Spring Spring Spring!
A time to clean out closets, change out clothes, jump into yard work and so much more. Or not.
It can be sooo hard to jump into anything that is related to chores, clutter and organizing. Believe me, I know! But there’s one space in my life that I am practically OCD about keeping tidy and that is my car. I have no idea why, other than perhaps that space is all mine and small enough for me to manage. I keep it up better than any room in my house. Seeing it cluttered for some reason makes me anxious and irritable. Anybody else? Or is this just a “Terry” thing?
I know many of you have a tough time maintaining your cars, so hopefully this article will help you out.
How to De-Clutter Your Car
By Sue Brenner
Are things starting to pile up in your car? Do you have to push piles out of the way when someone hops in your car? Make room for you and your passengers. Use these 7 steps to make your de-cluttering easy and watch your car sparkle.
1. Decide what you want your car to look like.
What do you want the inside of your car to look like? What is the main purpose of the interior of your car? For example, perhaps you want everything that you need to be in arm’s reach. Or, maybe you want the interior of your car to be beautiful. Get a quick picture of what you want to create first.
2. Discover what’s needed.
What things do you need inside of your car? Examples include a First Aid kit, cup holder and insurance card. Make sure the things that you need are in your car. Place them in convenient places so that you can access them quickly when you need them. To help, ask yourself the question, “Where will I find this?”
3. Discover what’s not needed.
You just identified what you need in your car. Now begin to review the piles of things you don’t need in your car. Pamela found that she had four jackets in her car, her kids’ beach toys and used coffee cups. When she got to de-cluttering, she kept one jacket in the car and put the rest away. She discarded the coffee cups. Sand toys? She popped them in the trunk to make more leg room for her passengers.
4. Divide you car into zones.
Let’s say you have a 4-door car. Divide your clutter clearing efforts into 4 zones. These zones include the driver’s area, the passenger’s area, the space behind the driver and the space behind the passenger. Decide which areas are most important and address those first. Your trunk will come later, as usually that area is a job in itself.
5. Conquer each zone.
Begin to rid the clutter from each of the zones you identified in your car. For example, address the passenger’s area first. Then move through each of the other zones. By breaking down the process into mini-sections, it will be much more manageable. Use the following 3-Bag technique to breeze through each zone.
6. Use the 3-Bag Technique.
Grab 3 bags for your car de-cluttering task. The first one is for stuff that doesn’t belong in your car. In this bag, collect the mugs, books, supplies and other things that don’t belong there. The second bag is for things to give away/return. Perhaps you want to give away some of the extra clothes stashed in the back seat. In a regular organizing job, the third bag is for storage items. But for your car, use this bag for trash and recycling.
7. Clear out your trunk.
For some of you, this task may be the most daunting. If you’re driving to the airport, you’ll definitely need to clear out space to get your suitcases in! Set aside an extra 15 minutes to an hour for this task. Use the 3-Bag technique again to clear out your trunk. You may even find some storage items in there, like that computer monitor that has been sitting in its box for 6 months.
Use the above 7 steps to remove clutter from your car quickly and easily. Enjoy the ride with a clutter-free car.
What works for you? Share your ideas/tips in the Comment section, below.
Sue Brenner, Performance Coach and Author, wants you to get the most out of life and work. That’s why she wrote “The Naked Desk: Everything you need to strip away clutter, save time and get things done” – http://x.actionsymphony.com/ While you’re there, get her free eZine, “Ignite Your Life.”
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Brenner
** Like this post? Get notified any time I publish a new article like this one, and get instant access to my e-book “Tips for Women With ADHD.” Go to addconsults.com/tipsbook and sign up right away! **
Sometimes I have trouble with clutter in my car. But my biggest trouble is actually the cleanliness of my car. I can never seem to bring myself to clean it. I don’t want to spend the money to get it detailed, but I also don’t trust myself that I’ll be able to motivate myself to get it done. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi- thanks for your post- good question! I see a few options. One- maybe hire a kid in the neighborhood to do it for less than what you would pay at the car wash. Or if you have kids yourself (you look awfully young to have kids!). Or..if you really want to take this on yourself, break it down into smaller parts instead of tackling the entire project at once. You can put in your planner (or whatever you use), for example: Monday 8pm: wash inside windows. Tuesday 10am: vacuum seats, etc. Hope this helps! 🙂