What… I have too much stuff??

Are you a compulsive collector who has too much stuff because you cannot  bear to put worthless    things in the garbage or throw anything away that is broken?  Do you have to have all your possessions on show, and hence always have a dusty house because it is so difficult to clean?  How do we help the proverbial pack rat?

Here are 5 steps to help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter and stress:

Step 1 – Act like you are about to move house. Take everything out of the room. (Do this one room at a time or the clutter bug just won’t cope!)

Step 2 – Bring back the most important things for the room. For example in a living room, the sofa, couch, chairs, TV, stereo, side tables

Step 3 – Work out where all the important things sit in the space. Move them so the space flows and that you can move freely around the room. Then sit down and have a look around, breathe in, how do you feel? You should feel liberated. You will find that your chest feels lighter; the air seems to flow better,

Step 4 – Start layering. Select a few things at a time to bring back into the room to decorate with. Paintings, pictures, a vase, a rug, lamps. Do it slowly and feel how the space is changing. Pick out the best items that you want to show, don’t use all of them. It is important that the room expresses your  personality, but we don’t need your whole life story in one room!

Step 5 – Stop! Yes, don’t keep going. Less is better in a room. Put all the remaining items in storage until you are happy with the new space. Then after a few weeks, sort through it all, keep what is reusable, and donate the rest to a good charity or sell it on eBay!

You can do this; we can cure the pack rat in you and possibly create a potential interior decorator out of you yet! Give it a go now!