LEARN
The Art of the Start
The time has come: you are ready to face that space and clear it out.
Right there?
Bravo!
Your journey has already begun.
Here are a few tips which may help you to brighten a corner:
Allow a time so that you can focus. This could be 15 minutes, an hour or an afternoon. It's a time that you intentionally set aside to focus on the project at hand. Not in the mood? No worries. Take it easy - but take it. Challenge yourself, kindly, and see what happens.
Pick one area in your home or office. Start with a box, a drawer or a corner and go from there. You may be surprised how the smallest action step can lead to positive momentum and results.
What is your vision for this space. Take a moment. Envision this area, the way you wish it to be, and how you will feel afterward. Hold that thought. It can go a long way.
Don’t think of it a “chore.” Approach this with an open mind, a game to play, a puzzle to be solved -- and achieved. Put on your favorite music. And begin!
Remove everything out of that one area. Have boxes or bags ready as you clear the area. Items are either trashed, recycled, donated, gifted or kept. Let go of any unused, outdated or unwanted items that simply no longer serve you.
What's your favorite local charity? Those shoes, clothing, dishes, toys may just be someone else's next best treasure. Smile at this. Locally, your favorite charity knows where items can best be served. "Friends of the Library" welcomes books, DVD's and magazines. Children in Africa need shoes to attend schools, even flip flops. Donate. And feel the rewards.
Do you love it or is it time to let it go? Anything you do not love or use is probably clutter. Do you love it? Does it lift you up? It helps to ask yourself this as you go along. Physically shifting something that no longer works for you, releases the emotional and physical energy attached to it. It’s here, in the releasing, where the treasures of freedom and empowerment are found.
Memorabilia can be tricky. It can be photographed, consolidated or put into a “maybe” box to be dealt with at another time. Do what you can. This is a process. It may take time, but there is no time like the present to actively create space in your life. Keep going.
Keep what lifts you up. Clear the space, clean the items, return and organize them. Favorite items may work beautifully in another area or room.
Practice. Anybody who has ever achieved anything began with a first step. You've done that. So just keep at it.
Then...
Celebrate! You did it! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! Celebrate any achievement, no matter how "small", by building in a reward. You DID it!
And enjoy the results.
As Mary Oliver wrote, this really is "your one most wild and precious life"
It is so worth it. Because you are.
Good luck!
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Ask for help. Oops! Got stuck? It happens. Keep going. When the going gets tough, the tough…ask for help. If you get stuck, get support. Go online, talk to a friend or -- Yes! -- you can call me! I'd love to hear from you and chat more about your organizing needs.
