Les is More by Leslie Jacobs: Only Buy What You Need

By Leslie Jacobs

Your eyes open to a new day and all you can see is partial eaten food, clothing, empty soda cans and popcorn bags. You’ll want to close your eyes and pull the sheets up and go back to sleep.

Imagine waking up to an organized nightstand. All of your clothes are hung up with the hangers facing the right way. Your bedroom is finally organized and clutter free. How will the rest of your day will go, knowing where you live is organized and clutter free?

It’s life changing. And it’s just like dieting. There are tips and tricks to being successful in this endeavor…and here is the best one.

From now on, do not buy anything you don’t need.

If you can keep more clutter out of your home while you are getting organized – this would be ideal. (I used to repeat to myself “you don’t need it” when my friends and I went shopping.) Try for one month and see how it goes. No garage sales, no Starbucks or DD, no ocean state or Christmas tree shops and Adjust only when necessary.

Seeing clutter on a regular basis will cause depression, lethargic behavior and just plain ickiness due to the overwhelming amount of anxiety you feel. The clutter is masking the symptoms of the real cause – which is usually loss.

A death, divorce, selling and/or moving to another house. These are major life changes. People get comfortable with the clutter, and they bring in more to fill up the empty space in their heart. You can’t fill it with stuff. Our society wants easy fixes, and that doesn’t happen with clutter or fat. You have to undo what got you here, and adopt different ways of organizing and eating.

Don’t buy the potato chips and Oreos every week. Don’t go to the grocery store. order your food online and have them delivered. Saves you time, and energy.

You don’t take the program, or the magazine, or the newspaper. You don’t bring in any EXTRA paper into your home. Paper is the biggest culprit of clutter. Use the one hand/one second rule. Using only one hand pick up the paper and make a decision quickly.

Google what you need for taxes, business, and medical, and whatever else you need to save.

If you’re serious about getting rid of clutter make the time to do it. You don’t need to do it alone. Everyone has an organized friend or call a professional. If you put in the time, work will show.

Leslie Jacobs, a professional organizer would love your comments. You can reach her at [email protected].

Go to her blog www.lesliefjacobs.com and sign up for her organizing tips.