Are You Sure Your Messes are No Big Deal?

Do you have messes you’ll get to some day? I bet you do -- little pockets of clutter, long list of to-do’s, projects that aren’t quite finished and improvements you’d make if you could find some time. Things like the outdated address book, the burned-out light bulb, the missing button, the half-finished home-improvement project, piles of unopened mail.

Do you tell yourself the messes are no big deal? That they don’t impact your life in any way? Before you put off dealing with your messes again, consider the hidden costs of living with them.

Messes interrupt your peace of mind. They’re like and endless tape that loops through your mind – is your favourite shirt missing any buttons or can you wear it to the important function tonight? Do you have enough time to do all of the things on your long to-do list before you go on vacation?

Messes sap your energy and reduce your self-esteem. Every time you encounter one of your messes you get the familiar feeling of frustration that you haven’t cleaned it up yet. It leaves you feeling disappointed in yourself and frustrated that you can’t seem to handle even small projects.

Messes limit what your reach for in life. They feel like underlying evidence that you haven’t got your act together. Why would you think you’d be successful at something truly important if you can’t seem to organize your linen closet?

Messes keep you separate from people. They probably surround you in your home and prevent you from inviting people to your home until you clean up the messes.

Messes keep you from the delicious feel of personal pride. You know the satisfaction that comes with a job well done and the pride that you’re on top of things and doing what needs to be done. Messes are an obstacle to feeling that pride, but also one of the surest ways to experience it.

Are you beginning to agree that cleaning up those incomplete, disorganized muddles is important? A solution is to roll up your sleeves and start to slog away. Some of the best ideas I have found for doing that are listed in my decluttering article.