The Secret To Do List.. And how to stop it!

I am a list lover. Whether it's a list for packing to go on holiday, a list for what food to buy or a list for what needs doing today, I love the feeling of achievement when I cross it off. I have also been known to add things to my list after I've done them, just so I can have the satisfaction of seeing all I have completed.

But there's one list that I have recently discovered by minimalist Fumio Sasaki - The Secret To Do List. The list that causes negative energy and can't be completed without a conscious effort to change our lifestyle. It can cause harm to our mental health if left unchecked. This list is made up of voices from our items around us.

Things or stuff or clutter, whatever you may call it, each item is giving you an instruction - saying "clean me" or "put me away" or "you still haven't fixed me" or "you still don't fit into me". All the items in our homes send out little reminders that they own you and you need to serve them.

Some are positive messages. These are the items that you love and you don't mind having to dust or clean or put away, it's part of the cycle of how you use said object. These are the objects that make you feel happy, the objects that make you smile. Maybe it's a favourite mug or a nice soft towel.

In order to reduce the number of voices giving us orders every time we enter the room, (or even the dread that we can feel just thinking about coming home), we can take back control of what we want to hear, by sorting through our items and keeping only the things we need and want.

By getting rid of items you will instantly feel calmer and more in control. The less items there are, the less noise there is.

Less noise means less tasks to be completed giving you more time and space.

So take back control of your things and find out what it's like to hear what a calmer, peaceful home sounds like.

You may quite like it.