A GON Reader Asks:

Hi Maria,

Thanks for all the help and suggestions for organizing and clearing clutter. I have a question and a comment.

Question: I have limited energy and brain power in a day. It seems like I tend to spend all my energy taking care of myself and getting the normal things in life done with some TV and games thrown in. When you say to have 3-4 things on your to do list, this is quickly taken up by normal daily living for me (dishes, meals, cooking, email, bills, cleaning and such). So my question is what are the 3-4 things on my to do list supposed to encompass? I seem to have a hard time starting a decluttering/cleaning project, either because of the energy and brain power required to do it or knowing where to start (I get overwhelmed easily). Any suggestions?

Comment: I just read your newsletter on sentimental clutter. Another thought I had read somewhere is when you have an emotional/sentimental attachment to something, but want to let go of it, take a picture of it. This gives you the chance to bring up good memories with the picture of it while taking up less space. Thank you!

This fabulous GON reader 'Ask Maria' question was submitted by:

Karen Howard

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Maria Gracia responds:

Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for writing and asking. What I believe you're referring to is my past issues about having a Master List (all of your tasks) and a TO DO List (4 tasks). When I say to put 4 tasks on your TO DO list, I don't necessary mean 4 a day. What I mean is 4 'at a time.' The idea is you use the Master List as a holding place for everything so nothing is forgotten, but you pull four items off of it and transfer those to your TO DO list...and work on only those 4 items until they're done. Then, you're free to bring the next four over, and the next four after that...depending on your time and energy in any given day.

If handling a decluttering job is important to you, then one of the items on your TO DO list every single day (until it's complete) should be something like:

Work on weeding out the clothes closet (or whatever) for 15 minutes.

No, you won't be able to get it done in 15 minutes, but if you work on this for 15 minutes a day (or even 5 minutes a day if that's all the energy you've got), that task will be on its way to being finished over a short period of time.

As far as your other tasks, try to do things to simplify. For instance, cooking doesn't have to be a major project every day. It could be as simple as tossing some chicken and veggies into the crockpot. Paying a bill each day can be done in 5 minutes or less.

TV and games are fun and relaxing...and I do recommend relaxing breaks...but be careful of too much of this. It's easy for both of these to soak up every moment of time in your day...and since these are sedentary activities, they will actually drain your energy even more. Use them as brief rewards for finishing a task.

Working on four TO DOs at a time actually helps to remove that overwhelming feeling. Remember...your TO DOs should be doable. If your TO DO is 'clean the house,' that can sound (and actually is) exhausting. If your TO DO is dust the living room, that's much easier...so break what you have to do into tinier pieces throughout the week.

And a big YES on your comment about sentimental clutter. Taking a photograph allows you to keep the memory...without having it cluttering your space or requiring cleaning! Thanks for sharing!

Hope this all helps a bit! Have a wonderful day!

Maria

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Sometimes a Change in Routine is Just What We Need
5 Non-Digital Organizing Things I Love
20 Places You Might Forget to Clean
Thanksgiving Then and Now.and The Changes We've Seen
Cookie Exchanges...it's Not Just About the Cookies
Recipe: Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pepitas
Recipe: Quick Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
A Dozen Ways to Take the Stress Out of Gift-Giving for the Holidays
Craft a Turkey Pumpkin 1-2-3
Blessings in Disguise

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