Reducing Clutter Makes Home Heaven

My daughter who works for the Peace Corps was visiting three of the countries in Africa which she is country desk for. (I have no idea what that is other than it is a lot of responsibility and work which she loves). She wrote: "being in Burkina is awesome! I feel so far away! I feel like I've been gone for a long time and it's really only been one week and a few days".
"I have been to the West and the North and of course the capital. It's been great. The West is really lush, cool weather and so green. I spent my first several days there, where we were surrounded by mango groves and sugar plantations. It was amazing! I swear it was around 70s or low 80s - it felt perfect. The earth is so red and colorful. I love the colors! It's so refreshing to be in a place with a slower and more mellow pace. Everyone here rides a bike or a motorbike. The people are lean and muscular. They look healthy. It has inspired me to whip my butt into shape and get my lean body back".
She was enjoying the more laid back feeling of the country and what she saw was refressing. I compared this to our homes. Do we have times in our lives that we long for more peace and tranquility? As we check out our surroundings maybe it isn't so much that we need to go to a different place to get this feeling rather than we can make changes in our own homes to make lives easier or less stressful or frustrating.
Do you have a drawer that sticks all the time and you put up with the frustration? Get it fixed, only surround yourself with the things you like and that light you up. Is the drawer messy and cluttered? Organize what is in the drawer. Get simple containers and use them to keep the contents all in one place so it gets rid of the frustration of the mess and spending time looking for things. It is not necessary to set aside a day or an hour to accomplish this task. Set the timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done in that amount of time. Then give yourself a break, get a drink of water or a snack and then finish what you were doing or chose another place to dig into.
Make your bedroom your sanctuary so there is one place in your home you can go for peace and relaxation. You deserve a place to go and unwind, a place where you can recharge you so you will have the energy to do what you need to do. Make your bed every morning. Change the sheets once a week. Keep the nightstand neat and tidy. Clear it off; if there old newspapers, or other papers, broken jewelry, dirty dishes, or anything that doesn't belong get rid of the clutter. Keep a book, tissues, reading glasses if necessary, and lotion handy, but nothing else you would consider clutter.

If the dresser is a catch all, take everything off the top, scoop it into a box and only put back what you enjoy seeing and gives you pleasure. Find homes for all the other things.

We don't have to leave our homes to find places which inspire us and make us feel refreshed, reducing clutter around us one room at a time will do the same thing.

Marilyn Bohn's Bio
Marilyn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for over two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Marilyn invites you to visit her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.