Declutter, Organizing and Neuroscience: You CAN Teach Old Dogs New Tricks

I recently learned some wonderful insights on clutter that make a whole lot of sense, and rather than waiting until January (National Organizing month), I am going to share them with you now.

 “Filing is for retrieval, not storage.” was shared by Karen McKenna-Veliotis of KMV Organized Designs.

You mean the solution to clearing off my desk is not stuffing things into my file cabinet?  A helpful step to organizing and decluttering is to look at that piece of paper and ask yourself “Am I really going to use this again?’- BEFORE you ask yourself “Where does this go?” If the answer to using something again is “no”, then the answer to where it goes is “the recycle bin.”

Marilyn Paul, author of It’s Hard to Make a Difference When you Can’t Find Your Keys: the seven step path to becoming truly organized said at a presentation recently: “Being organized is a skill and a practice, not an event.” 

Establishing new habits, even the best kind of habits, takes repetition. Neuroscience now knows that when we have a new thought we are creating new neuro pathways. The first time is hard, for the first many times it is still difficult, but with much repetition the neuro pathway is established and it becomes more easy to access and use.

Think of how a small child learns, with slowness, difficulty and some forgetting. But the more often you use a new bit of knowledge, habit or skill -  the more easy it is to do. We now know that we can all learn at any age, because the brain continues to develop. Be patient with yourself, the way you would be with a young child – you are establishing new neuro pathways, the same way you did as a child.

Start with small goals where you can see results:

• If a messy sink is a downer way to begin your day, then borrow Fly Lady, Marla Cilley’s tip and wash your dishes and clean your sink before you go to bed – you will be greeted by a shiny, empty sink in the morning. 
• Open your mail over the recycle bin every day and place your bills in a “current bills” folder or basket. Sit down and pay those bills on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. (Noting this on your calendar can be helpful for remembering.)  No lost bills, no late notices.
• Toss your out-of-date and out-of-style make-up. Make-up has a shelf life – the oils can turn rancid, not to mention the germs that can breed there.

Well, I have my homework spelled out for me: Think before I file - "Will I use this again?" and consciously thinking of the habits (and attitudes) I want to develop, takes repetition and patience.