2
A cluttered home doesn’t happen because you don’t have enough storage, haven’t found the right container, or installed a proper closet system. Those are challenges of the head (logic) and clutter comes from challenges of the heart (emotion).
It’s not simply “mind over matter.” Making a rational case to convince you to let go of something doesn’t work. (I know, I’ve tried.) 😉
Maybe you’ve heard the expression “A sale is made emotionally, and justified logically.” That’s what’s at play. It’s hard to let go of something you think you might need someday.
Perhaps it was a gift or handcrafted heirloom. It may or may not “spark joy” but it does evoke emotion, feelings, or memories — that cannot be denied. Since hanging onto things with stories is at the root of the clutter problem, what you need is a proven system to follow, along with a tool to help release the emotional ties that bind, in order to give you the calm and relaxed feeling of living in a tidy home.
Enter SOS and EFT.
SOS is our simple system to organize your home. Sort. Organize. Simplify.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as tapping, are proven mind/body tools used to help relieve any negative emotional state including anxiety, stress, depression, and PTSD.
How do they work together?
First, follow the SOS three-step system:
Step #1. Sort. Make space for things you use or love by removing things that are no longer relevant or don’t belong where they landed.
Step #2 Organize. Now put your system in place for the things you want to keep by following 3 rules and answering 4 questions.
Step #3. Simplify. Part habit and part mindset, it’s how you stay on track and maintain your new system.
Ok, a simple system is important, but what do you do when you get stuck? Maybe you are holding something not used or loved but you just can’t let it go? Or maybe you feel so overwhelmed you can’t even start?
Emotional attachment to stuff happens to almost everyone and when it does, we can use a tool that will help calm your nervous system and bring clarity to your decision making. That tool is called the Emotional Freedom Techniques.
If thoughts like “But what if I need this someday? or “It was a gift, I should keep it” make it hard to let go of things you don’t need, use, or love? EFT to the rescue.
These techniques involve lightly tapping on 9 different acupuncture points on your body, sending a calming signal to your brain. As your stress level relaxes it gives you the opportunity to consider different possible outcomes, besides a fear based response which just keeps you holding on tighter.
Tapping is the action you can take when you get stopped by the words in your head. The result helps you find your solution to your problem. Not someone else telling you what to do or trying to talk you out of keeping something.
If you’ve ever wondered how it would feel to live without clutter and learn a simple system to organize your home, then you are in the right place. The Tidy Tapper offers a course and community so you can get started right away.
Waiting until tomorrow isn’t going to help you overcome being overwhelmed. Tap into your tidy life today.
