By Mary Lynne Murray
Reprinted from Contra Costa Times, February 21, 2004
It’s one hour before company comes, and the house is cluttered
with the detritus of your life: half- done projects, books, magazines,
CD’s, videos, binders, backpacks, briefcases, a month of
old newspapers, mending and other fix-its. You decide to stash
it all where no polite guest will venture—the master bedroom.
As the doorbell rings, you open the front door and usher your
guests into the “presentable” part of the house.
Something’s wrong with this picture. We devalue our most
personal space—the bedroom--by using it as a dumping ground,
relegating ourselves to second class in our own digs. We deserve
to live clutter free every day of the year, even when guests aren’t
coming to dinner.
Sleeping 7 or 8 hours a night uses about one third of your day.
This means unless you sleep on the couch, you spend a good chunk
of time in your bedroom. Clutter can affect the quality of your
sleep, which affects your overall well-being. Everything gives
off something—is it positive or negative energy? Do your
surroundings drain your energy or fill you with energy? It’s
time to notice the association you have with things in your living
space, especially in your bedroom.
- Don’t keep a laundry basket where you sleep; dirty laundry
gives off stagnant energy. Instead keep it in the bathroom or
laundry room.
- Don’t keep something hanging on the wall or in your
room that has unpleasant associations. You’ll see it first
thing in the morning and that’s no way to start your day.
- Don’t have a desk or paperwork in your bedroom. You
need a break from work, and will be more productive in the morning
without papers glaring at you. If there’s not another
option, maintain order as best you can, shut down the computer
at night, and consider a screen to divide and camouflage.
- Don’t keep the ringer on the phone at your bedside.
Let your bedroom be the one place you can’t be bothered.
- Don’t dress in the dark—that’s how one
client left her home wearing two different shoes. Install adequate
lighting in your closet, or a floor lamp beside the closet.
Light is a boost to one’s energy level, and that’s
a good thing come Monday morning.
- Do hang a full length mirror to help you dress your best.
- Do store night necessities in your bedside table such as
reading glasses, hand lotion, clock, notepad and pen to jot
down midnight inspirations.
- Do keep an extra blanket at the foot of your bed, if you
tend to get cold at night.
- Do be selective about what lands on dresser tops and nightstands.
I like to keep reading materials at my bedside and framed photos
of my girls on the dresser.
- Do keep the floor clear for energy flow and safe night maneuvers.
- Do arrange a mass exodus of things that belong somewhere
else: return toys to the kids’ rooms, glasses to the kitchen,
clothes that don’t belong to you, etc.
- Do make your bed; it’s the centerpiece of the room.
Seeing it made up when you enter room will symbolize the change
you are making. Use a duvet or comforter to make the job as
easy as possible.
- Do change your sheets regularly to aid in better sleep.
- Do dust and vacuum often to deter dust mites which cause an
allergic reaction in some.
- Do keep your dresser near your closet, if possible, to save
steps in putting things away and getting dressed.
- Do store things like luggage and off season clothes at the
back or highest shelves of your closet, since you don’t
use them often. If you have another closet, use it for those
rarely used items.
You’ve no doubt noticed that you and your mate have a different
tolerance for clutter. This is quite common, due to our attraction
to the opposite, either consciously or subconsciously. If this
is your situation, define areas for each of you, and keep your
area the way you like it. Don’t force your organized ways
on another. “A person organized against his/her will is
disorganized still.”
For a deeply cluttered bedroom, it may take a full day to sort,
purge, contain and put it all together again. But you’ll
sleep better after you’re done, knowing that a daily tune
up of your new bedroom should take only 10 minutes. Maintenance
is the best prevention to the re-invasion of clutter.
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