Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life's Possibilities 9789914704242

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Copyright © 2021 by Juliet Kabaka Kiplagat Published by Wikitabu Publishers Ltd Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except for brief acknowledged quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below. Twitter: @julietkiplagat Facebook:@julietkabakakiplagat Cover Design: Dudu Squad, Wikitabu Publishers Ltd Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities A step by step guided decluttering workbook ISBN Prefix: 978-9914-704-24-2

DEDICATIONS This book is dedicated to Andrew (I call him Mr. Juliet), my very supportive husband and biggest fan. Our daughter Milan and son AJ, they are the ‘hugest’ part of me; I’m very blessed. They are more excited about this book than I am. My dearest Mama, Pauline Wambui Kabaka, who gained her angel wings in July 2020. I miss her to bits because she is the reason I am me. I learned from her and she did a good job inspiring me—I know she would have been so proud of this book; Mama this is for you. To God be all the glory. I am because of You. May Your wonderful purpose for this book be fulfilled through me and may lives be changed for the better because I obeyed.

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

iii  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DEDICATIONS ix  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FOREWORD xiii  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PREFACE 3  . . . . . . . . . OUR CLUTTER STORIES 11  . . . . . . . . . THE CLUTTER MYSTERY 19  . . . . . . . . . . . . WHAT’S MY WHY? 29  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WHO AM I? 39  . . . . . . . . A VISION FOR MY HOME 57  . . . . . . . THE ART OF LETTING GO

65  . . . . . . . . . . . WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

75  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LET’S UNSTUFF 113  . . . . . . A HOME FOR EVERYTHING 121  . . . . . . . . . . . . SMALL ACTIONS,

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

BIG IMPACT

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127  . . . . . . . . . FUNCTIONAL DECOR 133  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REFLECTIONS 141  . . . . . . . . . ABOUT THE AUTHOR 144  . . . . . . . . DEFINITION OF TERMS 145  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REFERENCES

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Joanne Muturi FORE WORD(i)

These words come

from a place of love, truth and my own personal experience. Juliet and I have a history—a path of friendship and purpose that few people get to experience together. Our connection was cemented even deeper when I discovered that she was the daughter of Mrs. Pauline Kabaka, who sadly passed on in 2020. She was a dear and long-term friend to my own late mother, Jacinta Njeri Muturi. As I got to interact more with Juliet, especially at the coaching and mentoring level, it was pretty obvious to me where her strengths lay! Juliet is beyond passionate about all things decluttering! Having had the absolute privilege of helping her clarify and connect with this amazing gift that she has, this book is the full manifestation of a journey of dedication, grit and pure love. If you have a desire to get your space in order (and also get rid of mental clutter), then take it from me, this book you are holding is a gem that will get you well to your desired outcome. Having experienced Juliet’s approach from the offset, what particularly impresses me about her decluttering and organizing methodology is the simplicity and easy step-by-step process that she has mastered so well. Without a shadow of a doubt, I believe that once you are done with this workbook you will feel more content in your home and living space—this feeling will spill over to all the other areas of your life. You will experience deeper feelings of joy, general well-being and calmness.

Happy Reading (and implementation)!

Joanne Muturi Life Purpose Mentor & Business Coach

www.joannemuturi.com

James FORE Karundu WORD(ii)

The quest for

success, growth, more money, taking charge of your life, finding your purpose and fulfilment is tied to your ability to think clearly, take action and stay focused. Not the easiest of endeavours in the best of times, almost impossible if your life is full of clutter and ‘stuff’—especially stuff that has outlived its usefulness.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

New possibilities require space and airtime. Making the decision to create space for what you want is the first step out of this messy scenario many find themselves in. This has been my struggle and quest too for the longest time. I have had varying degrees of success in decluttering, unstuffing and having neat and organized spaces—both at home and in the workplace. One month I am on top of things, the other… things are on top of me, metaphorically.

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This is also the state of affairs with many in the personal development space and journey. A life that is full—but not in a good way. Stuck in a cycle of feeling overwhelmed and scattered mentally. So many ideas, projects, and obligations—each competing for precious time and attention. Desperately wanting to feel organized, in control, calm, and accomplished. However, I instead feel overwhelmed, stressed out, reactive, and resentful of everyone and everything. Feeling stuck, lost, and aimless—despite outer success professionally. Knowing you are capable of doing and being more but mysteriously feeling unsure about your next step. Your stating point: press the pause button. Slow down. Get a guide and tools to help you navigate and come out of your current messy scenario. Juliet Kabaka Kiplagat is that guide and this book the tool. I have watched her journey as she took a bold step to focus on this topic with single-minded determination. Today she is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced teachers and guides in the area of ‘unstuffing’, decluttering, and living a joyful and minimalistic life. I have been the grateful recipient of her guidance, ideas, and wisdom as her client. From the busy professional, to the home-maker, this guidebook, handbook and life success manual is all you need to transform your life, one step at a time. One less item, one clear space at a time. One day at a time. It is not easy but with a good and patient guide, an in depth, inside out approach, baby step after baby step—the mission is NOT impossible.

Start today.

James Karundu The Trailblazer Mentor Author of Seize The Moment Founder, PassionBiz Academy Ltd

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Thank you for choosing you.

You may wonder why I’m saying this to you and all you have done is buy a book. First, you always gain when you buy a book (to actually read I hope) because you enrich your mind. Secondly, you have invested in a decluttering workbook; this actually means you have invested in your health, peace of mind, and improving your overall wellness.

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his workbook was born out of discovering my purpose, passion, and a deep desire to make a difference in the world using the gift that God gave me: Creating order in people’s lives through decluttering and organizing—in the process gifting my clients a harmonious life. I want to give the world, especially Kenyans, a practical roadmap that they could use to create order in their lives—starting from their homes. A one stop, Do-ItYourself, shop for everything ‘decluttering’ and ‘organizing’, with examples and ideas that they can relate to. I hope this book serves this purpose. Decluttering is a very important aspect of self-care. It is not always an easy process, as you will discover for yourself,

but one that is positively life-changing, space-transforming, mind-clearing, and stress-relieving. If that is not self-care, then I don’t know what is. As you do the work, both internal and external, you will discover many things about yourself. Some you will like;

I am totally thrilled about being your guide through this journey. I assure you that your decision to declutter your living space and doing so correctly is one of the most important ones you will ever make.

JULIET KABAK

some you will want to deny but ‘Hey!’, this is you. Embrace what you discover because it will help you through this decluttering process, and more importantly, maintain what you will have achieved. You will discover hobbies and passions that you didn’t think you had an interest in or rediscover old passions that you shelved because, ‘life happened’. It is going to be a personal journey that I am glad to take with you.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

This workbook will help you successfully achieve a clutter free home and life while teaching you practical routines you can adopt that will help you maintain the new clutter-free lifestyle. You will go through a self-awareness exercise that will help you identify your

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cluttering triggers so that you can avoid them in the days to come. This will in turn help you avoid recluttering.

Awareness is power. At the end of this workbook, you will have learnt how to create organizing systems that will work best for you and your housemates, as well as build habits that will help you keep clutter away. In the long run, your attitude towards yourself will change, your relationships with those you live with will improve, you will manage your finances better, you will be able to sleep better (increasing your productivity), and most importantly, you will be a happier human being ready to live your best life yet.

Disclaimer:

This is a workbook; get ready for lots of writing, and self-reflection. A lot of questions may be sensitive and though we may not feel comfortable looking into ourselves and bringing out honest answers—for us to see external results, we need to do the internal work. I am totally thrilled about being your guide through this journey. I assure you that your decision to declutter your living space and doing so correctly is one of the most important ones you will ever make. If you do the work, this workbook will help you get the harmonious living space you have dreamt of for a long time. This decluttering journey is not just about aesthetics—it is a self-reflection journey—the first step in self-care and looking after yourself! Let’s get on with it…

Juliet Kabaka Kiplagat

Certified Organizational Specialist Founder and CEO, Lush Interiors

KA KIPLAGAT Legend: : Recap

: Reflection

: Dow nloadable page from www.lushin teriors.co.ke

: bring with you positive vibes and energy wh en doing this activit y

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Icons

The clutter around you can tell an interesting story about your life. By clutter I mean the excess stuff in our homes, our crazy hectic lives, and the distraction that technology has introduced to us. We are so busy acquiring one more car, one last pair of shoes, one more piece of land, one more this or that. In all our buying and accumulating, we hope to acquire the life we desire without realizing that it will never be enough. There will always be something better than what you currently have that you want. It’s a moving target.

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n 1st Timothy 6:6, the Bible states that, always been having too much stuff. I’m “But Godliness with CONTENTMENT is now a reformed girl but I was always great gain.” For me, this right here is the one who held onto things because, the answer to overcoming the urge to “they will come in handy someday”. I acquire more and more with no end in had boxes of things that I would keep sight. Contentment is a state of being because I felt I would need them later. happy and satisfied with what you have. I also loved sales (still do by the way),, I’m not saying don’t have a vision or but my love for sales meant that I was plan for your future, but perpetually buying stuff, when you are content at But Godliness with not because I needed it or whatever stage of life you loved it, but because the CONTENTMENT is are in, you are less likely deal was too good to pass to fall into the clutter trap. great gain. by. When I learnt what my We are living under piles cluttering triggers were 1st Timothy 6:6 of ‘STUFF’, both visible and and how to avoid them, it invisible. It is impacting us (NIV) reduced the amount of stuff in ways we cannot even I brought into my home. I begin to imagine. learnt to let go and not create an attachment to things. It got I am naturally an organized person so quite intense at some point that I would keeping my space tidy and orderly has shred and toss anything and everything. never been a problem for me. I thrive I once tore into an envelope that had in order and I know where everything is my business registration certificate in my home (after all I’m the one who because I’m allergic to idle paper and creates the systems). My problem has

envelopes. The horror! To date it still has a clear cellotape strip at the back…

😊

We all have a story to tell about our relationship with clutter and how it has impacted our lives. I chose to start this workbook with a few stories of real-life people (identities have been changed of course). Their homes, their relationships and what role clutter has played in their lives.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Meet Cassie, a full time working mother of three teenage kids.

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“My clutter story begins with all my clothes in bags since I hated hanging and ironing. I have a wardrobe but hanging clothes was always too much work. I would look into my kid’s rooms and have a mini heart attack because everything was all over. My sitting room was full of books, pens, and boxes of test papers from when the kids were in nursery school. Please note that they are now 18, 16 and 13 years respectively…sigh! Funny thing is I really could not explain why they were there. My decluttering journey was a bit rough since I did not want to face my clutter­—so I kept postponing it to ‘another’ day. I took a bold step and signed up for the 21 Day Unstuffed Challenge created and guided by Juliet in June 2020 and to be honest, I did not start with the tasks immediately. I was really challenged by other participants in the group every time they posted their before and after pictures, and moreso when they shared their stories. I soon realized that I was not the only one facing challenges and guilt about the amount of clutter accumulated over the years. So I sucked it up and decided to join in and give it a try. It has been a journey even

after the challenge was over. I have questioned my sanity many times over but I’m still here . I am now a proud owner of a sitting room I love to sit in and welcome guests to as opposed to frantically throwing things in one corner of the room when I hear a knock on the door . Previously, my teenage kids were embarrassed to bring their friends over because the house was just a mess. I hadn’t realized that all the clutter was subconsciously affecting all of us. I now have a lot of space and with good ideas on how to compartmentalize. I’m able to breath and enjoy my space. To crown it all, my heart and mind also got decluttered. I had not realized how much I had been keeping inside me and I tell you—I feel lighter. The best part of this process is that I don’t have to look for something when I need it and not find it only to find it when I don’t need it. Now I have all my things in order and when I spot clutter, I am quick to act.

😊

😊😊

PS. I had a huge commercial

We are busy women, let’s be kind to ourselves and cheer each other on every time we can.

in my home. Every so often, I would reach out to Juliet who is my friend because she is quite good at organizing and her answer would be, “I’m ready when you are.” Well, I kept procrastinating and my clutter mound got bigger and bigger. When she created the twenty-one-day decluttering challenge, I didn’t think twice before I signed up in June Here is Hawa’s story: because I felt like this was what was going to help me handle the clutter in my house. “A good friend of mine called and told me The first day was quite hard. I wondered that she had found something that she how I had accumulated so much clutter. I thought would interest me. It was a declutliterally questioned my sanity and started tering challenge that was to run for 21 days. looking down on myself. I felt bad until I She mentioned that she had signed up and realized that moping was not the solution. that I should sign up too—that way, we I prayed and asked for God’s wisdom, guidwould be each other’s accountability partance and strength to undertake the journey. ner. I figured, why not, I had nothing to It dawned on me as I tackled my daily lose. This was in June 2020. I did not know tasks that all the clutter in my home had how drastically my life would change after built up as I was running starting the decluttering jouraround managing everyney. I learnt so much about Suddenly, I had endless one else’s life and trying to myself and my surroundings. be successful at my work. I had to make tough decisions energy to complete declutMy life is just one big rush! that put me in a not-so-good tering and reorganizing my Family, work, school pickplace mentally and emotionups, homework, dinner, ally, but I pulled through, space; it was a breath of blackout. There and then I thank God. The biggest and fresh air. realized that my decluttermajor declutter area for me ing project was probably was decluttering myself. As I going to take longer than the twenty-one decluttered, I realized that I had to let go days. It was that much! I decided to do it of so much that I had been holding onto. I a little at a time each day. They say that had been holding onto too much for a long you can probably eat up and finish a whole time. I thank God because the daily chalelephant if you eat a small piece each day. lenges allowed me to find myself and create I chose that approach and it saved me the a good environment for myself and my pressure that came with trying to finish it family. I have grown, I have matured and all at once. However little it may appear, I cannot wait to see what life has in store I am so excited by what I have been able for me after decluttering. At the moment to achieve daily. On days I can cover more I am undertaking a project and I will stick than I usually cover in a day, I happily to it until I succeed. I’m so glad I faced my reward myself with a chocolate, a good clutter and handled it because the journey movie, or the occasional glass of wine. We freed me.” are busy women, let’s be kind to ourselves Here is busy Rita’s story: and cheer each other on every time we can. I’m not yet at the place that I’d love to be, “I have always known I had too much but I but I’m certainly not where I was when I never got round to just handling the clutter started my declutter. This makes me very

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microwave that got spoilt 5yrs ago and had been occupying precious space on my verandah. I finally sold it for a song, but that didn’t matter because it was OUT, finally. I have learnt to identify what clutter is in my life, and how to effectively handle it. I’m a different person.”

happy. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel.” Here is Sylvia’s story: “We had moved to a new home and had been living in it for a while, but I was not quite sure how long we’d live there. This was a rental property; previously I had lived in my own home so this was what I would call a transition home. Since I wasn’t quite settled, I had lots of unpacked boxes that I meant to handle at some point. I would look at a corner in my house and think that it needed a cabinet or shelf but never quite get round to getting one. Let’s just say that I had lots of clutter—organized—but clutter nonetheless. When I started my decluttering journey, I was really surprised that I did not have any hard feelings throwing stuff away. It felt like I was offloading baggage from my shoulders. I feel like I have a new lease of life. Through this process I learnt that my environment directly impacted my emotions. I had stuff that was 15-20 years old piled up, and that was all I saw every day. Instinctively, I was living in the past and it weighed down on me in a way that I never understood . Previously when I decluttered, it was from a point of anger and frustration because of the junk and negative vibes that came up when I sought to get help from my housemates. This time round, I decided to enjoy the process and do it joyfully. I was pleasantly surprised at the voluntary co-operation I got when I changed my attitude towards decluttering.”

