Getting Started

I know, you look around and think that you can never get rid of the clutter and get organized.  So much all over and no time to work on it.

Here’s an idea - stop adding to it all.  Don’t try to start with the past stuff (by the way I use the word stuff to describe everything in your house, much as George Carlin did, I was questioned on this by someone) which overwhelms you, start with what is coming into the house TODAY.  By not letting anything else accumulate you limit what you need to deal with.  I will explain this using the mail, but it works with anything coming into the house.

When you bring in the mail today, look through it, don’t just drop it somewhere.  Look through the mail.  If it is junk mail get rid of it now.  I personally shred any mail which has our information on it, but if you don’t have a shredder, for now just rip up the identifying info into teeny tiny pieces.   If you recycle, decide where you will be putting your recycling from now on and put the mail - without the identifying info - there.  I am lucky enough to have an enclosed entrance outside the kitchen door and I stack the recycling to the side of the door on an old work table we put there.  (On Monday night, it goes out to be picked up for recycling day on Tuesday.)

Sort what is left - magazines in one stack, bills in another, invitations and event notices in another, and so on.  Then deal with each as far as it is possible to do so now.  Mark the date and amount due on the outside of any bills, sort by date order (the ones due first on top), any invitations or events sort by date of RSVP or the event. Add in any prior ones you have around.  Put a rubber band around each type. Put the magazines where you read them.  Unless it is a type of magazine you need to keep for an extended time, recycle the last issue if you have finished it (if not, why not?).  If you can or need to deal with any now - do it now!  One less thing to deal with in the future.  Put the rest of the bills and such in a box labeled as TO DO and put it in a place you will remember - on your desk if you have one. 

Tomorrow do the same.  While you may not be clearing away what has accumulated, you will stop adding to it.  Tomorrow add the bills, invitations, etc. to the ones from today, also dated and in the same manner and combine them into yesterday’s stacks.  Check the ones at the top of the pile and deal with what you can or must do. 

Afterwards, pick up some mail from before - sort through it and deal with it in the same manner - then you will have 2 days of mail semi organized and as well as some mail from before.  

If you continue you do this, your incoming mail will be dealt with on a regular basis and you will start getting rid of your older mail.  You will not clear all of the older mail out in one swoop, but it will start diminishing and you will not add to it.  (There will be more about mail as we go along.)

In the same way, if you buy something, put it away (such as you can if there is a lack of space for same) right away. If you have no place for it, make a temporary one. If you get into the habit of doing this then you will start to get  organized and reduce your clutter.