Organizing For Healthy Living – 3 Tricks

Have you ever thought about how disorganization in your life results in increased stress and frustration for you & your family? The effect of being chronically disorganized has a huge impact on your level of stress which can manifest itself in various forms of poor health.

I know we all want to lower the stress in our lives, but in many cases the stress is the obstacle to getting organized. What better time than now to start the year off fresh and take that first step to de-stress and get organized for healthier living.  If you think about it, many stressors are rooted in poor organizational habits. When you get organized, you reduce stress, plain and simple.

The first step to de-stress is to de-clutter.  Most of us have too much stuff.  So take a quick look around your space and determine what you no longer use, need or want.  I bet you can find at least 10 items in your home to which you can say goodbye.  If you can incorporate a minimum of 10 minutes a day doing just this and letting go of some of the clutter in your home, you will  feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, reducing stress and creating a healthier mind and body as you lighten the load a little bit every day.

Here are 3 tricks that will help you get started and be more organized:

1.  Make a mental note to keep flat surfaces clear.  Doing so will keep you more calm and relaxed.

2.  Stop using the word “later”.  Especially when it comes to paperwork.  Just clearing the paperwork in your home will automatically reduce your level of stress.  When you see a pile of papers sitting around, deal with them now, not later.  Simply taking action for  a couple of minutes each time you see clutter will add up to decreased stress at the end of the day.

3.  Have a space for everything.  This way you will know where things need to live and it also helps you to set a limit on how much you can acquire.

And remember this rule of thumb – “One in = One out” .  This means that whenever you bring something new in your space, one thing has to leave.  Your inventory must match your storage.

Lastly, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.  You are not your stuff. Stuff is inanimate.  You are not.  It’s ok to let it go and declutter for a healthier mind and body.