Exploration | Photo by eflon

Ever feel like you’ve done a great job of cleaning and organizing the house, only to stumble upon an area full of clutter that you’ve forgotten about (maybe on purpose)?

It’s one of those places around the house where you like to hide all those misc. things like magazines, pens, notepads, books, papers, yo-yo’s, old towel racks, cables, and more…

While it can get overwhelming at times, once we realize where our clutter likes to hide, we can mount a preeminent insurgency against it and start tossin’ it to the curb.

And while every home is different, here are a few places where clutter likes to hide in my house:

1. In our ottoman (it has built-in storage under the lid)
2. Our kitchen junk drawer
3. Our kitchen pen/paper (can quickly become a 2nd junk) drawer
4. The console in my truck
5. The backseat of my truck
6. The junk drawer in my dresser
7. Out of reach cabinets
8. The desk in my home office – since I don’t use the room everyday clutter can quickly collect without me realizing it
9. Under the sink in our guest bathroom
10. The closet in our guest bedroom
11. Under our beds
12. My computer (digital clutter)
13. E-mail

In order to win this battle, we must be diligent in our fight.

We must keep an eye out for those known places where clutter gathers quickly.

Each week we must take a look at each area and process all that we can.

Make sure there’s a place for everything — and everything is in its place.

If you can’t find a place for it and/or you know you haven’t used it in six months — toss it.

Get yourself beyond the Warehouse Mentality of keeping things just in case.

If something doesn’t have a true utility for you right now, don’t feel guilty about tossing it in the thrift store or recycling bin. Let someone else hold on to it and put it to use.

And as you clear out the hidden clutter — fight against insurgent clutter taking its place. Keep the area clean and clutter free.

We can all win this battle with a little focus and preemptive planning.

And before long, that hidden clutter will be put in its place — giving you peace of mind and a more relaxing home environment.

keep reading...

• The weekend’s big secret
• Destroying the Warehouse Mentality: Stop hoarding and declutter your life
• Simple Manifesto #32 – Make your house minimalist