😊

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Here is teacher Tony’s story:

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“I have lots of paper. I mean carton loads. I kept it all for the longest time because I felt that I would need it someday. Interestingly, ‘someday’ never came and my paper piles grew bigger every day. I had cartons of old invoices I had kept that dated back almost ten years, but I wouldn’t let them go. I argued that the tax man might need to come and do an audit and that the invoice books would be required (even though most of them were illegible now ). I had receipt books for a business that I had intended to run but things did not work as planned and the business never took of. Nevertheless, I kept all the stationery (letterheads, business cards etc). I network a lot so I had hundreds of business cards. Even though I had created an online database, I still kept the cards. They occupied yet more space. The long and short of it is that I was drowning in paper and I needed help.

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In 2014, one of my mentees was starting out as a professional organizer and I enlisted her services to help me handle my paper drama. It was not easy letting go of my papers. They were so precious to me. Sometimes we’d go through just one pile and I would find a reason not to participate in the process. After shredding and burning some cartons and their occupants, I looked around at the amount of space I had managed to create and was very excited. I didn’t know I had so much space. Suddenly, I had endless energy to complete decluttering and reorganizing my space; it was a breath of fresh air. I now had numerous ideas flowing, and it felt good. It has been four years now and I’m glad to say that I have managed to keep my space paper-clutter free. I only keep what I need and recycle most paper when printing inhouse stuff. In the process, I have saved a lot of money on printing paper. Sometimes I slip back to cluttered scenarios but because I am now aware, I quickly address it before it becomes unmanageable. My working space is very neat and unstuffed.”

Your walls aren’t shrinking, it’s your stuff that is too much. Don’t beat yourself up too much when you look at your cluttered space and feel overwhelmed with guilt. That will not help you. Instead, take a step of faith and do something about it. Getting this book was step one, CONGRATULATIONS! You are on your way to UNSTUFFING yourself.

Is there any story here you can relate with?

What’s your Clutter Story? I’d love to read it. Drop an email to [email protected]

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These are just a few stories I picked from real people that I have worked with. People like you and I who have clutter challenges that we are facing or are in denial about. I wanted to share these stories so that you know that you are not alone. You are human. I always say that you will always have clutter in your home because you are alive. You are always bringing things into your space but things do not leave your space at the same rate.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

NOTES

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I am sure you have decluttered before—whether you did it the right way or not is another story altogether—so decluttering is not an entirely new term. You have cleared out clothes and shoes from your wardrobe and donated them to your local church or given a relative. Thrown out old newspapers or sold them. At some point in your life, you have removed what you considered clutter from your space. Especially around Christmas time, when you are inspired to give to the less fortunate in society or when at work and you have a Corporate Social Responsibility activity and you are encouraged to bring stuff you no longer want and donate to charity.

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s I interact with my clients and different people while helping them declutter and organize their spaces, I often ask what clutter is to the person I’m working with. In fact, many times I have been sternly told, “I don’t have clutter issues. I declutter often so I have it under control.” Well, do you really?

The Oxford dictionary defines clutter as (a lot of objects in) a state of being untidy1. The universal understanding is that clutter is trash. The things you own that are torn, worn out, don’t fit anymore, expired, broken down, missing parts, old exercise books and so on. All this is totally accurate and I can see how you would be confident that you have no clutter. Have you considered that the Kitenge (Ankara) outfit that you made to attend your cousins wedding three years ago and have not worn again; or that costume 1 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/clutter

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

gown you got made for your office themed party that you haven’t had a chance to wear again; or the 45 piece fine dining cutlery with teeny-tiny tea cups that was gifted to you on your wedding day 5 years ago but is still in its box in the store; or the new book you bought out of peer pressure but have never read… shall I go on?... Have I just thrown a spanner in your works? In fact, now that we are here, list 5 things that you have in your home that fit in the description above. A gift you have never opened/used, an outfit you have never worn etc.

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Do you still maintain that you have no clutter after making your list? We shall refer to this list later on.

This picture depicts what most people believe clutter to be. Worn out sofa, things strewn all over, no order at all. It is indeed right, however, it’s not always the case. You can have a very neat space, nothing visibly out of order, but extremely cluttered.

‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰

Some questions you ought to ask yourself as you write this list

That was not why I walked into the supermarket, but my mind begins to play tricks on me. All of a sudden, I convince myself that I need to replace my current dinner plates (I really don’t), because these ones are totally cute and they cost half the price.

1. When was the last time I actually used that item? 2. Do I love it? Do I light up and feel good about myself when I wear that outfit or shoe? 3. Do I need it? If I do, is it within reach or do I have to turn the house inside out to find it? Do I have something else that can do the same job as that thing?

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Let me explain: I refer to clutter as anything you have in your home, that you do not USE, LOVE or NEED. It is the accumulation of things that impede your ability to feel relaxed, at peace and confident about your living space. Remember the list you wrote, that belongs to the ‘do not use’ category but is occupying valuable space somewhere in your house. I want you to write down another list of at least 10 items that you have, but you do not need or love. Write what comes to your mind effortlessly.

When working with a client, the first thing I normally want to understand is why they need my services, how they got where they are and most importantly, why they want to declutter. I have learnt from personal, experience and in my interactions with clients, that clutter is not just a ‘stuff’ problem, it is a behaviour problem. Habits that we form as we live that cause us to clutter our homes and lives. An example is; I love sales! I could be going about the supermarket with the intention of picking a few packets of milk and other groceries, but as I walk down the aisles, I see a sign, ‘Buy a set of six dinner plates and get a set of 6 side plates FREE!’ That was not why I walked into the supermarket, but my mind begins to play tricks on me. All of a sudden, I convince myself that I need to replace my current dinner plates (I really don’t), because these ones are totally cute and they cost half the price. What’s more, I will get free side plates. What a bargain! And at that moment the dinner plates land in my cart... Hands up if you can relate.

Now, are dinner plates with matching side plates a good thing to have? Yes they are.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Do I need any extra plates in my home at the moment? No.

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Have I used money that I did not have to? Yes. Do you now understand how you can unconsciously, but consistently, fill your space with unnecessary stuff? That’s why understanding your ‘why’ is such a crucial step in the decluttering process, one that should not be skipped if you are going to be successful in this journey.

But first, why do you want to declutter?

I’d like to encourage you to write a brief paragraph about why you have decided to start this journey and the changes you desire at the end of this process. What does your ideal lifestyle look like and what are you creating space for?

I want to y m r e t t u l c de : e s u a c e b e hom

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

How has doing th at

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exercise made yo u fe el?

We agreed earlier that we have decluttered at one point or the other during the course of our daily routines, but just when we started feeling good about the space and order we have created and are so proud of ourselves, our newly created space is filled up again. What happened? Sigh! The reason clutter finds itself back in our space soon after we clear it is because we rarely take time to first understand why we have clutter in the first place. To understand our ‘WHY’, take time to answer these set of questions. Be as honest as possible. Emily Rooney of Happy Organized Life1 said it so well, that decluttering needs to start with a self-reflection exercise so that we not only address the clutter issue but the why!

These set of questions will help you get to know your why2. Now, they seem like a lot of questions but please, answer them as honestly as you can. You will thank me later.

1 To read more on Emily Rooney’s Happy Organized life, log on to https://www.happyorganizedlife.com/declutterathon-types-clutter-hard-work/ 2 Ibid.

1. How do I define clutter? Can I identify it in my own life?

2. In what ways do I have:

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Emotional/mental clutter: thoughts and feelings that hold us back from our true potential

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Physical clutter: the stuff that we can see

Social clutter: people & commitments that don’t add value

Digital clutter: emails, phone contacts, gadgets

3. What rooms or areas in my life are most cluttered? Why do I think this is so?

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5. How much of my time is consumed by clutter?

6. How does this clutter make me feel?

7. Do I struggle with getting rid of things? Why do I think this is so?

8. Which items are hardest to get rid of and why?

WWWWWWWWWWWWWW

4. How does clutter affect me?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

9. What would an organized, uncluttered environment or life look like for me? (Dream big)

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10. How would an organized, uncluttered life make me feel?

11. What about my current lifestyle and habits would have to change in order to have the home and life I want? (Be as honest and realistic as possible.)

After all that mental and emotional work, take a break and reward yourself with what you enjoy most. Nap, ice-cream, glass of wine! In fact, I insist that you do this after every task as you progress. I call it motivation!

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How do you feel having gone through this reflection section? ‰ Relieved ‰ Clearer about the future ‰ Emotional ‰ Guilty ‰ Happy

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What is the real €o$t

clutter?

You are doing very well so far, however, before we go any further, I’d like you to write down everything you’re sacrificing for the clutter in your life. I know this may not be something you have thought about, but at least 90% of the things in your house, you purchased. They cost you money. Including those things that are stashed away somewhere gathering dust. Clutter costs us in more ways than we can imagine and I want you to internalize that.

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n this short exercise, let’s quantify that. Think about every question carefully and be as specific as possible in your responses. • How much money are you using monthly to buy things that you know you do not need or you already have but don’t remember that you do?

• How much time (minutes/hours) weekly do you use looking for stuff that you need but can’t find e.g. Keys

• Your passions? Are there dreams and things you’d like to pursue but you are not able to? • Your health and wellbeing? Do you have respiratory health issues? Constant headaches? 3

Jennifer// What’s-the-cost-of-your-clutter,https://www.simplyfiercely.com/6th October 2020, newsletter

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of your

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• Your relationships? Are you constantly arguing with your loved ones about your living space? How do you feel about friends just showing up at your house without notice?

• Your peace of mind? How is the level of stress and anxiety in your life?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

• Your hopes and dreams? Are you pursuing your dreams at the moment? Why?

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When I am not doing what I totally love doing—organizing—as well as being a wife to Mr. Juliet, mother to a teenage daughter and ten-year-old son (both 21 years in their heads by the way), I train on self-awareness.

Some years ago, my husband came across a personality and behaviour assessment tool that he thought was different from most, like the Myers Briggs™ and others. He called it Clarity 4D© and was quite excited about it. He signed up to know more about it and eventually became an accredited business partner. He kept going on about it and how it had changed his perception about himself and the world around him. I finally gave into his constant prodding and decided to find out for myself what this Clarity 4D© was all about. I filled a set of 20 questions and at the end of it my profile was out.

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s I was reading my profile, it was as though I was meeting myself for the first time. It was so eerily accurate. I wondered how a system would know so much about me just by the responses I gave. It explained so much about why I am the way I am and why I do the things I do. My perception about the world changed, my reactions changed, my work ethic changed. When I became aware of and accepted who

I was, my life changed. I started to think that If I had known then what I know now, I would have saved myself so much stress and energy. I decided to also get accredited as a Clarity4D© business partner so that I can empower others with this wonderful information. I therefore started my journey of helping others become self-aware so that they can be better human beings, discover their passions, and get better

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

results in their individual pursuits.

or your head? If you are easily influenced by others or you chart your own In this chapter, I will attempt to help course? you know yourself better. Ideally, this takes a day or more to do, but I will try Personality profiling is not new, it has and help you navigate through it all. been around since the times of the If you would like to do the complete Ancient Greeks. Hippocrates, a Greek profile and debriefing, you can reach physician who lived between 460BC out via this email info@training-con- and 370BC, identified that his patients nections.co.ke. behaved in four different and distinctive ways based on their body fluids. You may be wondering why I am going Do the terms Melancholic, Sanguine, on about self-awareness. When you are Phlegmatic and Choleric sound familself-aware, you begin to focus on iar? Many years later, the psychologist, improving your areas of hidden potenCarl Jung, also identified differences in tial (weaknesses) and sharpening your personality types. The Clarity4D© model strengths. You understand why you do is based on his work. the things you do, the way you do them: including your clutter tendencies In Clarity4D© profiles, there are four and your organizing styles. How you colours that are important in definare wired as a human being plays a ing personalities—red, green, blue and huge role in daily mundane things like yellow. Each colour is represented by your preferred mode of dressing, what an earth element and the energy they your office desk is likely to look like represent as discovered by the ancient etc. This is going to be interesting, trust Greek. Red has associations with fire, me. yellow with air, green with earth and blue with water; together they make up the natural atmosphere of our very existence1. Using this idea from the Ancient Greeks, the Clarity4D© model is linked to the four psychological types identified by Carl Jung and our preferred way of behaving. The concept of colour was added to help one recognize and remember the different personalities easily. He referred to them as Red (fire), Yellow (air), Blue (water) and Green (earth) colour energies. Don’t you agree this easier to remember?

30 Have you ever wondered why you are wired the way you are? Why you do things the way you do them? Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert? If you make decisions with your heart 1 https://www.clarity4d.com/topic/the-language-of-colour

Carl Jung further divided the personalities into three sets of preferences: how one gathers information (via sense or intuition), whether one tends to be introverted or extroverted and how one

makes decisions—following your head or your heart. He then linked each of these preferences with specific colour energies. The 4D is about the 4 dimensions of human development which entail: 1. 1st Dimension: Discovering how you see yourself. 2. 2nd Dimension: Discussing how others see you. 3. 3rd Dimension: Digesting the feedback on areas of strength and those of hidden potential.

