I have recently come across one of my stress builders. You know, the foundation that supports all the other building blocks to your breaking point? Clutter.
I have always taken pride in being over the top on organization, whether it is in school, my room, or life in general. I focus on a clean-cut, fresh look. The less clutter, the better, but the Target dollar section just doesn’t agree. I truly believe that clutter in your house is the ultimate source of clutter in your brain! No one needs “I need to clean the basement” in the back of their mind on a Tuesday afternoon when they have more important things to accomplish- NO ONE.
When I was in high school, finals would roll around, and I would become a completely different person. I needed to clean out the fridge, rid my under-sink, purge food that we hadn’t touched in a while, and refold all of the clothes for my drawers before I could actually focus on studying. Casual? No. I needed all of this to be done around finals, but in reality it was always in the back of my mind and never being addressed. Then when a stressful time snuck up on me, I couldn’t have it there to be completely narrowed in on getting good grades.
Well, I have come to the realization that lately I just have not been pulling my best organization strings. This first year of college was hard to come home on a short weekend and clean my room because I wanted to spend ALL of my time with the family. On the other hand, I was living out of a duffel bag for a few days, which turned into one big mess for normal people and one excessive, overcrowded clothes party for Lindsey people.
It took me a quick minute to know that this is not how summer is going to go! After an unnecessary melt down to dad that he needed to build me a bigger closet, I pulled myself together with a pep talk. I will not live in this cluttered room with clothes I have not worn in years. I will not save these hair products under my sink that I am no longer using. I will not look at an email inbox full of spam. I will not keep things that I do not need.
And that is exactly what I did. I went into my room and stripped it. Other people could use these items more than I can, and if I had not worn it in two years or more, it had to go. Yes, yes I wanted to hold onto every t-shirt that has a memory, but I am not about to wear them, so I either put them aside for a t-shirt quilt, or they went to my memory box. (Praise the Good Lord for fabulous memory boxes). After the sorting, I took {several} trash bags to their appropriate places and am now basking in a simplified, organized, and oh so fabulous bedroom, with my favorite people only a few steps away. (I really couldn’t be happier!)
Our homes are not only places to recharge your electronics, they are our place to regroup, re-juice and relax, while enjoying the company of our closest humans. Some people spend more time in their homes than others, but everyone should make time to clear their space. Like I said, a cluttered home (or workspace, for that matter) is a cluttered brain. Clear your head with a cleaning spree! I promise promise promise your shoulders will raise and your brain will have more thinking room. An organized life is a fresh and FABulous life!
DE-CLUTTER TIP: My mom started our memory boxes when we were born. They are filled with too many preschool art projects to count, special baby outfits, and anything that will make us cry when we open them now. Since my brother and I have been old enough to clean our own rooms, we became bosses of our memory boxes, which are just large storage tubs. I add things like my high school acceptance letter and notes I’ve gotten on retreats. One day I will open it and be able to read the birthday cards I received and relive the moments from the pictures I’ve snuck in there. The boxes that I have started include high school, college, and random memories, not counting several that my mom made. This way we get to keep all of our special things, but they slide under a shelf in the basement for “one day”.
Tuesday Update 