The Clutter Campaign - Design Your Vision

I like a room you can dance in the middle of! Mariah Burton Nelson

One of the prime reasons that most of us have occasional or everlasting problems with clutter is that we do not have a clear picture of the ideal setting we want to create for ourselves, our family and our work. In the absence of that clear picture, specific to you, your life, your family, your dreams, goals and taste, you may be too easily influenced by conflicting external ideas.

You look at a magazine, or a television decorating program and you think, "That might work for me." You see your friend's new home office, and say to yourself, "I'll bet I could get a lot done in that kind of setting." You glimpse an infomercial while you are exercising at the gym. The program demonstrates an amazing closet or garage makeover, and you picture the extra space and freedom you'd enjoy if only you bought their product. You absorb a host of seductive, sometimes contradictory images while bemoaning the mess that seems to regenerate around you every week.

Today is a perfect time to clear away all those images coming from outside yourself, and to explore how you personally choose to live and work. Ask yourself, what is my ideal environment? What is the setting in which everything I am or wish to be, everything I do or need to do is supported by everything around me and nothing extra weighs me down? If you are starting a business, that setting includes the basic tools, in good working order, to do your work. If you are raising a family, that setting includes areas for quick and easy toy access and cleanup. If you are an aspiring Tango dancer, that setting includes a sound system and room to dance!

Options for taking the first step:

? Assess what your setting is like right now - On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 defined as "sabotages my dreams and directions" and 10 defined as, "supports and nourishes my success," what rating would you give your current environment?

? Document your current condition - Take some "Before" pictures so you'll be able to track the improvements you make.

? Define what you want your setting to be, exactly - Relax over a cup of tea and imagine the ideal setting. How would it look, feel, smell? How much space, light, air, sunshine, warmth, furniture, color would there be? What would NOT be there?

? Connect to your life purpose - If your life made a single statement within your family, your firm, your community, what would that statement be, and does your setting reflect the message you bring to the world?

? Document your desired future state - If others were willing to help you create this ideal setting, how would you show them and tell them what you are trying to achieve? How can you get the picture from inside your head into a form others can understand and help you achieve?

? Set milestones, budget, and time frames - What strategies, resources and schedules can turn your design into a reality?

One person we worked with described her experience at following this process. "I was so tired of feeling frustrated. It's like I was part of the banquet of life and living stuck in the mashed potatoes - all the stuff holding me down. Now I've define an entirely different place at life's banquet table. I'm now feeling as bright as a bowl of fresh raspberries - rich, tangy and colorful."

So what is the setting that thoroughly supports your most cherished dreams and directions? What is the first step you can take toward that setting in the next 24 hours?

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

---

The Top 10 Habits of Organized People

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have "it all together ? all the time," while you struggle with deadlines, misplace items, and run late... Read More

Heres A Great Way To Organize Your Work From Home Office Virtually

How to do keep track of all you have to do on a daily basis? How about things that have to get done this week?.. How about... Read More

How Clutter Affects Your Love Life

Clutter in any area of your home is a sign of stuck, stagnant energy. The more clutter you have, the more sluggish the energy becomes. When the... Read More

Without a Plan, You?re Doomed to Failure

"My job is an endless series of deadlines, I am constantly putting out fires" You've probably heard talk like that a time or two. You may sound... Read More

Lightening The Load

When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is, they usually look at me like I'm crazy. "What do you mean freeing? It's the most stressful... Read More

Organized Living in a Disorganized World

We are bombarded with so many factors that perpetuate disorganization. Computers, fax machines, cellular phones, and on-line services enable us to do more - and require us... Read More

Technology...The Culprit and the Tool

Technology has given us the tools to reduce routine tasking, yet we are all too aware that technology is seen as the culprit as much as the... Read More

Organize Your Children & Save Your Sanity

It may be difficult to relate saving money with organization but the two terms really go hand in hand. If you are able to organize right down... Read More

Clutter & Creativity

Take a look around you right now. Look away from the computer screen and scan around you ? the surface of your desk or table, now scan... Read More

Clutter is Postponed Decisions?

Do you ever sit down at your desk buried in paper and say, "OK! Today's the day ? I'm going to clean up this mess?" You pick... Read More

Creating The Perfect Closet

Your closet is often the first thing you see in the morning, and its condition can determine your mood for the day. There is something about an... Read More

Getting Organized - Getting Fit

In a speech entitled "Organized Living in a Disorganized World" I made the statement "Getting organized is much like exercise and healthy eating. It is something you... Read More

How Clutter Chases Money Away

Have you ever heard that having a cluttered home can cause money to run away from you? I know, I know...it sounds like airy-fairy mumbo jumbo, but... Read More

Common Clutter Culprits- How to Bust Through Clutter

Paper1. You may already be in the habit of filing important papers. Protect your manicure by weeding out your filing system at least once a year, purging... Read More

How Long Do I Need to Keep This? - A Guide to Receipts, Statements and Financial Clutter at Home

In most homes, paper causes clutter. And it seems to mysteriously multiply by itself. But just how long do you need to keep all those receipts, bank... Read More

10 Myths of Clutter Clearing

1) It's easy to have a good clear out: Not always. For many people, breaking a life-time habit is really hard - everyone has a choice whether... Read More

Relieve Vacation Stress By Planning Ahead

Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end of May. What a busy time! Memorial Day is just around the corner and the package for... Read More

The Psychology of Being Organized

Individuals who are organized in their personal lives most generally constitute efficient and organized employees in their work environments, succeed in their personal endeavors and are, more... Read More

Tired of Endless Chores and To-Dos? Stop Running Around in Circles and Enjoy Life Again

Do you feel like you are running around in circles, completing one task after the next only to find there are 20 chores you have not done... Read More

Organisation - Getting Back To Basics

If you look at any major organisation, there is this trend for executives to use "palm pilots" in conjunction with software schedulers such as Microsoft Outlook.What's really... Read More

Are You Stuck In The Clutter Trap?

You arrived on earth without clutter. Your parents and doting relatives started you on a pathway to accumulation. By the time you were a year old, you... Read More

Create A Working Mail Center

I talk about the mail a lot in my newsletter, Organewz, and to my clients. I write about it again because I have seen so many people... Read More

Is Your To Do List The Problem?

You start each week with great intentions. You are determined to get a grip of your workload. You are determined to write a to do list, you... Read More

Clear Your Clutter and Free Your Life

Whatever your clutter problem the answer is the same: make a decision to clear your clutter and then take action to clear your clutter.Without action, the decision... Read More

1-2-3 Sort

Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott1 - 2 - 3-SORT!Every time you start... Read More

Mental Clutter- Is It Taking Over Your Life?

Chances are, most of you have a lot you need to get done.Oftentimes, there are projects on your to-do list that require SEVERAL steps in order to... Read More