At this point we will only look at the first dimension. Everyone has all four colour-energies within them. It is the combination of the four energies that produces the unique YOU. Understanding a bit more about them can help you pinpoint your own colour-energy mix. None of the preferences discussed here is better than the other. Think of them as a continuum along which people can move, but tend to stick more towards one end or the other. I found an interesting questionnaire called, The Little Book of you from lighterlife.com2 that I customized a little to make it as simple and understandable as possible. PS: As you go through the questions, there’s no set or choice that’s better than the other. Pick the one that best resonates with you. The one that comes to mind first is usually the most accurate. 1. Look carefully at the dial below and all the sets of descriptions—which one sounds most like you?

2

The Little book of you” – lighterlife.com

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4. 4th Dimension: Developing the areas of hidden potential.

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2.

Which set best describes you?

a) Reserved, quiet, observant, cautious, reflective? b) Outgoing, energetic, action-oriented, outspoken, assertive?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

3.

Which set best describes you?

a) Objective, impersonal, logical, detached, formal? b) Subjective, sympathetic, considerate, accommodating, informal?

4. What best describes me from the words below?

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a) Introvert: Typical for blue and/or green colour-energy preferences. b) Extravert: Characteristic of red and/or yellow colour-energy preferences. c) Thinking: Indicates blue and/or red colour-energy preferences. d) Feeling: Common with green and/or yellow colour-energy preferences

Are you getting a much clearer sense now of your preferred colour energies, and your distinct personality mix? Let’s explore it a little further.

5. What am I mostly like? Circle one in each band. The one that comes to mind first. No need to overthink. 1



2



3



4

a) Assertive Cheerful Calming Detached Encouraging

Good Listener

Logical

c) Fast-paced

Influential

Dependable

Formal

d) Demanding

Persuasive

Relaxed

Deliberate

e) Strong-willed

Expressive

Considerate

Objective

Kind

Questioning

f) Results oriented Sociable g) Competitive

Communicative Consistent

Careful

h) Positive

Creative

Caring

Perfectionist

i) Purposeful

Controlling

Spirited

Precise

If you mostly picked 1’s, this suggests a preference for Red colour energy. People with dominant red energy are self-starters with bags of energy. Being extroverted, outgoing and assertive, they have a direct way of communicating what they want and how it should be done/delivered— they like to set the agenda. They tend to be focused, authoritative, single-minded, bold and courageous, making them natural leaders. The downside of all this focused red energy is that it can sometimes come across as bossy, selfish, impulsive and even aggressive.

If you mostly picked 2’s, you seem to have a Yellow colour energy preference. People with a preference for yellow energy are extroverts with a strong focus on creativity and using their imagination. They’re sociable and friendly, believe life is fun and want to get along with everyone. Their infectious enthusiasm and dynamism makes them persuasive and influential. They are also great at motivating everyone around them to get involved. However, on a bad day, yellow energy can seem exhausting, over-excitable, unfocused and shallow.

If you’ve got mostly 3’s, you probably have a preference for Green colour energy. People who relate mostly to green energy are good-listeners, salt-of-the-earth types who care about others and want to be relied on. They are dependable, patient, calm and kind. They tend to be introverted but have a strong inner core—are quietly determined and persistent, they will defend what they value to the end. On the minus side, this ‘quiet’ energy may create an impression of stubbornness, docility and resistance to change.

Picking mostly 4’s suggests that you have a Blue colour energy preference. People who draw mainly on their blue energy are introverts who like to sit back, reflect and think before they act. Since they are logical, objective and considered, they have a strong desire to understand the world around them. They value intellect and independence. They’re cool-headed in a crisis, often with the reputation of being a safe pair of hands at work, but that approach can lead to what looks like indecision and over-cautiousness. They can sometimes seem cold/aloof.

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b) Dynamic

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I’m curious, do your findings in question 5 relate to your findings in question 1? If they do, then you most likely have a good idea of your preferred colour preference and the behaviours related to it. It is also normal to lean towards two different colour preferences, but one will appear to be more dominant than the other. Here is another summary of the Blue, Red Green and Yellow colour-energies. 3

How did doing this self-awareness exercise feel?

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3 https://www.thecolourworks.com/insights-discovery-colour-types-guide/

You love a busy and unstructured space, which is code for a little messy! (But you know where ever ything is right?) Oh, and you have to have the latest gadgets, laptop, tablet or smartphone…

You want to take a three day trip out of town. What is your suitcase most likely going to look like?

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Our personalities influence so many aspects of our lives, consciously or subconsciously. From our body language, to how we are likely to organize our homes or desk at work. To some extent, even our ability to easily let go of things or our tendencies to hoard. Once you understand your preferred colour energy, you become more aware and are therefore able to make amends, especially if certain behaviours are not serving you very well. For example; people whose preferred colour energy is green tend to accumulate things. They are not very accepting of change but are naturally very accommodating. Also, because they don’t like to have to offend anyone, they will keep things out of guilt, hence, clutter becomes a huge problem for them. Take a look at the image below, which desk space would most likely be yours?

I’m trusting that this chapter has helped you to ‘know yourself’ better. For greater accuracy and higher potential for transformation, I recommend doing the actual profile. Go to www.clarity4D.com, click on the profile link and follow the simple steps. I will share here that my dominant colour-energies are blue and red, in that order. That explains my high O.C.D levels and naturally, my love for order and organizing, so you are in safe hands… if I can say so myself.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

With this information are you able to identify your house mate’s behaviour preferences? Give it a try. Write your house mates name inside the coloured teardrop you think they best fit in.

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AVISION FOR MY

HOME I know by now you have heard of the term ‘vision board’. You probably even have one mounted on a wall somewhere in your house. In case you are one of the few that do not know what a vision board is, I will briefly explain. I would describe it as a collection of images/drawings/photos put up on a board or place where they can be seen, that depict one’s dreams and aspirations. Since it is visual, this collage serves as motivation and a source of inspiration for one to pursue those dreams. It is always encouraged that you put yours up in a space that you will see every morning as it will be a constant reminder of what you are working towards achieving. It’s a powerful visualization tool and works well if you work on it.

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here is power in writing things down. They gain a life of their own. When you put something down on paper it moves from your imagination to something visible and somehow, you are motivated to do something towards achieving that ‘thing’. In fact, the good Book says in Habakkuk 2:2 (NKJV), “ Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it .” As a born-again Christian, I fully believe in the bible and God’s intentions when He instructs me to write down my vision. It must be for my good. We write down our vision so that we are motivated to make movement towards our dreams. This is what I would like us to do in this section: the same way you have a vision written down for your life, I’d like you to

write/draw down the vision you have for your home. For example; when you are seated in your living room, is it as you’d like? Close your eyes… What do you envision for that space? What kind of furniture can you see? What colour are the walls? How about the drapes and carpet? Dream big! I want you to repeat the ‘dreaming’ process with every room in your house. Take a walk through your home/space and start by taking a clear picture of your room as it currently is. The reason I ask you to do this is because it will give you a fresh set of eyes. For some reason, seeing a familiar space in a photograph gives you a new perspective. You are able to see what belongs and what doesn’t much easier than when you’re standing in the room. Since we are so used to living with

clutter around us, it becomes normal, we stop noticing that there’s a pile of books on the floor by your bed because that’s how it has always been. But should they really be there? This is what is called clutter blindness. A photo will help you identify these random things and it will also be good to compare with your after picture and see how far you’ve come. Your pictures will help to remind you of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come.

BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Next, write down your vision for each room1. Don’t leave out any detail. What do you see your room look like when you are done? What will need to be done in that space to achieve that look? Focus on one room at a time. Please don’t skip this step! E.g. “Bedroom” - Hang the coats, vacuum the floor, throw away old magazines, organize the drawers, organize makeup chest etc.

What does this room look like right now? Take a photo and paste it here.

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1

Declutter Your Way to Success workbook, Terri Savelle Foy,2017 print

How does it make you feel?

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What is your vision for this room? How can this space help me live the life I want? What belongs here & what doesn’t?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a photo and paste it here.

How does it make you feel?

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a photo and paste it here.

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How does it make you feel?

e th e lif e I sp ace he lp m e liv is th n ca ow H ? on fo r th is ro om W ha t is yo ur vi si do es n’ t? ng s he re & w ha t w an t? W ha t be lo

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a photo and paste it here

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How does it make you feel?

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a photo and paste it here.

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How does it make you feel?

m e live th e lif e I lp he e ac sp is th ? H ow ca n on fo r th is ro om W ha t is yo ur vi si t? re & w ha t do es n’ he s ng lo be t ha w an t? W

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a picture and paste it here.

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How does it make you feel?

th e lif e I ace he lp m e live sp is th n ca ow H ? on fo r th is ro om W ha t is yo ur vi si do es n’ t? t ng s he re & w ha w an t? W ha t be lo

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Now that you have written down your vision for every room in your home, we are getting closer to you creating your well documented plan for your ideal space. Is there is a room that is not covered here? Replicate what you have done for the other rooms below, label it and proceed. _____________________

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

What does this room look like right now? Take a picture and paste it here.

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How does it make you feel?

th e lif e I ace he lp m e live sp is th n ca ow H ? on fo r th is ro om W ha t is yo ur vi si do es n’ t? t ng s he re & w ha w an t? W ha t be lo

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

How has doing th at

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exercise made yo u fe el?

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THE ART OF LETTING GO The number one cause of cluttered spaces, hearts and minds is our inability to let go. There is always one reason or another as to why we hold onto things. They are called excuses and boy don’t we have a lot of them. For some of us, holding onto stuff is really out of habit and not because of its sentimental value. I know this because when I have interacted with these kind of people and seek to understand why they have a certain item, the answer I get is, “I’m not sure why I still have it. I know I should get rid of it but I just haven’t.” For others, however, the thought of letting go is enough to cause a panic attack. They attach the things they have around them to mean or represent something in their lives. The thought of releasing that thing, therefore, would mean that they are losing that aspect of their life.

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e all love to feel good about ourselves. We enjoy being positively recognized and so we hold onto anything that reinforces positive emotions and beliefs about ourselves. It is human nature. Let me give you an example; you were once the CEO of a certain well-known organization. It was a good job and your name was synonymous with that company. You got special treatment in hotels; got placed on covers of magazines and newspapers. After serving for many years, the company winds up operations and your job ends, along with the title recognition and fame it came with. Now imagine that this happened over

ten years ago and a lot has happened since then. Jobs have come and gone; businesses have come and gone, you still have boxes of files from your CEO days even though the company wound up. You still have the power suits you wore then even though they barely fit you. The reason you still hold onto these things is because you associate them with a past that made you feel good about yourself and you still want to keep that. Here’s another example; you could be drowning in stacks of books, both old and new, that you never read and yet still keep. They have occupied your entire bookshelf and have crept into

the rest of the edge—having this is a belief of your prized closer home…

house. Books are normally associated with intellect and knowlplenty of them has gotten you praise for being well-read. If you hold, no amount of prodding will persuade you to let go book collection. I hope this makes sense now. Let’s bring this

What items in your possessions give you anxiety at the thought of throwing them out, donating or selling them? List at least 1 item in every room.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Now that you have your list, what is the worst that will happen if you choose to let them go? Be honest…

What are you bound to gain by letting these items go?

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How did writing down that feel? Does the uphill task of decluttering now seem more doable? I hope that after this you realize that letting go of prized possessions isn’t the worst that can happen to a human being. They are just things,

they do not make the individual. Just because something made you happy in the past doesn’t mean you must keep it forever. Take a photo of the thing and keep the memories brought by the item, then create space for better—more useful things in your life. Quick question: What was your home like when you were growing up? Very orderly? Everything in place? Crowded with lots of furniture and people? Overflowing store? Matching cutlery in the kitchen? Recycled margarine and ice cream containers? Write a small description of your home growing up.

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Do you think your childhood has affected the look of your home today? How so?

Some of the behaviours and habits we have are because of our past. How we grew up, what we observed, and how we felt. We subconsciously take on these behaviours and act them out in our lives when we grow up. If you look closely at your home right now, there are some things that you have that are very similar to what you had as you were growing up. No one taught you to do these things, you learned through observation. Your upbringing can be a big contributor to the clutter in your life. Acknowledge that you are not your parents and that you are capable of choosing a different path from them if the current path doesn’t serve you.

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Is any of the things you listed above in your own home? List three.

How about guilt clutter?1

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Ever heard of that? This is the clutter that you have kept in your home as a result of the guilt you feel when you consider giving it up. It is the second biggest reason we have a problem letting go. You feel as though you will hurt someone if you let go of the item. This normally consists of gifts given to us (for me its the multi-coloured floral water glasses with a matching jug given to us by our dear Auntie from the village as a wedding gift thirteen years ago). Items in this category can also consist of hand me downs from older siblings, a hideous stuffed animal given to you by your son when he was in nursery school ten years ago etc.

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What guilt clutter are you keeping? Realize that once a gift is given to you, ownership changes, it is now yours. You can choose what to do with it. The best way to honour the person who gifted you the item is by re-gifting it to someone who will appreciate and use the item.

Another reason why we hold onto some things in our homes is because we consider how expensive they were at the point of purchase2 . When you think about donating the item or worse, reselling it, you remember how much you paid for it and you quickly make the decision to keep it. Let’s face it, sometimes we make terrible purchase decisions, especially when we buy things out of peer pressure or as a one-time desire to own the item. As soon as we acquire it, our desire fades and we are not keen on it anymore. If you have growing children, like I do, you must have fallen prey to endless purchases of music paraphernalia or sport accessories as they tried to make a decision on what extracurricular activity to participate in. Guitars, keyboards, tennis rackets, football gear etc. I mean; these things are not cheap, and yet, the little humans you buy them for have waning interests and newer ones every day. When you do the math for the items, and how you probably would have 1 The Declutter Challenge: A Guided Journal for Getting Your Home Organized in 30 Quick Steps by Cassandra Aarsen , printed in USA 2020. 2 Ibid.

What useful clutter are you keeping?

