Marilyn Bohn | Creative Organizer

Fear leads to cluttering.

When I was about 10 years old I was in a recreation program. I loved going there everyday because it was fun and it got me out of picking raspberries. We would get up at 4:30 in the morning and start picking as soon as it was light. We kids got to leave the field at 9:00 to walk the ¾ of a mile (I swear it was at least 3 miles) to catch the bus to the center.

At the end of the swimming class which I loved we were required to dive into the pool, swim the length and back. I could swim, but I was afraid to dive. As I stood there looking into the pool with my arms poised to dive in yet too afraid to do so some kid a little older than I was came along and said, “its easy to dive in”, and then in he dove. Without thinking about it I dove in immediately after him, swam the length and back and passed my test.

All it took for me to conquer my fear was for someone to do it with me. As a professional home and office organizer I find people who are fearful of missing out on important information and never see it again if that certain magazine isn’t kept. All that information is available on the Internet and really how often do you go back to that article to read when it is a few months old? By that time several more magazines have arrived.

Or do you think if you don’t try that new hobby or craft you saw in the magazine you will miss out on fun experiences? Again you can go to the internet or books from your library or a local group to pick up a new hobby or learn a new craft.

How about self help articles? Tear out the article and put between plastic and save in a three ring binder. Put a sticky note on the paper and if you haven’t taken the advice or done the activity in (give yourself a time limit) say three months, then toss that too.

If you keep magazines because someday you will get to them because you spent good money for them, you can’t get your money back, so donate to a waiting room or a shelter, cancel your subscription if you don’t use the magazine and get ride of another potential clutter.

Let go a little at a time. It is less painful and overwhelming. Once you have practice getting rid of a few things it will become easier the next time. You don’t want your clutter to control you, but doubts and fears can cause that very thing to happen. De-cluttering is not brain surgery. People don’t die because they let go of a piece of clutter. However having it around can be a terrible burden on your mind and can possibly cause accidents.

As you start to get rid of things that are really just clutter notice how good you feel and compliment yourself on your progress. It can be done and you can do it.