Get Organized
Make a Difference by Decluttering
Written by Allison Landa
It’s six o’clock in the morning. You’re bleary-eyed in front of your closet, trying to figure out the day’s outfit. You’ve got one problem, though: too many choices. Your task, should you choose to accept it: simplify the decision-making process.
“This is what I define as cognitive load: quantities that outstrip capacity,” Sharaine Bell, founder of Oakland- based organizing firm Spark Tidy, told us. “Decisions are the building blocks of our lives — pile them too high and they topple. You can prevent this by creating a strong structure.”
Enter decluttering, a process designed to reduce cognitive load. Bell offered a series of tips for simplifying your home — and your life.
1
Start with Intention
Get clear about why you want to declutter. Understand your purpose for taking on this task — where is the inspiration coming from? When you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, it’s simpler to accomplish your goals.
2
Commit
Intention is nothing without commitment. “Don’t allow yourself to make excuses for why you’ve decided not to finish,” Bell said. “No excuses.”
3
Don’t Stop until
You’re Happy Keep going until you’re proud of what you’ve created. Keep Tip
Number Two in mind — if you’re committed, you can push through until you’re satisfied with your creation.
4
Reach Out
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you’re decluttering, whether it be professional or a friend,” Bell said. “Having support is really key — I don’t think it’s something people can easily do alone. There’s something about having somebody next to you cheering you on or helping you work through blocks — that makes the biggest difference.”
5
Organize by Category
Say you find a specific charger for an electronic device — but can’t find the device itself. What happens then? Too often people decide to toss the charger, only to find the device itself later (dead, of course).
6
Fix It or Toss It
What do you do with the things that don’t work right or get the job done? Strangely, we sometimes get accustomed or even attached to these items, which in turn weighs down our cognitive load and decreases productivity.
Instead, Bell says, set a deadline to either complete outstanding projects or simply let go and move on.
7
Organize for Easy Access
“Order your physical space so everything you own can be found, used, and put away easily,” Bell said. “When you’re storing items in drawers or bins, organize them in a single layer. That eliminates the time that you need to dig for things.”
8
Put Your Paperwork in Place
It takes only 10 or 20 minutes — but choose a system and stick with it. For example, once you get home, shred, file, or respond to the papers that cross your desk. Bell says: “Simple as that!”
9
Prep for the Next Day
Lay out clothes, pre-pack lunches in the refrigerator, even pre-prepare breakfast if you have the time. “Also,” Bell said, “check the schedule to make sure you have everything you need for the day to come. Then pack it all up and put it by the front door. Even if you fall short, getting halfway to this goal will still make for a much calmer start to the day.”
10
Expend Energy Wisely
Ultimately this choice lies in your hands. It begins with making decisions that allow you to live as closely as possible to the life you dream of at your desired pace. “Learning to set healthy limits on external demands on your time,” Bell said, “can go a long way toward regaining control.”
Spark Tidy can be contacted at sparktidy.com.