Did you know that you can, and do have what is called useful clutter3? This is a collection of things that you have in your home that are useful, but not necessary because you rarely use them. This kind of clutter makes up more than half the ‘junk’ we keep in our homes behind the cover of, ‘I might need it someday’. Another favourite cover we love to hide

I hope you have been able to understand

3 The Declutter Challenge: A Guided Journal for Getting Your Home Organized in 30 Quick Steps by Cassandra Aarsen, printed in USA 2020

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invested in a shamba (plot of land) behind is, “They don’t make things this somewhere, you decide to keep them. well anymore. It may come in handy someday.” Someday never really comes. Realize that you have already used that For example; the manufacturing sector money. It will not return to you. The has quickly embraced being ecoloss has happened and holding onto friendly and ‘green’, therefore, most that item will only compound your products now come in recyclable glass guilt. That item maybe of better use jars that can easily be upcycled. to someone else so it is time to give it up. If donating becomes too difficult, I love me a jar of virgin coconut oil and consider selling the item to recoup a the brand I buy comes with a nice glass fraction of what you spent on it. mason jar so it’s part of my monthly shopping. That adds up to 12 jars, or List down at least 5 items that you more, in a year. Multiply that by three consider too expensive to let go of. years, that is 36 jars. I have a household of 4 people, plus my housekeeper. Can you see where I’m going with all this math? You only need a couple of mason jars at a time in your home—everything else becomes clutter to keep away for a rainy day. Remember, clutter is anything you have in your space that you do not use, need, or love. Time to let go.

some of the reasons behind your inability to let go. In addition to this lesson, here are some ideas to help you let go as you get into the decluttering process.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Have a Re-Look bin: Up ahead, you will learn how you can simplify your decision making process by sorting your stuff in categories. The re-look bin is one of them. This is a good solution for those that experience severe anxiety at the thought of letting go. This is where you are allowed to store those things you are still struggling to release. Preferably, in a clear plastic storage bin. Label it clearly and put a clear date on it. This is the timeline you are setting to use the things you have kept in there. The date should be at most 6 months. If you have not as much as opened that bin within that time period, it may be time to let go of what’s in there.

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Playing a mind trick: It is easier to let go of something that you can’t quite see. This you can do with the help of a friend. Turn around, ask someone to remove the item for you. Since this person doesn’t have the attachment you have to the item, and you already mentally know that you need to release it, not seeing it will ease the anxiety you could experience. Give it a try.

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clothes etc.

Sentimental clutter: Items that you have in your space that remind you of a phase in your life or someone you knew. Keeping this item gives you good memories. This can be anything from your childhood teddy bear, first love letter, your grown children’s baby

• Guilty clutter: Items that you were gifted or handed down that you are still keeping out of obligation despite the fact that you do not like or use them. • Expensive clutter: Items that you are keeping because you spent a lot of money to acquire them. • Useful clutter: Items that you have in your home that are useful, but not necessary because you rarely use them.

We have made a lot of good progress since we started this decluttering journey. I know that sometimes you wanted to throw the workbook under the table and deal with it later. That happens when a few truths are revealed. Like I said at the start of the book, for you to be able to see physical results, you have to start by doing some work on yourself. That’s what we have been doing the last couple of chapters. Now we are ready to start doing the actual work with constant reference to the colourful visions we wrote down. You might still get tempted to toss the book away, but I also know that since you are already enjoying good results, you will pick it up and continue.

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aving identified the different kinds of clutter you have in your house and even going further to make some lists; it shouldn’t be so hard to declutter, or ‘Unstuff’ like I prefer to call it. To help us identify what fits in the clutter category, make frequent reference to the vision you wrote down for each space. If a certain item does not fit into that vision and is in fact a hindrance to the idea of how you want that space to look and feel, then

it is a good candidate for the trash or donation pile. Something else I find helpful in trying to figure out whether or not you want to keep an item is a set of questions I pose in page 67. I have found that these probing questions trigger a decision and, in most cases, a logical decision as opposed to a sentimental one. We keep a lot of clutter in our spaces out of the sentimental value we assign to them and these set of questions will help you overcome that.

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Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

8 considerations when Unstuffing

Is this something I use regularly? If not, is it something I love?

67

Am I saving it “just in case?”

Do I have multiples of the same thing?

Could something else I own do the same job?

Am I holding onto a broken item to get it fixed one day?

Is this helpful to you?

Could I use this space for something else?

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Am I holding onto it because I think I should love it?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Before we get too excited about unstuffing, let us gather a few basic items we will need: boxes/trash bags, cleaning equipment, and a great attitude.

The first rule of thumb is to start by clearing off what is visible. Clear off the visible mess first. Designate a category for each item. This is a method of sorting out the stuff you have. It forces you to make a decision on each item. This way, you don’t end up with a bigger mess than the one you started with. You will find that when you sort your items in this way, your decision-making process will be simplified.

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Another tool that I have found to be helpful for reference as you declutter is the flow chart on the next page. It will help you to ask yourself probing questions that I would ask as your professional organizer. Check it out.

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hat do you do when you share your space with other people? Spouse/partner, children, siblings, or pets. In many cases, my clients have attributed the mess in their homes to their house mates—and they have gone on to express how frustrated that makes them. This may or may not be true for you but the fact is that the people we share our homes with may be thwarting our efforts to keep clutter away1.

1 The Declutter Challenge: A Guided Journal for Getting Your Home Organized in 30 Quick Steps by Cassandra Aarsen ,printed in USA 2020.

Let’s discuss this briefly: Do you share your space with other people (Tick against the appropriate answer)?  Yes  No Do you attribute the clutter and disorder in your home to your house mates?  Yes  No

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Who would you say is most notorious? (You can write the name down, this is a safe space )

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What does this person/people do or not do that undoes your good effort?

How does this make you feel?

What would you want them to do instead? Put the activity alongside the person’s name.

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Have you made an attempt to communicate this to the respective person?  Yes  No Was this right after you tripped over stuff that the person had left lying around and you were totally upset? Do you think your communication was received?

When doing housework—decluttering and organizing—what’s your attitude usually like?  Happy, excited and energized  Mad and grouchy

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 Lazily, whiny and disinterested

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You cannot control the actions of other people no matter how much you may want to. This is why you have not been successful in getting your house mates to keep the house clutter-free and organized. You have unsuccessfully tried to get your kids to pick up after themselves and to willingly remove clothes and toys that they don’t use. You have tried to get your spouse to put books back on the bookshelf when they are done but failed. In fact, the more you talk about it, the more you stumble on books in random spots. Have you ever noticed that the more you complain about an unwanted behaviour the more it manifests? I’m speaking out of experience here. I am seriously O.C.D (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and my happy place is an organized clean space. I can think better and I have a great sense of peace. Being a wife and mom, I found myself on my feet throughout, tidying up after everyone. They say opposites attract and in my case, this is true. I thrive in order; my house mates are perfectly ok in disorder. It drove me nuts. Pretty soon I was burned out and upset. I felt used and unappreciated. How come people cannot keep the house clean? I mean, how hard is it to remove your shoes when you get into the house (I still get overworked by this to date). One day I called myself for a meeting (normally sounds better in my native language ), and I thought, “What’s the worst that could happen if I just stopped picking up after everyone? Who said the house has to be spick and span with everything in place and spotless (my preference of course)? Would I get a panic attack? Would the house tumble and crash? No!” It dawned on me that it’s never really that serious! I just stopped. It was not easy to be seated with stuff around me and resist the urge to tidy up, but this far I have survived.

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Change the way you react to your kids, for example; when you find a heap of clothes right next to the laundry basket (can someone explain to me why

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here I’m I going with this? I want you to realize that whether the people you live with cooperate with you in this process or not is wholly dependent on you. This means that your attitude towards them, their behaviour, and the tone of your communication to them will determine whether your house mates pull their weight as you declutter and keep your space organized.

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

they never seem to land inside the basket?), instead of ranting for 20 minutes about how the room is a mess and how untidy and lazy they are, try telling them how disappointed it makes you feel when you find a messy room. Help them understand that it makes you feel like they don’t appreciate your love for order. Let them see the benefit of keeping their rooms in order, e.g. it would be easier to find their school uniform in the morning, which means they will have good time to enjoy breakfast before going to school.

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I struggle with this myself, trust me, but when I have communicated differently and made it about how certain actions make me feel instead of attacking the other person’s behaviour, I have realized good results. Change the way you react to unwanted habits and notice how the habits start to change. The other thing you can do is to change your attitude about decluttering, begin to look at it as the activity you do because you enjoy the results it gives you. The peace and clarity it gives you when your home is clutter free—focus on that. Quit looking at it as an exhausting, time consuming activity that you don’t like to do but must do. Your house mates watch you and because they don’t want to experience fatigue, they don’t cooperate. Once they start to see the positivity you have when decluttering and organizing; when they see how happy this process makes you, they will begin to appreciate your efforts. And since they want to feel that same way, they will happily join in.

Notice that everything I have shared in this section is about changing YOU because that’s all you can control. Those around you will then respond in the affirmative. Try this approach and see if you will get more cooperation.

LET’S UNSTUFF Unstuffing can be a very exhausting process and most people give up even before they start. This is because it involves a lot of decision making. Do I donate this or not? What if I need it at some point? I used so much money to buy it… and so on and so forth. All this causes what is called decision fatigue; which can be both emotionally and mentally draining. As a professional organizer, decluttering all day may not be draining at all because it is my work and secondly, I love it. It’s my passion! Now, this may not be the case for you because you are the one making the decisions . The tough decisions!!!

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his is why I advocate for breaking down your home into small tasks or spaces that you can tackle a day at a time for up to an hour on each day. Doing this makes the idea of unstuffing more acceptable and doable in your mind. When working with my clients, I have found that breaking down a home into zones or item categories, makes it easier to manage. When one completes a task and they see the lovely results, they are motivated to carry on to the next zone or task, and on and on. Pretty soon, they can begin to see tangible results and it makes them feel good about achieving it. Decluttering is a habit one forms, so if you are able to see results on your first try, you will get motivated to keep doing it. In this workbook, I have broken down

our decluttering tasks into 21 (plus 1 bonus area we forget often) different tasks that cover both actual spaces in your home as well as items that if not monitored, can be a true source of clutter. I chose to start with what seems like an obvious mundane category. The key point here is to start with small things that you can easily clear out and progress onto more complex tasks. I have found that when you are able to successfully complete a task, you are motivated to proceed to the next one. Set your timer on for 30 minutes and when it goes off and you still have more energy, you are free to continue. Have your trash bag close by for the things you will throw out immediately and put on some good music. Start now...

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STATIONERY

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Pens, Biros, pencils, rulers, crayons, markers, coloured pencils, and shar peners Pur pose to get rid of at least 10 items in this category: • Take a walk through your living space, starting with the room where you spend most of your time and collect every bit of stationery you can find. • Start with what is automatically visible, then proceed to check what’s in drawers and bags. • Lay them all out in one place and test if they work. Throw out what isn’t working, dried out or is broken beyond repair. • Give them a home. Get a glass mason jar (the reusable ones you keep when oil or coffee runs out) and place the pens and pencils in one, rulers in another. • Place them in the spaces where you will most likely use them. Your home office desk, your kids study table, your bedroom dresser, or on the kitchen counter. • Going forward, every time you find a random pen lying around, you will now have a particular place it should go to.

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FOOD

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Focus on the fridge, pantry, any cabinets that you store food, and spices. • Remove all cooked food that has been in the fridge longer than 3 days. Past three days the risk of poisoning increases. If you know you will not eat food within three days of cooking it, freeze it Vis a Vis refrigerating it. • Look through your spice cabinet and throw out any expired items. • Check the flour (both maize and wheat) for any weevils or food moths indicating that it has gone rancid and throw out or use to feed the chicken—if you have any. • Consider using—within the shortest time possible—any food items that are near expiry or share them out before you consider adding onto your stockpile. • To organize your dry foods and flour, consider emptying the contents into clear glass or plastic storage jars that you can stack. This keeps the food fresher, and you also avoid the risk of them getting moisture. • Organize all your food items in order of use and ensure they are accessible because it ensures you keep track of what is in stock and what needs replenishing. • This is a good day to clean the fridge. Remove everything and clean it out using water with either lemon or vinegar. This removes odors and freshens up the fridge. • Store left over onions and garlic in a container that can lock or wrap with cling film to avoid the strong smell filtering to other food.

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KITCHEN

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All cabinets, wall units, drawers, and under the sink. • Check through your cabinets for trash cups with broken or missing handles, water bottles without lids, lids without corresponding containers, peelers that do not work, yoghurt cups, empty plastic honey & ice cream containers. • Remove all kitchen appliances that are broken down and beyond repair e.g. blender motors. You can give them to the ‘mali kwa mali’ trader (barter trade vendor) in exchange for something useful. • Remove and dispose of those empty appliance boxes creating space for your appliances such as blenders, cake mixers etc. • Consider donating mismatched cutlery, spoons, pots, and pans that have no handles and are bent out of shape—plates and cups that you no longer use, duplicates of items e.g. openers. There is someone who will benefit from them. • Collect the glass jars from finished oils, jams, and spices and clean them out. They can be repur posed as storage jars for food, holding pens and pencils or as flower vases. • Arrange the things that you use often in an accessible place, and the cabinets according to function e.g. plates, saucers, and bowls together, tea cups together, glasses, knives and peelers, cooking spoons, pots and pans etc. • Avoid lining cabinets with newspapers as they encourage roaches. You can get cabinet and drawer liners from the House of leather stores. • Clean out your sink drainage by pouring in baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. It cleans and freshens the drainage. • Air out the under-the-sink cabinet daily by opening its doors. It tends to become musty because it’s a wet area.

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OFFICE SUPPLIES

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Notebooks (used or unused), envelopes, scissors, stamps, paper clips, staples, paper punches, and business cards. • Get rid of anything you no longer need. While you are doing this, check on the pens you sorted on day 1 and reorganize them, perhaps according to function e.g. pens, colors, markers etc. • Get rid of staplers or paper punches that no longer work. Put these items together because they are most likely used together. • Get a small container that can house loose paper clips, staples, thumb tucks and put them within the area you mostly work from—either home office or a desk in your room. • Designate a drawer on your desk to house envelopes, stamps, gift cards and sticky notes. • Get a small container that can hold your business cards together so that they are not all over the place. • Inculcate a habit of putting office supplies where you have designated for them every time you find them lying around. It will save you a lot of time in the future. It will also help you avoid buying duplicate items because you cannot find what you already have. • Designate space in your desk drawers to store your printing paper. You can also choose to recycle used paper and save money.

