How to Eliminate Clutter by Asking Key Questions

The never-ending purging cycle...where does all the clutter come from?  Do you feel like you are having to purge stuff every few months because there is just too much???  Well, I have good news...I have a solution to help you eliminate clutter, but if I'm honest...it never goes completely away, but it is definitely something that is manageable with the right systems in place. Now, if you have followed me for a while you have heard me refer to the organizational roadmap stages, but I want to specifically break down one important area - how to apply the key questions to help you eliminate the clutter coming into your space.

Observation of Clutter Causes

There is usually a specific area that plagues you and your family on a regular basis and it is important that you observe and/or discuss how these items come into your home and/or how they become a problem.  This is really the first step in identifying the problem for you.  You see until you review what got you there in the first place you can't really address it.  Instead, you will be placing temporary solutions (actually more clutter) in the space, creating sometimes more problems instead of solutions.

Ask the Key Questions to Eliminate Clutter

To begin this process you need to ask yourself the key questions - who, what, when, where and why.  These questions help to remove the opinions and the guesswork and get to the facts of what needs to be done to eliminate clutter from your space. I also encourage you to ask the questions until you can't ask anymore...sometimes that may mean going four or five levels deep. 

For example, if paper is an issue for you and those around you, I'd find out what all the sources are of the paper entering the space. Where does it come from? How does it enter the space?  What type of paper is it?  Why are you keeping it?  Who needs it? How often do they need it?  Who normally brings it in?  When does it seem to be at its worst? etc. etc.  

The answers to these questions give you a foundational view into the problem at hand.  It also lets you know where you can consolidate or eliminate issues. Keep asking questions until you can't ask anymore. I used paper as the example here because this was one of the main areas of frustration when we moved into our home.  It seemed to always multiply and congregate on our dining room table and kitchen cabinets (ha like it's a person) and only got worse once our daughter started school.  

We were able to identify and isolate the main problem, create a system that worked for our family and identify a purging plan.  We also identified ways we could reduce the paper coming into the house.  The key questions were especially helpful in identifying what paper clutter we could eliminate, where we stored each type of paper and how long we stored it. 

I encourage you to evaluate your situation today and apply my organizational roadmap concepts to determine where you can reduce or eliminate clutter from your life.  If you would like more detailed direction as to how to eliminate clutter and organize your space, I encourage you to signup for Organized Academy, which includes the physical organization 101 course.