Unclutter Your Apartment!

(by Raoul Beyderov)

You know that feeling when you look at your apartment and something             i s     j u s t    n o t    r i g h t ?    Somehow, some way, something seems to be wrong here... - Ah, might as well own up: YES, ALRIGHT, THERE'S WAY TOO MUCH CLUTTER IN HERE!

How to get rid of it? - Well, first of all: Take    a    d e e p    breath! -

Yep, that's right! -    Ta k e    t h a t     d e e p    b r e a t h    n o w !               Uh huh! - Done that? - Good! -

The good news is: Something can be done about it! The big question, though - as always: HOW?

Let's see: once you've gotten over the initial 'shock' that apparently you're onto something really, really big here, and that apparently it is you, yes YOU, who want to perform that big feat - you can let down your guard a little! - Whoa, whoa, whoa! I said, A little! - Yup, that's better now. - Okay. Good! -

Now, let's get down to business:

What do we need here? First off, you'll need a clipboard - yes, that's right, the physical one, the one you can hold in your hands! -

Clip a few sheets of paper on and off you go:

Do an inspection of your apartment (or whatever other place you want to unclutter!), a review, as it were. Whoa, whoa, easy now! Not so fast. First, be sure to follow these steps:

On your paper you'll have a table with 5 columns. Then write into the column titles something like what you see here (and make the relevant entries):

 

Column title #1: Exact locations where sth. is to be uncluttered, e.g.:

1st entry in column #1: living room, big table

2nd entry in column #1: living room, small brown cabinet, uppermost compartment

 

Column title #2: In those locations specify what is to be uncluttered (be as specific as you can/want to be, unnecessary to mention every single item, e.g.):

1st entry in column #2: books, papers, pens, mug, etc. (no 'Etc.'s' in your diagram please!)

2nd entry in column #2: CD's, books, scraps of paper, small light bulbs, etc.

 

Column title #3: What method to use during uncluttering, e.g.:

1st entry in column #3: 4-boxes Method (will be explained further down)

2nd entry in column #3: First: put them into one big box, then: 4-boxes Method (will be explained further down)

 

Column title #4: Exactly when (deadline) to reach 1st goal (preliminary sorting of things) and some dates when you know you'll have time for actually doing the job, e.g.:

1st entry in column #4: next Sunday (time scheduled for fulfilling the task: tomorrow and on the coming Saturday)

2nd entry in column #4: on Wednesday in one week's time

 

Column title #5: Exactly when to reach second goal (deciding the final destination of things) plus scheduled times for actually doing the task, e.g.:

1st entry in column #5: Sunday in two weeks (time I want to actually do the job: tomorrow and coming Saturday)

2nd entry in column #5: On Wednesday in two weeks' time (actually do the job: tomorrow and coming Saturday)

 

... and so on - I think, you get the picture, right?! - Now, in those columns you found the expression '4-boxes Method.' What could that be? Here's the answer (please see further down):

The 4-boxes Method:

Get yourself four boxes. The 1st one you'll call 'Keep this!' The 2nd you'll label 'Think it over!' The 3rd box you'll call 'Sell or give away!' The 4th box you'll name 'Trash!'

Then - on the specified days - sort your stuff into the 4 boxes. This will be your 1st goal. After that, according to schedule, find the time to reach your 2nd goal: deciding where the individual items are to go. You either then put them directly where they are to be, or into another box and label it, e.g. 'book shelf.'

By using this technique, you get a clear picture of what has to be done. And believe me: goals written down are half the battle! 'Statistics show that you are less apt to ignore a goal you can read on paper,' as a manual by a well-known publishing house states! It's like the job is almost done! And by now it's bound to start generating good feelings! Am I right?

Can you feel it already? Huh? - You can?! - Good ... good ..., very good!

Oh, and by the way: Don't worry about those deadlines too much, they're not cast in stone! Just make sure that you schedule everything as best you can, and then try to stick to it. - This is supposed to be fun, not only a chore! And why would         t h a t    be? It's because you can imagine, you can already see how everything's going to be! No hour-long searches for that file any more, no interminable rummaging through those boxes for a certain book you so desperately need. It's    a l l    gonna be different now! This method can't fail!

And what's more: you may have added gain here: you've started uncluttering, not only your apartment or other parts of your place of residence, but something else too: your mind, yourself! How that can be done successfully, please read in my next Hub, coming soon - here on HubPages!

(© Beyderov, 2009)