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BOOKS

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Notebooks (used or unused), journals, magazines, newspapers, lecture notes, and old cheque Books. • Go through your entire house for books that are lying around and gather them in one area—including any books on a shelf. Pick each one and consider whether it was a book you loved, enjoyed reading and can happily read again. Put those that meet the criteria aside as the ones to keep. • As much as you love your book collection, you probably own at least a few books you’ll never read again. Sort through them and choose to donate them or consider starting an exchange program with someone who has books they have already read. It is a good chance to refresh your collection. • If you have books you have never read in the pile, there is a very high chance you will never read them. It is time to get rid of them. • If you don’t already have a bookshelf, get a ‘fundi’ to build one and mount it on the wall, that way you get to use that wall space well and keep the bookshelf off the ground. • Look through old notebooks that are filled up and lecture notes—shred them if they no longer serve you. • Shred finished cheque books and filled up receipt books for a business that you no longer have. • Place all unused notebooks on a tabletop where you can see them, this will help you to remember to use them. When you keep things in a drawer, you tend to forget that they are there. Consequently, you end up buying duplicates. • Get rid of old, outdated magazines that you have already read and re-read. • Sell or trade in old newspapers to ‘Mali Kwa Mali’ (barter trade) people that walk around. Keeping old newspapers only encourages cockroaches in your home.

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LOOSE PAPER

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Warranties, loose paper, school newsletters, takeout menus, service charge receipts, and brochures. • We are afraid of getting rid of paper that may be important, so we keep everything. Establish exactly what you need to keep, and get rid of the rest. • You will find loose papers and documents in drawers, therefore, ensure you go through all your drawers. • Separate whatever paper work you have based on what it is i.e. business papers, children’s school reports, personal documents, old receipts etc. • File all the important documents in a spring file that you can label so you know what is in it. • Keep all your highly personal and important documents e.g. marriage, birth and school certificates, passports, insurance documents etc. in a mid-sized clear storage bin. Any document that you would want to have—should you need to dash out of your house in a hurry—should be in that container. • Shred all paper that is not useful anymore. Documents from previous employers that don’t make any sense in your current life, old exam papers, brochures that you collected in a trade expo, your old school paperwork should be shredded. • Store all documents that you are not ready to shred yet in a storage bin that you will date and re-look after six months. If you haven’t opened that bin in 6 months, it may be time to get rid of them. TIP: The best way to avoid paper clutter is to shred as soon as you are done with it. Leaving it on the table will only encourage a pile up that will become a problem to dispose of later.

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LIVING AND DINING AREA

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The clutter in this space is usually made up of items that drift in from other rooms. E.g. shoes, books etc. • Go through your dining room and check for things that belong in other spaces and take them there immediately. • Your dining room may also have too much furniture, so, consider if you actually use every piece of furniture currently in your dining space. Move some to a different space, donate or sell. • Look through your living room for things that belong in other spaces in your house e.g. blankets, books etc. • Look through your T V cabinet drawers and check for old DVD’s that are broken and totally scratched. Throw them out. • You probably have DVD’s and no DVD player, those are no longer useful. Donate them to a children’s home because they can be used for entertainment. You could also dispose them by separating them from the rest of your trash. It will definitely be sorted out by the garbage collectors as they pick your trash and could be useful to them. • Also, check your living room for excess furniture or items that you rarely use or have any need for and perhaps move to another space where it would be useful, donate or sell. • Create a spot with a basket or hook where you keep your keys e.g. house keys, car keys. It will save you lots of time in the future. • Adorn your living room with a beautiful vase of flowers.

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KIDS BEDROOM

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Invite your children to do this with you. • Encourage your children to make their beds first thing after they get out of bed. It is the first task of the day and will give them momentum to do other things in the course of the day. They don’t have to it perfectly. Applaud them when they do. • Scan through the room for items that do not belong in that room like toys, shoes, plates and cups. Let your kids take them to the spaces they belong to. • Talk to your children about respecting their rooms and not eating in them or leaving them untidy. • Get rid of furniture and decorative items in their bedroom that are not necessary. Ensure that clothes thrown either on the bed or couch are either hang in the wardrobe or folded properly in the drawers. • Check under the bed and remove everything that they have stashed there. Avoid keeping things under the beds since dust tends to accumulate under there. It may be the reason for their allergies, hay fever, or waking up with stuffy noses. Find an alternate location for those things. • At the start of the challenge, you had written a vision for every room including this one. Did you consult your children? Now would be a good time to ask them what their vision for their room is. Using the provided vision, begin to actualize what they want. • After cleaning up, light a scented candle. PS: If your kids share a bedroom, make sure they all participate in this process.

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KID’S TOYS, ART & CRAFT SUPPLIES

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Ensure that you involve your children when decluttering their toys to avoid tantrums in the future. • Help your children sift through their toys. Separate them according to type i.e. stuffed toys, puzzles, building blocks, play sets etc. • Remove all torn teddy bears and dolls, broken toys, toys with missing parts like wheels, incomplete Lego kits, and puzzles with missing pieces—throw these out. • Convince them to donate old stuffed toys, dolls and building blocks that they no longer play with to a children’s home or even church. Let them know how happy their toys will make other children. • Go through all your crafts and supplies to check if you use all the items you are keeping. Collectibles, hobby equipment and supplies can quickly become unmanageable clutter. You will find that you no longer need some items and are happy to gift them to someone who will enjoy them. • I suggest storing your art supplies in a clear storage bin and in a place that you can easily access them so that you are motivated to use them often. PS: If you do not have anything in this category, there is probably space in your house that you ‘hide’ or stash things away that you do not want to deal with. This is the day.

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BEDROOM

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• Start by making your bed—if it is not made already. Make sure this is the first thing you do every day before you step out of the room. • Scan through the room for items that do not belong in that room. Sift through every inch of the room removing items that are misplaced e.g. shoes, book, bedding’s, furniture etc. • Ensure that you take each misplaced item to its respectful room. • Get rid of furniture and decorative items in your bedroom that are not necessary. Ensure that clothes thrown either on the bed or couch are either hang in the wardrobe or folded properly in the drawers. • Check under the bed and remove everything that you have stashed there. Avoid keeping things under your bed, since dust tends to accumulate under there. This can cause allergies, hay fever, and waking up with a stuffy nose. Find an alternate location for those things. • Your bedroom should be a calm space to wind down, thus, should not be crowded or unkempt in any way. • At the start of the challenge, you had written a vision for every room. Based on that vision, begin to actualize what you want for this room. • After cleaning up, light a scented candle. PS: If you share a bedroom, do not move or discard someone else’s belongings without asking them.

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You are halfway there!

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LINEN CLOSET/ DRAWER

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Bed-sheets, pillowcases, bath towels, hand towels, and blankets. • Go through your house, sift through your linen and gather them in one area. • Check for any torn sheets that you can re-pur pose/recycle e.g. cut up into wipe cloths, dusters etc. • Put the sheets in pairs based on the size of the sheets. You can mix and match sheets if they are in good condition e.g. if you find you have a plain sheet and a printed sheet that have no partners, you can create a pair out of that. • A good way to store bed sheets to save on space and keep like pairs together is to put the pair of sheets inside the corresponding pillowcase. • Assign your linen per room if you can so that you are not mixing your children’s sheets with the guest bedroom’s sheets and vice versa. Repeat the process with your towels. Re-pur pose what is torn. Towels make very good floor dusters. • Assign towels per room and per individual living in your house. Towels are deeply personal items so they should not be mixed. • Donate any bed sheets and blankets that you no longer need.

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ACCESSORIES

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Hats, gloves, scarves, jewelry, belts, and scarves. • Go through each of these items and check for items you no longer use, love or need. Decide what you are happy to donate, either to someone you know or to charity. • Separate the items, like jewelry, that may need repair. Have a conversation with yourself about why it has taken you so long to repair the jewelry. Is it a lack of time or you don’t know where to take it for fixing? Does it mean that much to you or are you happy to donate or simply throw it away? • Go through the belts and remove what no longer fits or is worn out. Belts that were for a specific outfit that you no longer have and cannot be worn with anything else should be removed. Check for duplicates and consider donating the spare one. • Look through the hats you have and check for wear and tear. Anything that you no longer wear (outdated), need or love is a good candidate for donation. • To keep hats in good shape and close by so that you can see them, consider getting a large S-hook that you can attach to your closet door, then display your hats there. • Do the same with scarves. They look better on a hook instead of folded in a drawer. Most are pretty so they add color to your space. • Ensure to store like things together e.g. leather belts in one place, metallic belts together, beaded jewelry together, pure metallic ones together etc. Acquire a jewelry organizer that allows you to hang earrings and chains to avoid tangling.

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BEDROOM CLOSET/ CABINETS

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• Start with the one in the room you sleep in. Remove everything in that closet and place on the bed. If you share the closet with someone else, be sure to involve them so that you do not get rid of important things. • Make sure to remove everything in the top wardrobe spaces. • Remove all clothes and items that are out of the current season e.g. Raincoats and trench coats in the sunny season. Store those in a space that you do not use on a regular basis. • Next, remove any item in there that you automatically do not like and do not need. • Remove items that cannot fit anymore, either they are too big or too small, or you have not worn in the last six months. • Remove items that were customized for a particular function or event and cannot be worn again. • Remove items that are torn or worn out, also those that are discolored. • Gather all the items you have removed and consider donating them to a church, children’s home or charity organization. You could also gift them to someone. You can also sell, especially if the item is still in good condition and was expensive. • If you decide to trash the item, put it in a separate bag, then into the trash bag. As the collectors sift through the trash, someone may benefit from them.

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CLOSETS/ CABINETS 2

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• Look again at what you have left in the closet and ask yourself if those items truly make you feel good when you wear them, do they truly give you joy or are you retaining them just because you can. You might find yourself decluttering some more. • Subject your chest of drawers through the same process. • Discard mismatched or torn socks and stockings. Toss out worn out or torn underwear. You can either cut them up into pieces or burn them. • Organize your clothes according to function like work wear, weekend wear, lounge wear, outfits you wear for occasions, workout wear. It will be easy to find them and it will help you keep track of exactly what you have. • Create a habit of removing an old item, or two, for every new one you bring in. This will keep your wardrobe refreshed and decluttered. • Sift through your dresser top and remove empty lotion bottles, empty perfume bottles, and finished or expired makeup. • Arrange all makeup together putting like things in one place. If you can get a makeup organizer, it will make it easier to organize and access. Put hairbrushes and accessories in one place as well as body lotions and perfumes. TIP: When organizing your drawers, fold items and arrange them in an upright manner instead of stacking them on top of each other. This way, you can see everything you have and actually wear.

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SHOE RACK/ CLOSET

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• Go through the house and collect all the shoes that are lying around in the wrong spaces. • Remove all the shoes in the shoe rack and place them in a space that you can clearly see them. • Remove any shoe that is worn out and cannot be repaired. Also, remove shoes that are discolored or water-damaged. • Remove shoes that are ill fitting or that are not comfortable for various reasons e.g. too high, too flat etc. • Remove shoes that you have not worn in over a year but are still keeping. • Gather what you have removed and choose to either donate or sell. If torn and worn out, then throw out. • Put aside all shoes that need repair and take them for repair within the week. Do not push this task past a week. • This is a good time to dust and polish your shoes. If discolored because of using wrong polish color, clean out the wrong polish with home dry-cleaning solution then apply the correct polish. • Get a container or basket to put all the polish cans, brushes, and wiping cloths in one place. • Organize the shoes according to function, for example, every day dress shoes, sneakers, sandals, casual shoes and seasonal shoes like gumboots/winter boots. • To keep your shoes fresh and oduor free, sprinkle some baking soda in them as you store. It helps keep oduor away.

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BACKPACKS, BAGS, HANDBAGS

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This also includes all types of shopping bags, school bags, wallets, toilet bags suitcases and pockets. • Collect all the types of bags listed above that you might own and place them in one place. Go through each of them checking for old receipts, pens, notebooks, makeup, food scraps, envelopes, money, old photos, toothbrushes, combs etc. • Throw out all the trash & things that you may find and no longer need, like old receipts, dried up face wipes, hair pins etc. • Choose to donate some bags, especially where you have duplicates. Throw out old and worn out bags. • Put aside all bags that need repair and pur pose to take them to the ‘fundi’ within the week. • Keep all useful paper and notebooks aside in order to be moved to the right place. • Check for old clothes, books and stuff stored in suitcases. Ensure you look through them and categorize them into donate, keep or trash. Whatever you are keeping should be kept neatly in clear storage bins that you can store away instead of using suitcases. If you do decide to use the suitcases for storage, ensure you know exactly what you have kept in them. • Label and look through them every 4 months. If you have not had the use of anything in there, donate or throw away. • Clean out the bags with a damp cloth and let them aerate. • Ensure you allocate a home for them to be kept on a day to day basis. You can invest in a plastic storage bin to store your handbags or allocate a space in the wardrobe that you can neatly store them. TIP: When buying a handbag, consider one that is elegant, versatile, and made of genuine leather material. It may cost more than most but it is better value for money, as it will serve you longer instead of buying many cheaper alternatives that will wear out in a very short time & add to your clutter.

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ELECTRONICS AND GADGETS

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• Collect all your old laptops, cords, cables, plugs, chargers, memory cards, and so on; gather them all in one room and go through them. • Go through them for functionality, especially checking all the phone chargers and cables. Toss out worn out cables ( iPhone ones especially) or cables that belong to phones that are no longer in your possession. • Also, check for all small appliances that may no longer work, like lamps, clocks (especially the ones with a photo given to kids during pre-school graduations), analogue radios with no aerials etc. • Regarding the smaller appliances that don’t work, you can ask your local electrician if he can take them off you for parts. I have also discovered that the ‘mali kwa mali’ trader will happily take them and give you a functional item instead. • If you find parts of electronics whose use you don’t know, feel free to dispose of them. • If you have obsolete electronics like old VHS cassette players, a broken down analogue T V, radio cassette players etc. it’s time to give them up. • Designate a specific drawer in an accessible place where all cables and chargers can be kept. Do not keep chargers that do not have a corresponding gadget. Dispose them.

