a formula for eliminating clutter

A simple way to stay organized and create new habits is to become mindful of the things you add to your home and life. For each thing you add, decide to remove something old. So, if you add a new shirt to your closet, take out an old one. If you add an exercise class to your weekly schedule, subtract the equivalent amount of time from another activity such as web-surfing or watching T.V.

This strategy can also help you stay focused on achieving any goal – organizing, or otherwise. Instead of working on ten new habits at once, pick one new habit that moves your life forward, and find a competing old habit to subtract. For example, you could add the habit of drinking green tea in the morning, and eliminate your mid-morning Diet Coke habit. Or add the habit of spending fifteen minutes a day decluttering, and shed the habit of waiting to tackle your organizing projects in longer, more laborious sessions.

It all adds up to this simple formula for getting and staying organized:

1 new thing minus 1 old thing equals zero clutter added

Now that’s one equation that works for me!

Happy organizing!