Hasta La Ideas

I receive a steady stream of e-mails from people who feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and overpowered by their clutter. Most of the stories that are shared in these messages are similar to my personal story — they don’t know where or how to start uncluttering, they don’t feel that they have the time and energy to solve their problem, and they fear that if they get their clutter under control once that it will quickly spiral out of control again.

These e-mails most often come into my inbox during the middle of the night, and I imagine their authors to be sitting in the dark, their faces illuminated only by their computer screens, typing their messages to me with stress and anxiety flooding over them. My heart pours out to these message writers. I’ve been there. I know exactly what it’s like to feel powerless over your stuff.

From experience, I know that writing about the problem can be cathartic. It gives the writer the opportunity to specifically identify the problem, and the “STUFF!” becomes just “stuff.” Knowing the exact problem helps the author to better see a solution. If someone is capable enough to type a coherent e-mail (or write about it in a journal), he or she is capable of fixing the problem — sometimes with the help of someone else, and sometimes just on his or her own.

The one thing all of the people writing me these e-mails lack is simply a belief that they can change. They don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Their glass appears to be half-empty, instead of half-full. But, I know that change can happen. People have free will — we are not pre-programmed robots. We have a choice about how we live our lives, and we can simply choose to live clutter free.

It really is as simple as deciding to live without clutter. See the glass half full. Choose to live a remarkable life. Instead of spending energy coming up with excuses for why you can’t do it, use that same energy to brainstorm ways in which you can.

If, like the people who e-mail me during the wee hours of the night, you’re ready to embark on a change, check out these previous Unclutterer articles full of tips for putting your new perspective into practice:

• “Six tips to help you make a change“
• “Brainwash your way to a clutter-free life?“

I am proof that change is possible and that you can get out from under the stress caused by your clutter. I believe anyone can do it, even those who might stumble a few times (I certainly did) or need a little help along the way. Now, have the same faith in yourself. Go on, get started!