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EMAILS/SOCIAL MEDIA, DESKTOP, PHONE

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• Start with your email... Check your inbox for messages you haven’t read or acted on. Delete what you don’t need, flag what you have to take care of, and save messages you want to preserve in an appropriate folder. • Go through your various social media platforms and unfollow people or pages that are not serving you. Do it now! • Go through your phone and delete duplicate phone numbers and numbers that belong to people you do not remember. If you have numbers of people that you have not spoken to in over one year, delete them. Most likely, their season in your life has expired. • Also, delete apps that you do not use. Remember the ones you download after attending a personal development conference and are feeling motivated and months later you haven’t used them? • Delete photos that are no longer useful to you. Random photos that may not even belong to you. Screenshots of things that you would want to buy and you already did. If you do choose to keep the photos, you can move them to the cloud or drop box —this will create space on your phone. • Go through your Whatsapp and delete forwards, videos and photos that are not useful to you. Check your Whatsapp settings so that your phone doesn’t automatically save pics and videos on your gadget. • Go through your Whatsapp groups and “left” those that are not serving you at all. It is ok to do so. • Next, declutter your computer or laptop desktop. Save like documents in particular folders for easy access and also to decongest your machine. Check if there are documents that may still be saved in your computer that you no longer need and delete. • Check through your music compilation and see if you want to retain all the music you have. If not, delete some.

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THE EVERYTHING SPOT

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For you this could be a drawer, basket on the counter, or cupboard. This space contains anything and everything. Those things that don’t have a specific place where they are kept e.g. medicine, keys, pens, screws, paper, phone chargers, or cables. • You may have multiple of these spots in your house so ensure you look through them. Remove everything in there and put like things together. • Throw out expired medicine, old receipts, pieces of paper, screws and bolts that you have no clue what appliance they are for, phone chargers whose phones you no longer have, user manuals that you have never referred to, broken door handles etc. • Be sure that any item you leave can have a particular space assigned for it. You can put up a hook where all keys go; have a small storage bin that you can keep in the store to house your repair tools, loose screws and nails, super glue etc. • Designate a home for all the knick-knacks and go through this “everything spot” at least twice a month to make sure whatever is in there is put back where it should be. • It is a good idea to have a pretty basket that you can place on the entryway, bookshelf or counter, where you can temporarily place those small random items until you can find a proper place to store them or toss them out.

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STORE / OUTDOOR AREA

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This includes the garage, shed, porch, steps, balcony, or any other outdoor area. • Go through your buckets and basins, check for the worn out and broken ones and dispose of. Now is a good time to invite the ‘mali kwa mali’ (barter trade) guy and trade in your no longer used clothes and shoes in exchange for new buckets and basins. • Check your indoor store for any food that may be going bad and throw them out e.g. potatoes, onions etc. • Check for spare supplies like batteries, light bulbs, tools, and other assorted household bits including emergency supplies that you may be keeping. Ensure that they are kept in a container/drawer in an accessible space. • If you have extra furniture stored in this space, ask yourself if you use it and how often use it. Consider selling it or handing it down to someone that may utilize it better. • Check if all the water storage tanks are functional and dispose those that are cracked or broken. • Dispose of any empty carton boxes you store, including the large T V box that you keep for when you move. You will realize that you have moved severally and not once did you use them, especially if you use movers. Trash them. • Consider building shelves in your garage or store so that you are able to organize things better and keep an account of everything that you are keeping there. Mounted shelves are excellent space savers.

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• Check your car for things that should not be there e.g. empty or reusable water bottles, jackets, shoes, books, scratched music CD’s, spoilt car chargers, receipts, brochures etc. • Remove and take them to their respective ‘homes’ or dispose them of. • Vacuum/dust and clean out your car. Wash the car mats and aerate. • Ensure you have a functional spare tire and wheel spanner. • It is always good to have a simple small tool kit that has at least a pliers and a set of screwdrivers in your car, just in case you get stuck. • Invest in a first aid kit, if you don’t have one already, and replenish supplies if you have a first aid kit that has been used. TIP: Instead of keeping that extra pair of shoes, random items like shopping bags contained in one place, invest in a plastic clean storage bin to throw those items in.

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Includes medicine cabinets, and toiletry cabinet. Consider this the space of wellness. Where we clean ourselves up and rejuvenate our bodies. • Sift through the medicine cabinet and check through for expired tablets, creams and solutions. Pour out in the sink or toilet the liquids, pills, and throw the containers. • If you do not have a cabinet, get a storage container that can hold all the medicine in one place, that way, it is not spread all over. • Use a container to organize your hairbrushes, facial scrubs and toners in one place instead of leaving them scattered on the counter top. • Throw out containers of things that have run out like mouthwash, shampoos, and shower gels. • Throw out the small leftover scraps of soap and clean out the soap dish. • Replace old washcloths and body scrubbers with newer ones. Ensure you form a habit of aerating them so that they don’t breed bacteria that in turn affect your skin. • Replace your toothbrush. Any toothbrush older than three to four months should be discarded and replaced. • Throw out old shavers that you have used more than twice. • When was the last time you changed your toilet brush? It is probably worn out and not doing a proper job, now maybe a good time to replace it. • Freshen up your sink and bath drainage often by pouring in baking soda, vinegar and hot water. It cleans out and removes musty odors. • Repeat this process in the number of bathrooms in your house.

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ongratulations on sticking to and trusting the process! I really hope you are enjoying your wonderful results.

Have you been rewarding yourself after every task done? I truly hope you have. If you are yet to work on some areas, that’s ok, no need to pressure yourself. Be kind to yourself, always. It’s ok to walk away for a short while and resume when you are energized. This is normally my angle; it has taken you five, ten, fifteen years to accumulate clutter, why do you imagine you will clear it all out in a day? Get my drift? Pace yourself, I assure you, you will get there. At the end of every task, I asked you to take a picture and paste it on the spaces provided. I hope you did so. Remember earlier on in the workbook, you took a photo of your space as it was and wrote down your vision as well. Now, I want you to compare the two pictures. What are the differences you can see?

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How does it make you feel seeing this?

Now that we have sorted our clutter piles, I want us to indicate timelines of when we shall remove those boxes from our home to their next destinations. Do that now. E.g donate pile goes to church this Sunday. Put it in the car right away.

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What to do with the stuff you have unstuffed. • Donate clothes, shoes, toys that are in good condition to your local church as most have a welfare ministry that could use those items. While there, if you have furniture that you are happy to donate, you can ask since there could be a family in need of a table, bed, or seats. At least here you are sure your stuff will be put to good use. • Depending on where you live, I have found the, ‘mali kwa mali’ (barter trade) traders to be such a resource. You simply exchange your old clothes, shoes, bags etc. for something else that will be useful to you, mostly basins, buckets, or storage containers. They also take broken down electric appliances, so if you have been wondering what to do with those, there you are. The beauty about these traders is that they come right to your doorstep.

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• Most children’s homes that deal with young children will be happy to take milk bottles, food grinders, containers, clothes, toys, car seats and high chairs that come in handy for them. Just make sure they are clean and in good condition.

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• Do you have school textbooks and story books that your children have outgrown? Consider donating them to a school within a low income settlement area for their library. Most of these children cannot afford to have their own schoolbooks, so instead of letting yours gather dust and occupy much needed space, give them to the school. Non-profit organizations like SHOFCO (Shining Hope for Communities) that provide free primary education in Kibera and Mathare are happy to take your books for their libraries. • You can also consider taking the stuff you want to donate to The Love Shack at Adams Arcade shopping centre. This is a non-profit organization geared towards the education of needy children in Kenya. They have a thrift shop where they sell all the things you donate, the proceeds go towards paying fees for needy children. It’s a perfect place to take the stuff you consider pricey and would be of great benefit to this organization. They take books, shoes, clothes—literally anything that can be resold at a small fee. • If you have some expensive items that you have decluttered and are not very comfortable donating to charity, consider gifting a friend or close relative who will enjoy and use the item. Things like bicycles and soccer boots that your children have outgrown make very good hand-me-down gifts. In fact,

before you even go giving stuff to your relatives, why not bless your support staff at home. Your housekeeper, nanny, security guard, gardener or caretaker. • Finally, you can set up a simple garage sale in your home front yard and display your items on sale. To make it easier, put your items in lots and give a wholesale price for the entire lot, that way, they sell faster e.g. clothes and shoes together, bags of all kinds together, saucepans, ‘sufurias’ and bakeware together, all books together. Be sure to put a minimal price on them because your aim is to declutter, not to make a profit. Market to your neighbours and relatives first and see how that goes. • Sell your stuff online using social media if you do not want to set up a garage sale. Facebook has lots of business pages where you can post your items that are on sale. It works fairly well and is hustle free. Remember, your goal here is to offload your stuff to people who will actually use and love them, so why not make a little money while you are it. Tip: If you have stuff that is too worn out to donate or sell, it’s time to throw it in the trash. I know you may be jittery about tossing clothes, shoes and electronics directly in the bin together with food and all, so here is what you do… put the things that you don’t want to mix with food trash in a separate bag and put it out with the rest of the trash. When the garbage collectors come, they will sort out the trash at the dumpsite. As they look for plastic and metal that they can sell for recycling, they will come across your clutter and it may come in very handy for someone else in need.

brain. In today’s world, our systems are overloaded by information that we take in each day by reading newspapers, blogs and magazines, watching TV, social media and the internet.

You have cleared out your physical environment. A cluttered space causes your brain to work overtime because it is naturally wired to operate in order. The human body consists of thousands of integrated and interdependent biological and neurochemical systems that are organized to operate along certain rhythms without which our bodies would disintegrate into utter chaos. That organization within our very own bodies naturally extends to the desire for order and tidiness in our homes. Order feels good, in part, because it’s easier for our brains to deal with. Secondly, physical clutter signals to the brain that there’s always something else that needs to be done, this is mentally exhausting. This is why you will find that as you declutter your space, your mind is also decluttered. Is this true for you?

What’s worse is that all this information is available at the touch of a button on your smart phone. Don’t get me wrong, information is good, but not all information is beneficial to you. In fact, research shows that this digital age has caused higher levels of stress and depression because people are constantly questioning their worth based on what they are exposed to on social media. To overcome some of the effects too much information can have on you, try a few of these actions that are well within your control:

The other thing to do that is within your control is to limit the amount of information coming into your brain. Too much information clogs up the

• Decide what information is relevant to you and disregard everything else. Pay attention only to the opinions of people that matter. • Unsubscribe from any blogs and cancel any magazine subscriptions that are not contributing to your quality of life or your well-being. • Set a limit on the amount of time that you’re going to spend on social media sites or browsing the internet.

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ow do we do this? Well, I’m happy to tell you that we have already done one thing that will go a long way in decluttering your mind.

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Practice mindfulness. This means being present and fully engaged with whatever you’re doing at the moment. It is being aware of where you are and what you’re doing—and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you. We are so caught up in the rat race, have so much to do and so little time; are under constant pressure to acquire stuff, recognition, fame etc. that we are engaged in so many activities at the same time. Multi-tasking has become second nature to us without realizing that we achieve very little with this since it negatively affects our productivity. We are all innately capable of practicing mindfulness and one way we can stir it up is by meditating. Mindfulness helps us reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increasing our attention to others’ well-being. Journaling is an excellent way to unstuff your mind. It allows you to download the inner chatter that’s constantly interrupting your thought process when you’re trying to get important things done. This can entail writing down your anxieties and worries about your career or relationships, your plans for the future amongst other things. Doing a daily brain dump—which means just taking pen to paper and getting all your thoughts out of your brain—will do a lot of good for your mind. This works for me very well, especially when I’m having a bad day or have gone through a negative experience. I take a few minutes and just write every negative thing I’m feeling at the moment—as if I am venting on an actual person. When it is all out, I take that piece of paper and throw it in the bin as evidence that I have flashed out all that negative emotion.

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The starting point when handling social clutter is evaluating all the people in your life—then removing the people in your life who aren’t worth the time or energy. This may sound a little harsh but when you think about it deeply, you realize that every time you are around certain people, you leave that space feeling depressed and emotionally drained. Can you think of anyone like that in your life, including family?

In spite of not being able to realistically detach from relatives, you can minimize the amount of time you spend with them. Reduce phone calls to the minimum and don’t feel guilty about it. It is not that you don’t like them anymore, you are only guarding your peace and mental space, and if distancing will help you achieve this then so be it.

Write down a list of your top 5 priorities in your life at the moment.

Look at your current diary and see if any of the activities in there match with the priorities that you just listed. Where are you compromising? Where do you need to say no?

1 https://connygraf.com/podcast/23-social-clutter-and-full-calendars/

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Is your calendar always full with obligations and activities that may not be as joyful as you would want or helpful to you? Often, life takes over work, school, chores, outside demands, and we lose sight of what would be important to us. Remember, clutter is anything that does not truly support you and the life you want to live. Do you know what life you want to live? What are your priorities at this stage in your life? Understanding where you are at in life and being clear about your priorities will help you avoid falling into the trap of running from one activity to the next. You will be clear about what social activities you want to be involved in. When you have clarity about your priorities, it’s easier to become aware of what your ‘yes’ or ‘no’ might really mean for you. For example; saying yes to helping babysit your little niece may mean having to forego that spa date with your friend that you have been planning for so long. The reverse can also be true, saying no to that job transfer to a different town could mean more time with your family and more freedom to pursue passions that you enjoy1.

Learning to say NO.

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I recently read an interesting blog that stated “NO” is a complete sentence. You don’t need to qualify it because whoever you are saying no to will always try to convince you to agree with their demands. If you go along with saying “yes” to things you don’t really want to do—you end up stressed and overwhelmed with negative emotions because you always end up in situations that you did not want to be in to begin with.

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In the book, Atomic Habits 2 by James Clear, he says that saying no saves you time in the future. Saying yes costs you time in the future. No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want. Yes on the other hand is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point. No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility3 . “No” is the magic word to getting your life back.

Your Phone How many contacts do you have in your phone? Do you know all of them? When was the last time you spoke to the people on your contact list? The digital age has come with so many demands for our time and attention. You have over 500 contacts on your phone and you probably use only 100. What are the rest for? You may also have contacts of certain people who will only call you when they have a problem in their lives and need your help. It annoys you every time but you still have their contact. Make a bold decision today. Delete contacts of toxic people, the users in your life, people you cannot remember, deceased people. It’s time to unstuff.

Declutter the mind • Unstuff your physical space. • Minimize time used on social media and gadgets. • Unsubscribe from newsletter and blogs that you don’t refer to. • Journal.

Social Clutter • Prioritize what’s important in your calendar in order of importance to you and your future. • Learn how to say No. No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility. • Get rid of phone contacts you do not need.

