Which type of bedroom do you have?

Is your bedroom bulging at the seams with shoes piled up in the closet, clothes on the floor or on chairs because there’s no more room in the closet? Do you have to shove a pile of stuff off your bed before there’s room for you? Is it scary under your bed?

Are you somebody who LIVES in your bedroom? Is it a place where you eat, exercise, watch TV, and work on your computer? The more you do in your bedroom, the more difficult it may be to declutter it because each activity has its own “toys.” But it will be worth it to have a tidy room.

Or do you just have an ordinary messy bedroom because you’re usually in a hurry dashing in and out, dropping clothes and stuff on the floor and bed as you rush off to work, to a party, or to get dinner ready.

Regardless of whether your bedroom is a total disaster or if it just needs tweaking, you’ll follow the same four steps.

Step 1: Start by taking EVERYTHING out of the bedroom that doesn’t belong there. For many of you, that step alone will get you half way to a clean and tidy room.

If you have a lot of things that need to go to other places, you might get sidetracked if you take them there now.

Solution: Have a box or bin to put everything in that is out of place. Fill it up and set it aside to empty as soon as you’ve finished the other steps.

Step 2: Scan your room to see if you have too much stuff and need to get rid of some the excess. Below, check the items you have too much of:

Too many clothes - in general
Too many shoes
Too many pants/slacks
Too many skirts/dresses
Too much jewelry
Too many shorts
Too many socks
Too many t-shirts
Too many blouses/shirts
Too much underwear
Too many nick knacks
Too much stuff on the bedside table (magazines, books, notes, glasses, food, reading glasses, etc)

Tips to Help You Let Go of Excess Stuff

• If you have difficulty getting rid of clothes, here’s a handy tip to let you know what clothes you are actually wearing and which ones you aren’t. Turn all of the hangers around so that the point of the hook faces you, instead of facing away.

  When you wear something, hang the hanger up as usual with the tip of hook facing away from you. At the end of the season, consider letting go of anything you haven’t worn - which will be obvious by how many things are on hangers with the hook tips facing you. This is a cool visual reminder. You may be surprised how many things you haven’t worn.

• If you have difficulty getting rid of things, have a friend join you. Just their presence will help you see that the worn down heels on your shoes are not appealing, and you’ll put them in the give-away pile. When you hold up an old piece of clothing that you never wear, it will LOOK unattractive when your friend is sitting there with you.

  Also ask yourself, if you would wear that on a date, or to a special event, or out to dinner. If the answer is no, hand it to your friend to put in the give-away pile. Your friend may do nothing more than just sit on your bed and fold things you hand to him or her. It’s amazing how well this works. I’ve done this more than once with a friend. You can do it for each other too.

• If your closets are packed and it is unpleasant to hang things up, set a percentage goal of how much you’d like to clean out - 25 - 50% is not unreasonable if you haven’t purged in a while. With a little breathing space in your closet, you’ll be more inclined to hang things up and to wear things that you didn’t remember you had because they were smashed between things you never wear.
• Getting rid of too many shoes can be a challenge for some of us. If somebody were to make guesses about you based on your shoes, what would they guess? Are the heels worn down? Are the shoes scuffed and dirty? Are they full of cobwebs and dead flies? Would these shoes make your outfit look great and be a nice accessory, or would you be better off going barefoot? Do the shoes hurt your feet? Chuck them! Maybe they won’t hurt somebody else’s feet. Do you have so many shoes that you NEVER wear some of them? Get rid of them and give the shoes you love some breathing space.

Step 3: Clean off all horizontal surfaces (floor, bed, chairs, bedside table)

• Hang up any clothes on the floor. If your closet has open, inviting places, you’ll be more likely to hang your clothes up rather than drop them on the floor. Right? Get in the habit of hanging things up. It only takes a few seconds and it dramatically simplifies cleanup.
• Put dirty clothes in the hamper. Do you have a hamper or laundry basket in your closet? That would really help you keep things picked up. I have one laundry basket for colored clothes and one for whites. I toss the clothes in the right basket right away so I never have to sort clothes before washing them. Yes, it’s great.
• Look at your bedside table (if you have one), and see if you actually USE everything that’s on it. Bedside tables tend to get stacked with all kinds of things–books and magazines, plates and cups, snack foods, nose drops, antacids, reading glasses, earrings, change, etc. Clear away any items that you don’t need to have on that table. Put them away or put them where you actually DO use them.
• Put shoes away until you need to wear them. I have too many shoes because I love shoes. There isn’t enough room in my closet to put them away, so I bought a plastic tub that fits nicely under my bed. I put all of the shoes in it that I wear regularly. Every night I pull the tub out and put away the shoes I wore that day and select shoes I will wear the next day. I love that simple system.

Step 4: Create Systems and Routines That Suit Your Life and Your Lifestyle

My Evening Routine

Here’s an example of a system and routine that works for me. I’m a night owl and I hate to get up. That’s why it’s been a lifesaver for me to select everything I’m going to wear the night before - everything. I put my underwear, socks and earrings on my dresser, my shoes go by the closet, and I hang the clothes I’m going to wear on a fancy hook on the outside of the closet door as if I had a handmaid.

I pack my briefcase and lunch the night before too! I can be out the door in minutes if I have to. Sure the weather may throw me a curve, but it usually doesn’t. And I can easily grab a slightly warmer or cooler top or jacket to wear.

Bonus Tip: I read an article by Dr. Andrew Weil about the potential dangers of sleeping close to the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of electric clocks, so I got rid of mine and now use a small, handy travel clock.

Benefits of a bedside travel clock vs an electric clock

• I NEVER over sleep if the electricity goes out, which it does now and then.
• It’s also very small so it doesn’t take up much room on my tiny nightstand. I love that.
• I’ve never had to replace the watch battery, and I’ve had it for several years.
• And I don’t risk messing up my brain or other body parts with EMFs. Also for this same reason, I never use electric blankets, electric waterbed heaters, etc.
• I can take my travel clock with me when I travel, and I know how to set it! And I know that it is reliable because I use it every day.
• Because it uses zero electricity, it’s cheaper for me and for the environment.

Benefits of a Decluttered Bedroom

• It will feel great to be able to see what you have in your closet.
• You won’t have to struggle and strain to hang things up or put things away in your closet. There will be blessed ROOM!
• You will find clothes you forgot you had. It will be like getting new clothes.
• You may be able to sleep better. Good feng shui, ya know.
• More time and less stress are two big benefits. Remember, the less you have to take care of (dust, polish, wash, sort, store, step over, root through), the more time and less stress you will have in life. Open spaces bring peace. Clear out some old, unused stuff and create space for you and your favorite stuff to breathe.

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Cheryl Miller is a wellness expert and life coach. She specializes in helping people take action to live a healthy, happy life . . . in this lifetime.

Visit www.cherylmillerville.com for practical advice, inspiration and action steps for making healthy changes you desire. Be sure to get the FREE Wellness Pack:  http://cherylmillerville.com/wellness-pack

© 2005 Cheryl Miller, www.cherylmillerville.com. All rights reserved.

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