7 Helpful Habits for Daily Decluttering

Today, many people feel as though they barely have enough time to take care of basic tasks and duties for family and work. One big problem that can result from being pressed for time is that you wind up leaving cleaning chores until “later.” But the more mess and clutter plaguing your home, the more stressful you can feel. And a cluttered home makes it harder to find items you actually need right now, which further causes delays. Keeping that in mind, here are 7 habits to help you do better with decluttering your space on a daily basis.

1. Make the Bed as Soon as You Get Up

It only takes a second to do this task and your bedroom will look much more inviting.

2. Start Laundry Before Working

Doing so is one tick off the to-do list and you’ll never worry about running out of clean clothing.

3. Deal With Your Mail Every Time You Bring It In

Allowing letters to pile up, especially when so much of it is “junk” mail, is an easy way to multiply clutter. Open and respond to or trash mail the same day it arrives.

4. Establish a Schedule to Clean Specific Spaces at a Certain Frequency

When you put your chores on a chart, it’s easier to remember to do them on a regular basis. For example:

• Clean out the refrigerator weekly, such as on Saturday or whatever day you tend to do grocery shopping
• Spot clean the bathrooms every mid-week. If you fail to do this, your nose will soon remind you of your dereliction of duty!
• Rid a Specific Storage Space of its Dead Weight

There are plenty of opportunities to get rid of unwanted items. For instance, toss out expired food in the pantry. Move excess gadgets from the counter to a kitchen drawer. Empty out the cupboard holding the gazillion ragged dishtowels you’ve had since your tiny college studio apartment. (Honestly, it’s time to let those go!)

5. Establish a Drop Zone at the Door For Items

When you arrive back at home, don’t succumb to the temptation to leave important items anywhere, since it will be harder to find them later if you aren’t organized from the start. Keeping your shoes by the front door makes it faster to get ready the next time you leave. Likewise, place your bags, jackets and pocket items like your keys, phone, sunglasses and wallets in a designated place near the door.

6. Clean as You Go

As you move through your home, clean things as you go, such as dusting some knick-knacks in the living room while you chat on the phone with a friend. While cooking, clean up trash as you go, instead of waiting until everything has been prepared. Once you get in the habit, you’ll be pleased with how much cleaner your home has become.

7. Get the Whole Family Involved

The family that cleans together, stays together. That can be your clan’s new motto. When everyone pitches in, it promotes peace and harmony instead of the family growing mad at others not doing their fair share.

Here’s hoping that these 7 habits will help you reduce stress and save some time, which for busy individuals like yourself is always in short supply. If you happen to have some tips not mentioned here, our readers would love to hear about them. Please feel free to comment below with your own decluttering ideas.