• Practice mindfulness.

I’d like you to know that decluttering is never quite finished. It is a journey that we walk continually and I’m so glad you have come this far. I’m sure you have a story to tell about your experience this far. I’m I right? At this point I believe you have acted on the stuff that you have removed from your space and are like, ‘what shall I do next?’ 2 Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy &Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. 2018 3 https://connygraf.com/podcast/23-social-clutter-and-full-calendars/

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Decluttering normally involves getting things out of their regular spots and sifting through them to decide what stays and what goes. Some of these spaces haven’t been attended to in a long time so there’s dust, stains and mould. All this may be contributing to some of the health challenges you experience like hay fever, sinusitis, asthma and others. You will need to clean your space thoroughly.

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Cleaning is an important step in the decluttering process. Nothing too complicated, just water, soap, stain remover, some elbow grease and your home will be as good as new. Before you even consider organizing, clean first. This is not new to many of you so I will not get into how to clean but instead, I will share a few cleaning hacks you can use in your home with everyday products you already have.

White Vinegar and Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): This is my cleaning best friend. I always have these in my home. They are both very affordable and miracle workers. 1. I use them to unclog my bathroom and kitchen drainages. Just pour in baking soda followed by vinegar. Let it sit for a minute then flash down with hot water. The drainage gets unclogged and odour free. 2. Do you have scum on your bathroom tiles and shower cubicles that refuse to clean out with soap and water? Try making a baking soda and vinegar paste, apply it generously on that space and leave for about five to ten minutes. Scrub out with a scouring pad and rinse with warm water. Repeat this as often as you can and pretty soon, the scum stains will be gone. 3. You can use vinegar to clean and freshen up your microwave and fridge. Put a bowl of water with two cups of vinegar in the microwave and let it boil. Let it sit in there so that the steam can do all the work for you. Pour out and wipe clean. This especially works if your microwave has fish smell. 4. How often do you freshen up your mattresses to get rid of sweat odours, and dust? Baking soda is an excellent solution for this. Sprinkle generously all over the mattress, air it out for a while. Vacuum out the baking soda and the mattress is now fresh to use. 5. Want to make your own eco-friendly home deodorizer? Mix 1.5 tsp. of baking soda, 3 drops of your favourite essential oil and 3 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to mix and misty spray. Voila!

Using citrus fruits Lemon and orange rinds can have many interesting uses in your home and these are fruits you will most likely have at any one time. 1. Dustbin deodorizer. No need for your dustbin to smell like the garbage it holds. Throw in some lemon or orange and they will actually absorb bad

odours. 2. Are your chopping boards stained with an unpleasant appearance? Before you toss them out, rub some salt and a slice of lemon all over them and let them sit for a while. Depending on how stained they are, add some baking soda to the mixture and let them sit a bit then scrub out. Your boards will clean out, disinfect and smell fresh. 3. Create your home-made air freshener. Simply simmer citrus peels in a pot of hot water. 4. Citrus makes a very good household cleaner. You can soak citrus peels in vinegar for four days. When using for cleaning, mix equal parts of this solution with water in a spray bottle and use to wipe surfaces.

Drawers

PS: You can use this hack for your bags and suitcases too.

Shoes Are there shoes or sneakers you do not wear because they leave your feet really smelly? Try this. Get some old stockings you no longer wear or old socks. Scoop a tablespoon of baking soda, place in the stocking or sock and tie in a knot. You can make several knots. Stuff them in your shoes for these odour-eaters to do their job. Remove the stocking/sock when you’re ready to wear your shoes and reuse when you need to. Though cleaning can seem like a very mundane and tiring task, a clean environment will evoke feelings of happiness, serenity and health. You will instantly feel less stressed and distracted, which in turn means that you can go into bed calmly, relaxed and get a much better sleep. The act of cleaning can be a great meditative moment, in which you not only sort out your living space but show gratitude for your material possessions.

This week, create time to clean out your bedroom yourself. Be really present as you do it, notice the beauty of some items you have that you have stashed away somewhere instead of displaying them. Light your favourite scented candle, see how you feel at the end of it. Thank me later .

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Do your drawers have a musty smell that gets into your clothes, bedsheets and towels? Freshen them up by placing a bar of your favourite scented soap inside your closet or dresser drawers. This will not only have your clothes smelling fantastic, you’ll get a nice, refreshing whiff each time you open the drawer!

What is your big ge

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st takeaway from

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this chapter?

Before we started unstuffing, we agreed and set timelines for the stuff that we were going to donate, sell or throw away. We shelved the keep pile. It’s time to deal with that pile.

My number one advice for my clients after decluttering their spaces is to ensure that everything has a HOME. In fact, personally, that’s the key to keeping your space clutter free and organized. Organizing is a way to further declutter and decide what you really want to keep.

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lease note, organization does not mean perfection. It doesn’t mean that your home must look picture perfect at all times. It’s about creating an efficient organizing system that works for you and your house mates. What works well for my home will probably be a disaster and source of confusion for your home. The aim of organizing is to ensure that you give your stuff a home within your home. Ensure everyone living in that space knows where the respective homes are and where things are supposed to go after use. When you organize your spaces and then fail to communicate the order of things with those that share your space with you—you will either find yourself being the one putting things away or responding to questions like, “Where can I find the…?” or “Where do I put the…?” Some people are neat freaks by nature

… (my hands are up) and so organizing comes quite naturally for them. For others, it’s a bit of a struggle for them, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot learn. The core idea is to analyze your needs in your home and then understand what organizing system will work best for you. Some things to consider are: a. What type of storage do you have available in your home? Does it suit your needs? b. Is your storage enough or do you need to add more? c. Do you prefer open shelving so that you can see what you own or do you prefer to store your things behind closed doors. d. What activity shall be carried out in each space in your home? What is the most appropriate type of storage for each space?

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Addressing this will be important for you if you are going to create a working organizing system. When I say system, I know it sounds like an engineering fete but it really isn’t that complicated. What I mean is giving the things in your living space a ‘home’ that everyone will easily identify and locate when they need to. For example; in my home, we have a set of hooks mounted on the wall near the door. This is where we keep all our keys and my family members know this. We no longer have to spend lots of time looking for keys because we all know where to find them. This is our key management system. The hooks are our organizing tool for this. Another organizing system I have created in my home is we use a basket placed on top of a small cabinet for random “homeless” items before we can allocate a home for them e.g. the receipts left in your pocket at the end of the day, the toys kids get when you buy take-out, a button that came off etc. It’s quite easy. I want you to have a look at your living room and start to identify storage spots that would help you beautifully organize that space. In Chapter 4 we talked about our different behaviour preferences. There were

two sets of pictures of what your desk would most likely look like and how you are likely to pack your suitcase. Did you identify yours? Your organizing personality traits and habits come into account when getting organized. Some people do find it easier than others to stay organized. The best way to keep any organizing system in place is to create one that you are naturally inclined to. Understand what your organizing style and products work best for you. I’m sure that with this information you can now start to create an organizing system that will work well for you and that will last. The best way to keep your stuff in place without having it strewn around is to contain it. The use of storage bins, baskets, hangers, cabinets and files will help you create ‘homes’ for the things in your home. Now before you rush out to buy storage bins, containers and baskets, assess what you have first so that you don’t end up with clutter in your home. As you cleared out your spaces, you most likely emptied some storage containers that you can reuse or found some that you forgot you had. Buy organizing material based on your need, function and preferred organizing style. For example; seasonal clothes like raincoats, fleece jackets and scarfs can be kept in clear plastic storage bins with a lid. These can then be stored in the upper closets in your bedroom until when you need to use them. This way, you create space in the shelves of your regular closet for your everyday wear. Clear storage bins are handy and versatile since they can be used anywhere in

the house. You can store your simple organize your jewellery. household tools, arts and crafts, kids’ toys, paperwork etc. Your items will be protected from dust, water and mould, and since they are clear, you will know exactly what you have stored inside.

Something else that I have found to work quite well is using over the door hanging storage. It is quite versatile and multifunctional. This can be hanged along the wall with hooks, behind the bedroom door, or over the closet door on the inner part.

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Wicker baskets are also an excellent organizing tool. Personally, I love the look and feel of them and they are great for dressing tables, desks or landing zones (the spot in your home where you drop things when you get inside the house). The baskets can be used to hold keys, pens and those knick-knacks that you aren’t sure which part of the house they should be in. An efficient way to organize different parts of your home is making use of your vertical surfaces. Your walls. Getting mounted shelves on the wall is a perfect way to organize books and files as well as display your photos and decorations. Be as creative as you can with the shelf designs so that they are both functional and beautiful focal points in your home. You can also mount a cork board or peg board on your walls and use these to put up your menu or to do lists. They are also a very handy and inexpensive way to

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They are quite affordable in stores but you can actually get one done to your specifications by your local tailor. If you are up to some DIY, you can actually make one yourself. It’s fairly simple to do, especially if you have some pretty leftover fabric. You can store everything from your TV remote controls (this tacks away on the sofa arm rest), to your shoes, your

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handbags… the list is endless.

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Where do you store your bathroom cleaning agents, toiletries and medicine/ first aid kit? Perhaps on top of the toilet cistern? Or along the toilet window sill? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not throwing any shade on anyone at all. When I visit a client’s home and their bathroom supplies are in these places, they confess that they really don’t know where to place them and frankly, I do not blame them. I discovered a beautiful, easy to make solution and I love it. Of course my DIY instinct checked in and I made myself a few for my bathroom and toilet. They make me quite happy. I’m talking about over the toilet inbuilt or stand-alone set of shelves. You get to utilize that vertical space over the toilet without interfering with its operation. Most toilet windows are quite high above the toilet cistern so you still have enough space to build some nice storage that keeps your toiletries in one spot plus you can add a cute centrepiece to beautify the space. Please consider getting this if you don’t already have one as it will really tidy up your toilet space. Hooks are also a brilliant inexpensive way to organize your things. They are very efficient and useful for organizing things like handbags, school bags, jackets, scarfs, hats and keys. At the moment, where do you keep your house keys? Are they hanging in the landing zone where everyone can find them or do you spend ten minutes every morning looking for them? The hook has worked in my home and in many others, I’m sure it will work in your home too. Go on now, walk into a hardware store, buy some cute hooks and mount them. What about paper? How can you keep your everyday paper in place? You know the ones that you can’t just throw out. I might have a solution for you. You can create what I will call a command central. This is a folder/binder where you put all your important, quick reference documents. It will become your household’s ultimate quick-reference book. In it, you will keep your paid and unpaid monthly estate service charge receipts, your children’s school newsletters, fast-food takeout menus and school activities. A good addition to this file would be emergency contacts and a simple first aid guide. You can get a beautiful colourful binder that has separate pockets inside from the bookshop. Label each pocket to handle a specific category. Place this binder on your landing zone, wherever

that is in your home. Ensure that everyone in the house knows about the binder and understands its purpose. This way, papers go in one central place, and can be easily accessed then needed.

•

Make sure that everything in your home has a ‘home’.

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Before you go shopping for organizing baskets and containers, check what you have first and decide what items need storing so that you get appropriate containers.

• The best way to keep your items neatly in one place is to contain them using baskets and storage bins. • Create a landing zone in your home. This is the space where you keep your items when you first get into your home e.g. car keys, wallet, random knick-knacks that have no home yet. • Use your walls to create storage space since this saves you lots of floor space.

A place for everything and everything in its place. -Benjamin Franklin-

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• Have a central space where you store the paper that you use on a day to day basis, be it a folder or a cute wicker basket.

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Do you currently have an organizing system in your home? ‰ Yes

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‰ No If Yes, is it effective or can you make improvements on it? What can you do immediately?

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If No, which of the ideas discussed in this chapter do you think will work best for you?

SMALL ACTIONS

BIG IMPACT Now that your unstuffing tasks are ‘over’, what next? I’m sure this has been lingering in your mind as you worked on each space. Do you stop buying things to prevent new clutter coming into your life? Realistically, this is not practical. Or do you buy only what you need and continue organizing your old stuff and the new things? Or do you create habits and routines that will encourage a clutter free lifestyle? I have found that the best way to keep you from going round in circles consisting of declutter-accumulate-declutter-repeat, is to stop looking at decluttering as a ‘project’ and make it a lifestyle instead.

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mall actions everyday will ensure that your hard work is maintained. It is about creating daily sustainable habits that will prevent your space from recluttering. You already know some, but it never hurts to reinforce good information. 1. The handy box. Keep a basket handy for items that are out of place as you are cleaning out a room. When you come across out-of-place items, put them

in there. After you have completed cleaning the room, take a few minutes to put these items in the proper room. 2. “On the spot” • When you pass an open drawer, close it. • When you pass a full waste basket, empty it. • When you see a clothing item

on the floor, hang it up. • When you see some loose papers, put them in the to-file box.

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3. Five-minute pickup.

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Spend 5 minutes each night on a quick pick-up. Take a basket and go through the house quickly picking up and dropping things off where they belong. Involve your house mates by having them do the same in their space each evening before bed. 4. Wipe away any trace immediately • Pick up the dropped stuff. • Put away what you use. • Wipe up a spill as soon as it happens. • When you remove clothes, immediately hang or put them inside laundry basket. Key word being ‘inside’...

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5. Fifteen-minute rule This is an excellent way to get started on a project you have been putting off. • Set a timer for 15 minutes. • Focus your effort on one thing for those 15 minutes. • When the timer goes off, decide whether you can keep going for another 15 minutes. • If you can, set the timer again for the next 15 minutes. • If you can’t, simply stop and do the same thing later in the day or the next day, until the project you are trying to finish is completed. • You can always see and feel what has been accomplished in that time slot. 6. Subtract before you add Make a rule for yourself – ‘Always subtract before you add!’ You will not add (purchase) a new item unless you subtract one (i.e. no new books or magazines unless I read or give away unread books or magazines). This has worked very well for me. I have made it a habit that every time I buy a new item for myself, whether a dress or pair of shoes, I will remove two items of a similar kind. This not only helps me reduce the items I have, but it also refreshes my wardrobe. Replicate the same to the other parts of the house. 7. Ask ‘Why’ before you buy When you are out shopping and replenishing your groceries, there’s always the temptation to buy something that was not planned for. There will always

be an irresistible sale going on or something else enticing. Asking why before you buy that thing is a good way to nip clutter in the bud. When you do that consciously, you realize that you probably have that item already or have something that can do a similar job. Try it. 8. Throw-away/give-away box Make throw-away/give-away a daily habit. Keep a box or bag in a communal space to collect give-away items. When you notice an item that you don’t want/use, immediately take it to the give-away box. Make sure that the box does not stay in that space for more than one month as it can easily become a clutter collection point. Anything that you have decided to throw away should be thrown away immediately. 9. Learn to separate ‘must have’, ‘need to have’ and ‘nice to have’ items.1 These are very different items and learning to separate them will make a huge difference in the way you shop. The terms I have used may be perceived differently by different people but for the majority; • ‘A must have’ is something you need to survive – like food and shelter. A handbag or new pair of heels may not be a ‘must have’ item.

