Spring is here!
I am writing this from a beautifully sunny day in central London. Isn’t it funny how I tend to describe the weather, even though I know that the weather is just weather!
So as we look forward to longer, brighter days, the question how can you make each day of your life feel like spring?
How can you literally put a spring in your life everyday?
The answers lies in clearing out the clutter from your life. Before you can start to get a great life, you need to have a clear out – a space in which to create something significant. You must clear out all those things from the past that are holding you back in order to move forward.
Clutter is not just those physical things hoarded for years. It includes relationships, time commitments and other things that use up more of your energy than you can afford to give them.
Is your home full of things you no longer use? Do you have so many commitments that you don’t have quality time for anything? Are you surrounded by people who drain you? If so, then perhaps it is time you reviewed what they add to your life, and what they are taking away. Ask yourself why you are holding on to something.
It is time to let go and move on.
The great benefit of cleaning up your life is that it boosts your energy levels since you are no longer wasting time and mental thoughts on things not of importance to you. You can now focus on the things that really matter.
To get you started, here is my clutter quiz. The idea is to answer NO to as many questions as possible. Wherever you have said YES is an area for further work:-
1. Do you hang on to clothes that no longer fit you?
2. Do you have in your wardrobe items bought years ago and not worn since?
3. Do you own shoes that hurt your feet?
4. Do you own spectacles for old prescriptions?
5. Do you have toiletries or cosmetics which have dried up or are half finished?
6. Do you have a pile of papers /unopened mail/junk mail awaiting action or filing?
7. Do you have a pin-board with more than one layer of papers on it?
8. Do you keep old newspapers or magazines as there is an article you want to read?
9. Do you have so many books there is not enough room on your shelves?
10. Do you own gadgets you never use?
11. Do you have a drawer stuffed full of plastic shopping bags?
12. Do you have half finished projects stashed around the house?
13. Do you have hundreds of photos in boxes, unfiled or not put together in some order?
14. Do you have old medicines and pills stored in a cupboard?
15. Do you have things awaiting repairs for months?
16. Do you keep things purely because they were a gift?
17. Do you keep things in case one day they come in handy?
18. Do things fall out of your cupboards when you open the doors?
19. Do you have problems finding things just when you want them?
20. Do you have in your kitchen any items in cupboards or fridge/freezer past their use by dates?
Start clearing out this area TODAY, even if you get rid of just one item.
Enjoy clearing your clutter and making room for new things in your life – and you will soon have spring in your life everyday:-)
Great post Arvind – we’re big fans of the great clear-out and when we took our career break we did exactly that.
Amazingly we still had loads of clutter to sort through upon our return – clothes we’d locked away for the rainy day that by now have been distributed courtesy of Save the children.
Arvind – I am really trying to sort out my 10 boxes out of 30 boxes that I brought back from Canada when I moved to the UK. In 2003 you told me not bring anything. I really wished I had listened to you! I gave most of mine and my daughter’s clothes and all her toys and books to Oxfam. After the clean out she made the attic into her bedroom, which now has lots of space.
Thank you!
Hello Arvind,
Thanks for this quizz. I shall be honest and say that I had 10 ‘Yes’ so shall get cracking on these. Have printed the list so I will have the pleasure of scoring off the ‘yes’ each time I have completed the task.
Have a HAPPY EASTER! The weather here is cool, grey and we just had a big downpour! Enjoy the good weather when you have it.
Cheers and thanks!
Anne
I have received some more ideas for things to clear out during your clutter clearing from my friend Resli Costabell 🙂
She suggests:-
• A bookshelf that runneth over
• Half-finished make-up
• Nail varnish that you don’t use or like.
• Clothes you don’t feel good wearing
• Old periodicals that you keep not just because there’s an article you want to read, but *in case* there’s an article you want to read?
• Things awaiting being sold on eBay
• More packing materials than you are likely to use in the next few months. e.g, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap
• Garden implements that you haven’t used in 3 years.
• Out of date items such as medicines, seeds, food.
Resli also swears that some of her mother’s medicines are older than some of her doctors.
Finally she suggests that you can keep anything that you use OR that you believe to be beautiful or that lifts your spirits.
Hi Arvind
Great clutter quiz.
Just to let you know that there is a network that you can give your household or office items to, for recycling. It is the Freecycle network, at http://www.freecycle.org
There are local groups you can join, and anyone who is interested in your item on offer will even come to collect. I gave away a large computer desk/workstation and collected a much smaller one to make space.
This service is available globally and will help people all over the world. You can even start a new group in an area without an existing group. The idea is also to keep items out of the landfill, thus serving the environment.
I am sure now that your readers have no excuse, and will let go of old things that are no longer required.
I have a webpage called Green Options on my website with more links and information.
Love & Blessings
Bano
Hey Arvind, Can’t remember if I told you or not, but this is pretty much how I spent time between March – June of this year (either preparing for people to arrive and then getting everything organized, with gifts having arrived and so forth, that was also good impetus). We had done so much work upon my arrival here in LA three years ago, right before I came out your way for Shilpa’s bash. Then there was a point where we got far enough and everything else was just going to have to wait. And now Stage 2 of the organization has really helped us feel much more at home. I feel like I did enough cleaning and organizing for all four seasons! Excellent use of the wonderful closet space we have. Better use of our limited cupboard storage space. If anyone wants tips – especially if you are renting and can’t make permanent changes to your abode – then let me know! It feels really great to be able to find things easily, both because there is less clutter and because what we do have is well organized. When you don’t have a lot of space, then there is that much more imperative to de-clutter. Of course, Stage 2 did have to come to an end as the rest of life can’t be put on hold forever. Stage 3 awaits for whenever I can make time again. However, with each stage, it gets easier : ) Good luck to autumn de-clutterers!