A unique approach to decluttering

~Benjamin Franklin 
For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned. 



If you haven't been able to declutter and organize in the past you might need to use a different approach.



I created a system that uses the acronym BLISSFUL. It's unlike any decluttering method or advice you've ever been given. But it works. When I work with my clients I use this system to help them declutter their environment to achieve a blissful feeling.

Here are 4 of the steps I’d like to tell you a few of the steps.

The B in BLISSFUL is  Block out the time (no phone or distractions). Let me suggest right now as you are reading this that you pull out your phone and block out a chunk of time. Block out 15 - 30 minutes and set a reminder. Then during that time turn off your phone and tell everyone including your family that you are not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency. It's so easy to get distracted when we are decluttering its like we are looking for any excuse to stop. Now that you have a time, find someone that you can be accountable to. It could be a family member or a friend or even a co-worker.

The   L  in BLISSFUL is Lay the Groundwork. One of the first things I have my clients do is List what is important in their life. Grab a pen and paper or a notebook and right now make a list of what are the most important things to you in you life. This is important because as you pick something up and contemplate what to do with it, look at this list and ask yourself  if that thing will benefit what is most important in your life. Each time you start to declutter, take out the list and read it out loud. Let go of the past. From now on you are going to be focusing on what is important right now and in the future. +

The  I  is Identify and list the storage areas and where things go. I always do a walk through in my clients home and look for all the spaces, all the shelves, and cupboards, and I can often point out storage places they didn’t see. See if there are any cubbies that you hadn’t considered for storage or think about if maybe you could put a nice looking  basket  on a shelf that you can use. As you are doing this you might see spaces that you will want to reject because they are already full of clutter. List them anyway. 

The SS&F in BLISSFUL is See it and Say it and Feel it.
Let me just explain the science behind why See it Say it and Feel it. What do you think happens when someone goes in and clears out a room or organizes the cupboards for someone else? I always ask my clients that have kids, when you go in clean your childs room what does it look like 2 days or a week later.
Your subconscious doesn’t accept that that is how it is supposed to be, so you are uncomfortable. It doesn’t feel like home. It’s easy to set things down and leave them anywhere and everywhere.

Your brain is trained over the years that things are supposed to be a certain way. Here is an experiment. Cross your arms. Which arm is on top.  Now cross them the other way with the other arm on top. Your subconscious immediately says this isn’t right.

You must retrain your brain. Fortunately the  part of your brain that is trained by the past doesn’t differentiate between what’s real and what’s imaginary. Pick and area that needs decluttering or organizing, close your eyes and visually see what it looks like when it’s perfect. Make a declaration about it. Start with I love this clutter free room. Then describe it and actually get emotional about how good it looks. Do this for several days. Then when it is clean your brain will be retrained and you can walk in and say. Yes. That’s what I’m talking about. This is how it feels. And when something is out of place there is cognitive dissonance and you’ll have to put it away.

If your interested in hearing more about the Blissful Technique email diann@thinkitbeautiful.com

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