Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight (62 page)
Read Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight Online
Authors: Peter Walsh
Finally, make a note in your calendar one year from today to remind yourself to go through your files and discard any that you no longer needâor move into deep storage the expendable documents that you can't let go of but that are cluttering up precious space in your filing cabinet.
IGNORING YOUR MAIL IS NOT A STRATEGY
I've worked with many couples whose despair over paperwork had gotten to the point where they simply threw their unopened mailâincluding their billsâinto a box or drawer and hoped they'd go away.
This “out of sight, out of mind” strategy may provide some temporary comfort, but it will actually lead you to a much worse place than where you are now. Living in denial is not a long-term solution. It will only compound your problems. By getting your office into shape now, paperwork may become less scary.
As one of the test panelists, Kristen, noted: “Yesterday, as I was standing on the threshold peering in, I kept thinking, I don't even want this room to be an office anymore, so perhaps I can avoid it for another week! But I know that's not the answer. I become really paralyzed in this room. I'm thinking about tackling it with a timer and a very small section at a time!”
Starting today, establish a place for your mail and your bills to live. As it comes in, open it all in a timely manner. This small action will alleviate a lot of stress and serve as a major step toward getting your paperwork (and finances) under control.
HOW LONG SHOULD I KEEP IT?
Experts recommend that you preserve these documents for the following lengths of time:
| Marriage licenses, divorce decrees, birth certificates, adoption papers, life insurance information | Foreverâand it's wise to keep this sort of paperwork in a lockbox, safe, or safe-deposit box |
| Vehicle titles, receipts for large purchases, user manuals, real estate deeds | As long as you own the object or property |
| Tax records | Seven years from the filing date |
| Contracts | Until you update them |
| Insurance for your car, home, or other property | Until the policy is renewed |
| Bank statements | For a year, unless you need them for later tax reasons |
Check online or with your personal financial advisor for any legal requirements in your area that may influence which documents you need to keep and for how long.
Keep in mind that in this day and age, when we have immediate online access to so many businesses and organizations, there is little need to keep reams of paper statements. Check with your financial institution to see what they make available online, and do the same for your utility companies and anything else that has traditionally mailed you statements. Embrace the digital age and free up the space that once held years' worth of musty paper.
Task 6:
ORGANIZE ZONE 3
This is your deep storage area. Maybe it's the lowest drawer in your file cabinet. Maybe it's a big plastic container in your attic. The items you keep here are things you'll only rarely need to see, if ever.
That doesn't mean Zone 3 should serve as a dumping ground for a bunch of clutter you don't actually need to keep. If you know for a fact that you'll never, ever need the receipt for your dog's veterinary checkup 2 years ago, throw it away. Don't store it.
But if you do anticipate that you could need an item of paperwork somedayâ
and when that day comes, you won't be able to find a copy onlineâthen keep it. Deciding whether to keep each item is a judgment call you'll have to make.
Finish sorting through all the items that didn't make the cut for Zones 1 and 2, and evaluate all your paperwork that you won't need anytime soon. Sort it into folders and place it in a container, an out-of-the-way cabinet, or a safe for especially important items.
If items don't make the cut to include in your first, second, or third zones, then throw them away (shredding any sensitive paperwork first is a good idea).
Task 7:
DEAL WITH THE MALIGNANT ITEMS
If you haven't either said good-bye to your malignant items or tucked them away into deep storage, now's the time to do so. We do a lot of paperwork over the course of our lives, and it doesn't always provide a record of happy times.
As you run this stuff through your shredder, then dump it into the recycling bin, try to release the painful memories that are noted on the paper. People are entitled to second chances after all sorts of financial problems, and you deserve to be free from any malignant clutter in your office.
Week Four
Mindset Adjustment
Being present, aware, and mindful whenever you purchase items is our focus this week. Too often we buy things on a whim because we're bored or because they seem like such a bargain we'd be foolish to pass them up!
This week, start practicing mindfulness before you buy any object. Here's how it works. Before you buy
anything
, whether you're in the mall or a convenience store, stop, take a deep breath, and ask yourself
why
you want it. Take a moment to ponder these questions: Why do I want this object? Will the item move me closer to the life I want? Will it help put me into the financial position I want? Do I legitimately need it? Or is it something that I just want in the moment to take my mind off boredom, sadness, or stress?
If it's the latter, put it back on the shelf and walk away.
I know this is not as easy as it sounds! We are so conditioned to buy items on autopilot that you'll be surprised by the emotions that this mindfulness exercise evokes. (For a more specific approach to use in these moments, review the
STOP exercise
.)
The Clutter Chronicles
Leah Zerbe, 33
POUNDS LOST: 11.4
AMOUNT OF CLUTTER REMOVED: 10 bags for donation, 5 bags of trash
Leah's experience isn't just a story of what she lost over 6 weeks. She can also measure her success by what she
found
.
Leah's a busy woman. During the day, the 33-year-old works as a health journalist. After hours, she grows vegetables and strawberries and tends to the flock of egg-laying chickens on the sustainable farm that she and her husband operate.
Until she went through the
Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight
program, Leah spent much of her spare time shifting around clutter, over and over, in a never-ending attempt to clean her house.
“Before, I was just spinning my wheels, wasting a lot of time cleaning, but it didn't really look like I was cleaning. It still looked
cluttered,” she says. “Since I work from home a lot, one of my biggest clutter sources was the work material that was everywhere in every room. I didn't realize how stressed that made me feel. I think it kept me from ever getting my mind off work, even when I wasn't working.”
The most profound message she took away from the program is that everything in her home needs to have a placeâand if it doesn't have a place, it needs to go. She donated many of her books to the library, and if she ever wants to enjoy them again, she can just check them out.
“I was actually giving things a place, so they stayed permanently cleaned up,” she says. “Since I work really long days, this has been a lifesaver.”
One of the treasures she found once she lightened her household burden was
time
. She doesn't have to spend so many hours cleaning now. Plus, with her work materials kept in order, she's a much more efficient worker.
She also found new reservoirs of energy. Like the other test participants, Leah estimated her energy level on a scale of 1 to 10 before the program and again after it ended. Hers soared by 3 points.
With these new gifts of time and energy, she could run more often. She stayed more active than the program required, and she found herself running farther and faster and participating in races on weekends. (Perhaps this contributed to her improved self-esteem, which rose by 3 points on a 10-point scale.)
Leah also found an improved sense of peace, thanks in part to the mindfulness exercises. Her score on the anxiety quiz dropped steeply over the course of the program.
“I'm still practicing mindfulness every day, trying to focus on the moment,” she says. “I had a lot more anxiety than I had realized. I still have work to do, but once the rooms started clearing up, I just felt a lot less anxious.”
Week Four
Fitness Activities
Walking frequency:
Go 4 days.
Duration:
Take a 20-minute walk around your block, the neighborhood, the park, or on a treadmill if you have one. Walking in place while watching TV or listening to music works as well. As you walk, plan out your decluttering strategy for the day (or the following day if you're exercising in the evening).
In addition, perform the following movements on 2 or 3 nonconsecutive days after your muscles are nice and warm from walking or decluttering.
10