen) and she stocked even more in dry goods. The consequence of this stuff on her that I did observe is that she became overwhelmed by the whole situation, thus increasing her fears, her insecurity. Then it became a vicious cycle. She bought more to allieviate her fears, more food went to waste due to rot and freezer burn, more of her money went to the gutter.
Even is hoarding is an extreme example, we can have some lessons from that (hard and emotionnally difficult) situation and reflect on our own situation. Another thing is that we UNDERESTIMATE the clutter we have. We think it ain't so bad, until we clean it up and realize how shitty it was.
Books in order of relevance: Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Power of Habit.
