Decluttering

Two weeks ago, my mom visited my apartment. When she saw my room, she was shocked. I've always had a clean room, but only in the sense that it's not dirty. However, my room has always been very cluttered, with books to read spread on the tables and floor, stacks of papers needing my attention, and once-worn clothes hanging from chairs, hooks, and doors.

During my internship in Spain, I loved the not-clutteredness of my room. In Spain it wasn't cluttered simply because I hadn't brought enough with me to my normal through clutter-job, but when I returned home I felt stressed when in my room. I wanted to change.

Fortunately, that very week Zen Habits posted A Simple Guide to Keeping Your Counters Clutter-free. The ultra-condensed version is have a home for everything (as my mom would always say) and that home can't be a flat surface (unless it's something like an alarm clock or desk lamp that belongs on a flat surface). But you should really read the post, it's excellent, and I can tell you from experience, it works.