• ‘A nice to have’ is everything else. It is the stuff that you want and is the category that clutters your life. Sometimes, when you badly want an item in this category, you easily convince yourself that it’s a must have. 10. Will I wear or use this item immediately or latest tomorrow? Ask yourself this and be honest when answering. If you think that you’ll wear or use it at some point, it might be a good idea to leave the item even when the item is on sale. Do this every time you go shopping and see how much money you save, and how many extra things you stop from coming into your home. 11. D o you have a designated spot for the item you are bringing in? Think about this; if your closet, drawer or floor space is too full, then it means that the item you are bringing in will not have its deserved space. 12. Your stuff, Your responsibility! Before you bring anything into your home, consider the maintenance of that item. Is it a dry-clean only dress? Are you willing to use money on dry cleaning? Does it require high-end polishing or constant vacuuming? If you are not ready to take on extra responsibility for the high-maintenance, don’t buy the thing. 1 https://www.saturdaygift.com/discover-balanced-shopping-habits/

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• ‘A need to have’ is something you need to have for an easier, more comfortable life – like good nutrition, a nice and warm home, fuel in your car to get to work, or a power tool kit for your home maintenance.

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Practice makes perfect, pick the routines that you believe will be easiest for you to implement. Keep at it until it becomes effortless and I assure you, recluttering will be unheard of in your home.

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To help you make better decisions when you are shopping, you can cut out the section below within the dashed lines and put it in your wallet—in a spot you will easily see. Just looking at it as you shop could save you some money and help you buy what you need or absolutely love (there’s nothing wrong with spoiling yourself when you can afford it.)

As an interior designer, I prefer to work with small spaces. Partly because my first attempt at professional interior designing was a home we owned and it was really small. Since we owned the property, I had to make it work to suit our family’s needs and at the same time, leave space for us to ‘not be all over each other’. What’s more, we were moving from a big house into one that was half the size—so we had to let go of a lot of things (most of which was junk quite frankly).

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ur stuff had to fit and I had to come up with ways to efficiently use the space available. I was successfully able to turn what was a small, not very pleasant looking, home into our cosy home for a few years. Due to space limitations, I learned to only have things in my home that I use. I learned the precious art of letting go and not having attachment to things. The other reason I prefer to work with small spaces is because they are often neglected. They are written off as non-functional simply because they are small. Mentally, big spaces are beautiful spaces, but I say that

small spaces—if well thought out— can be very beautiful cosy spaces. Owing to my first-hand experience in designing and living in a small home, I discovered the importance of having furniture and decor that served a dual-purpose. Since I didn’t have the luxury of space, every piece of furniture or décor item in my home needed to be functional and decorative. This started my love affair with functional décor. In this chapter, I want to share a few ideas that I have used for both small and large spaces, and that are practical, affordable and timeless.

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1. Ottoman or coffee table storage/pallet chest

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An Ottoman is a piece of furniture that can be used as a stool, or as an alternative to a sofa. The beauty about this piece of furniture is that

most of them are built to have storage. The top is made to open so it provides perfect space to store your living room throw blankets, kids’ toys, board games, table mats, magazines etc. They are both decorative and functional. They also free up space on the sofa or chair where you dump everything. When choosing a coffee table, settle for one that has storage in it that will come in very handy when organizing your living room. Another easy and very affordable solution for a coffee table is getting a chest made with shipping pallets. They make beautiful rustic furniture pieces that can be used as a coffee table or sitting bench by the window.

2. Kitchen Shelf organizer When organizing your kitchen, especially the upper cabinets, you

probably feel like there is so much more vertical space you can utilize. My solution for this is getting kitchen shelf organizers. This helps add additional semi-permanent shelves so that you now have two horizontal spaces to organize your plates and cups instead of the usual one. These are available in many stores and supermarkets locally. Again, they are both decorative and functional. 3. Wall mounted bookshelf The largest surface area you have in your home is your walls, but we underuse those spaces. We mostly

use walls to mount our pictures, mirrors, paintings etc. However, we can use our vertical spaces for so much more. Wall mounted shelves are excellent space savers. They are perfect as organizing tools and can be beautiful centrepieces in your home if you get creative about it. They save precious floor space, and we need so much of that to move around, especially if you have a small space. You can also get beautiful handcrafted wooden hooks that again are both functional—to hang your pretty scarves, handbags, hats, or keys—and decorative.

leaf desk. This is such an excellent space saver and dual-purpose furniture piece because when not in use, you simply fold the table top upwards onto the wall or drop it down against the wall. Whichever way, you have an office space when you need one, and an interesting centrepiece when you don’t need it. 5. A secretary or bureau This is a writing desk with drawers, one of which can be pulled out and

4. Floating desk Since the 2020 worldwide shutdown and slow down of the economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been forced to work from home. Our dining tables have become the new classroom and office—it has become somewhat frustrating. Furthermore, a dedicated space for your work is crucial for being productive, no matter what you’re doing. Though you know you need to create a designated home office, you are probably grappling with what will have to shift so that you can create space.

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An excellent solution for this is getting a good carpenter to install for you a wall mounted, folding or drop-

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the front lowered to provide a flat writing surface. Bureaus are late 19th Century Victorian period furniture, thus, are beautiful antique furniture pieces that will add some character to your space. Since they are a combination of drawers and a flat writing surface, they are great space savers with added storage space. If you don’t want to have to deal with ‘ fundi’s’ coming to make a floating desk for

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

you, invest in this. You will get your small office space, with storage.

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6. Baskets These are my favourite organizing tool. I discussed them earlier. They come in wicker, sisal woven, fabric or rattan/plastic material. They are excellent for organizing your kitchen cabinets, closet, dresser top, the kids’ toys etc. You can use baskets to store and organize literally anything in your home. If you coordinate them well, depending on what you want to use them for, they will provide storage and beauty to your space. Instead of using a random carton box or plastic storage bin to organize the kid’s toys, try a woven basket with a lid instead and see the difference that makes. Or consider using a cute wicker basket to hold the tissue paper in your toilet instead of using the toilet paper holder behind the door. 7. Indoor Plants: basil, lavender, lemon grass, or succulents You can never go wrong with plants in your living or even working space. They inject life to the space and brighten it up with a pop of green. More importantly, they help purify the air you breathe. Be sure to check if the plants you would like are indoor plants, also, take time to know the kind of care they need. Choose those that are not very high maintenance because you need to add another baby, in form of a plant, in your space. Succulents are perfect for window sills because they love light and need very little water. If planted in a cute planter, they can really transform your space. You can also consider getting plants that you can use in your kitchen like basil, lemon grass, or lavender. These plants are also very good natural mosquito repellents. May I suggest that as a way to declutter or upcycle some of those tea cups that have a crack or a broken handle—use them as planters for succulents. They are totally cute.

So, which of these ideas can you adopt immediately? Proper and efficient use of your space might be the only interior décor you need to feel like your home is brand new. You won’t need to break any bank to achieve this.

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This UNSTUFFING journey has made me feel...

I discovered new things about myself some of which are...

What treasures did you find as you were unstuffing that you thought you had lost or had been stolen?

Unstuffed: Creating Space for Life’s Possibilities

Did you find items in your home that surprised or made you feel embarrassed? List a few.

134 What part of your unstuffed home are you most proud about? Why?

Is there any part of your home that you are yet to unstuff? Which one? By when will you have worked on it?

Space :

By When

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Draw a picture of what you are feeling. Even a doodle will do.

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As this section of your journey draws to an end, I want to remind you that, YOU are enough! Your stuff does not make you. I hope that after this unstuffing journey you’ve been on, and will continue to be on, you like what you see and how you feel. I want you to look at decluttering/unstuffing as a process that helps you create space for better things and opportunities in your life. For some, its weight loss, a new job or business, or a newly found hobby. It is not an easy process, but like all good things that last, refining and pain is part of the process. Decluttering never ends, it’s a journey that goes on and on. Once you form the habit, it becomes effortless. I hope your journey with me has been worth it.

I would love to hear directly from you on how your journey has been. Here’s how you can reach me:

Email: [email protected] Website: www.lushinteriors.co.ke IG: @lushinteriorske Facebook: www.facebook.com/lushinteriorscompany

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ABOUTTHE

J

AUTHOR

uliet Kabaka Kiplagat is a daughter of the Most High God, a wife, and mother of two children. She is a Certified Interior Designer from the New York Institute of Arts and Design as well as a Certified Organizational Specialist from Clutterbug. She is the director of Lush Interiors which is a space management company that specializes in refreshing, unique and affordable makeovers. In the course of serving her clients who wanted home makeovers and redesigning, she realized that in many cases, all she needed to do was to reduce the stuff on site, reorganize, and the spaces were as good as new. Being a psychology graduate with perfectionist/O.C.D tendencies , tidying up and organizing comes very naturally. What was most striking for her was the effect that decluttering and organizing had on the lives of her clients. They testified to being less stressed, more peaceful, more creative and enjoyed being at home. She wanted to be able to replicate this feeling in more people, therefore, she started the Unstuffed Decluttering Class where she would teach clients how to declutter their homes. During the Covid-19 pandemic slowdown and stay-at-home regulations, the class morphed into the online, 21 Day Unstuffed Challenge where participants purposed to declutter 21 different areas of their homes with guidance.

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Her vision is

to ensure that Kenyans and the populace of the world embrace peaceful and harmonious living by simply decluttering and organizing—essentially—their physical spaces, which translates internally in greater creativity, productivity and overall wellness. She wants to make decluttering and organizing services more accessible locally, and not just on television shows that we may not necessarily relate to. In her pastime, she is an avid DIYer and self-taught woodworker. She loves to work with her hands to create practical, yet beautiful things with materials around her.

P.O.BOX 59993-00200 Nairobi, Kenya [email protected] www.lushinteriors.co.ke

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DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Clarity 4D: A personality profiling system partly based on Carl Jung’s psychological preferences around the dynamics of thinking and behaviour, and the ancient ‘elements’ of fire, water, air and earth. To know more about this and get your own profile—email [email protected] 2. Introvert: A quiet, reserved, and thoughtful individual. 3. Extravert: An outgoing, socially confident person. 4. Personality Types: Melancholic individuals tend to be analytical and detail-oriented; they are deep thinkers and feelers. They avoid being singled out in a crowd. They often strive for perfection within themselves and their surroundings, which leads to tidy, and detail-oriented behaviour. Phlegmatic individuals tend to be relaxed, peaceful, quiet, and easy-going. They are sympathetic and care about others. These individuals are also good at generalizing ideas or problems to the world and making compromises. Sanguine personality types are described primarily as being highly talkative, enthusiastic, active, and social. Sanguines enjoy being part of a crowd; they find that being social, outgoing, and charismatic is easy to accomplish. Choleric individuals tend to be more extroverted. They are described as independent, decisive, goal-oriented, and ambitious—this makes them natural leaders. 5. Clutter Blindness: A person’s inability to see the clutter in front of them. The person can see or perceive that there are unwanted items collecting in an area, but their mind simply ignores the mess. 6. Mali kwa Mali: This is a Kenyan term that refers to a barter trade salesman. He or she trades in different kinds of new or used household items like buckets, storage containers for your old clothes, shoes and electronics. 7. Fundi: The local term used to refer to a handyman like carpenters, plumbers and masonry workers. 8. Sufurias: Local term referring to pots and pans used in the kitchen. 9. Recluttering: The act of filling up a space with clutter after going through the decluttering process. 10. Decision fatigue: This refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by a person after a long session of decision making.

REFERENCES Aarssen, Cassandra. The Declutter Challenge: A Guided Journal for Getting Your Home Organized in 30 Quick Steps. Mango Publishing Group, 2020. (page 86,88,100 ) Clarity 4D. “The Language of Colour.”: Clarity4D, 13 Apr. 2018, www.clarity4d. com/topic/the-language-of-colour. (page 48) Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy &Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. 2018. (page 137) “CLUTTER: Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/clutter. (page 23) “Decluttering Tips Archives.”: Clutterbug, www.clutterbug.me/category/ decluttering. Foy, Terri Savelle. Declutter Your Way to Success Workbook: Vol. 1, 2017. (page 64) “Free Printable Recluttering Checklist - Avoid Cluttering Again.” Less Stuff Decluttering for Non Minimalists, 6 Jan. 2019, www.less-stuff.co.uk/ free-recluttering-checklist/. Graf, Conny. “Social Clutter and Full Calendars.”: Conny Graf, 27 July 2020, connygraf.com/podcast/23-social-clutter-and-full-calendars/. (page 140, 142)

“Love Shack Children’s Charity.”: Facebook, web.facebook.com/Love-ShackChildrens-Charity-145236174503. (page 129, how to reach this donate place) Morero, Cristina. “25 Tips That’ll Change Your Mindset about Shopping/ Spending.”: SaturdayGift, 24 Oct. 2020, www.saturdaygift.com/ discover-balanced-shopping-habits/. Morero, Cristina. “25 Simple Tips to Completely Change Your Mindset About Decluttering.”: SaturdayGift, 23 Oct. 2020, www.saturdaygift.com/howshopping-is-like-eating/. (page 165) Rooney, Emily. “Declutterathon.”: Happy Organized Life, Emily Rooney, 20 Dec. 2017, www.happyorganizedlife.com/declutterathon-page/. “Shining Hope for Communities.”: Shofco, www.shofco.org/. (page 129 ) “What’s Your Clutter Costing You.”: Simply Fiercely, 6 Oct. 2020, www.simplyfiercely.com. (page 41)

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“Insights Discovery & Colour Types: A Beginners Guide.” The Colour Works, 11 May 2020, www.thecolourworks.com/insights-discovery-colour-types-guide/.

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