Quick tip to clear clutter

One of the best ways to put more balance in your life is to get rid of clutter. I sincerely believe that a cluttered house or office just creates disorder in your mind, not to mention the guilt you feel about how you should be spending your time straightening up instead of doing what you really want.

Start first with the mail you bring in as you come home at night. Spend a moment right in front of the trash can or recycle bin and sort it. Junk mail should be dumped right then. Pile all magazines in the same place, newest ones on the bottom. This way, when you have time to read them, you are looking at the oldest issue first.

Bills are next - who wants them staring at you in the hallway every time you come home? Open them up immediately, check the due date, and file them in some type of organizer that will remind you to pay them. Check this file weekly and pay them based on when you get paid. This way, you won’t pay them late and you won’t spend your hard-earned money on late fees.

If you spend just five minutes a day going through your mail, this will be one less chore that needs to be done on the weekend.

So you have problems

We are all faced with problems throughout our lives, some are small, others huge. Depending on how we deal with them, they can be overwhelming and devastate our lives, or they can quickly fade into the past.

Attitude plays a big role. With a difficult personal or work undertaking, consider all viewpoints, even those you think you don't like. It just might provide relief from your fearful analysis of the situation. Don't oversize the problem which is often a panic reaction. Discuss the actions that you could take with a friend or co-worker which can sometimes provide a good suggestion and some instant stress relief.

Lay out a procedure and slowly complete the first task. The next steps should be easier. Often we will keep on worrying after the decisions are made, which of course is of no help at all. If everything that can be done has been done then it's time to follow through.

"Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind." Lucius Seneca (3-65)

Rejection can be an unpleasant experience, but it just lets us know that we aren't perfect. Who is? Consider it a lesson learned, then forget it and move on with your life in a positive constructive manner.

To help solve a difficult problem or to cut down on worrying about making a decision, analyze the situation, determine what must be done and carry it out. In writing or on your PC:

Get all the facts.

Describe the problem in detail.

List all the possible solutions.

List the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Detail what you will do.

Follow through.

You have detailed the planning and know that you will proceed in a certain way, but will review it as required. Later. Now it's time to think other thoughts.

"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing." - Aristotle (BC)