Daily life has us pulled in a million different directions, which at times leaves us feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Due to an everyday build up of daily clutter piled all around us; those feelings are compounded. Hence, why we need to look at letting some things go.

CLUTTER

Whether selling your house or just looking to make some space in your office, springtime is always a great time of year for purging what you no longer use. The sun is shining and you are feeling energized, so take this opportunity to declutter your space, wherever that may be.

Here at PCC we say bring on the spring sunshine and lighten up your life by getting rid of the clutter.

We have some suggestions to get you started…

STEP #1 – Grab yourself some big old moving boxes. 

STEP #2 – Label them with the titles…

• RECYCLE

• GARBAGE

• DONATION

• STORAGE

• MEMORIES

STEP #3 – Finally, start with the things you don’t really use, as in…

• Things you have been meaning to “fix” – we all have a few of those items lying around. They are usually hiding in that famous “junk” drawer or cupboard.
• Clothing you haven’t worn in the last year or ones that your children have outgrown. 
• Toys, office supplies, small appliances etc… that are no longer being used.

MEMORY BOX

If there are items that you find along the way that you no longer use but still feel some sort of an attachment to place them in the box marked “Memories”. Once this box is full you can store it away in your garage or attic for a period of time. A few months down the road come back to it and see if your emotional tie has lessened with the items being out of sight.

If they haven’t you have two options at this point. You can either return it back to the “Memory” box itself for longer storage. Or if you are limited on space and need to let the item physically go; you can take a picture of each one to keep in a photo album.

Feel free to take it one step further and add in a caption story of where the item came from and how  it came to mean so much to you. This way you can return to go through your photo album whenever you feel the need to revisit those memories and easily share them with your friends and family. 

Now that you have de-cluttered your space and taken items to goodwill or recycle you are ready to move forward in your stress free environment. Don’t you feel so much lighter both inside and out?

The trick at this point now is to avoid having that same clutter creep back into your life. So learn to clean as you go about your daily routines. Finished using something? Put it away immediately. 

Opened the mail and paid the bills? File the paperwork right away. Doing a regular clutter clean everyday 

will help to keep the overwhelm at bay and lighten your clutter load.

TAKE A MUCH NEEDED BREAK!

Don’t forget it can’t always be work, work, work. Therefore make sure that you take a day off and make the time to treat yourself. Although we don’t suggest that includes going out to buy something new to bring home. Rather head to the library to borrow a book that you can return when you are done with it. Stop in at your local coffee shop to grab a drink while you read your book. Or head out to get some of your favourite ice cream after a relaxing massage.

In conclusion, de-cluttering your home and  work space is a great way to keep the stress levels down. Taking time for 

yourself will regenerate the energy required to stay on top of it.