For many busy women, clutter is the bane of their existence. And if you just stay irritated about the level of clutter in your home (or workspace, for that matter), that’s no good for anyone. Here are some tips to help you get started with a program to declutter for good.
1. Visualize how you want the room to be
Before you begin decluttering, take a moment to imagine how your home will look when everything has a place and all things are stored correctly.
2. Make Categories
Some people have trouble eliminating clutter because they don’t have a system in place to figure out how useful or important things are. Use categories to signal importance, such as things to find storage for immediately, and things that you might want to donate or sell.
3. Figure Out Your Priorities
Look at the items that are cluttering up your home. Figure out which ones you can’t live without, which ones are nice but not necessary, and which things are hideous, broken or otherwise serve little purpose. Sort things out and it will be easier to see what needs to go out with the garbage and what can stay (albeit more organized now!)
4. Create a spot to put mail and other incoming items that need your attention soon
It’s easy for people who come home tired at the end of a long day to grab the mail and then just throw it down wherever they happen to rest, such as at the kitchen counter, on a couch in the living room, or on a counter in the bathroom as they remove makeup.
5. Clear out an area where you can start decluttering in earnest
Maybe the family room is the most cluttered since you use it for multiple purposes. There could be board games scattered around, toys for the kids or your pets, and so on. Once you pick the starting point, it will be easier to begin your decluttering regimen.
6. Make space on a countertop
If you haven’t seen the surfaces of your kitchen counters in a while now, it would be a good time to free them of debris. Just having a clear space in view will make you start to relax. They, you will be encouraged to remove clutter from the rest of the counters. The first clear counter will be a place to organize items from the other counters.
7. Arbitrarily select five different items today and figure out an ideal place for them all.
This will jumpstart your new cleanliness program!
8. Donate unwanted items now
Donating things you no longer want or need can do wonders for a person who has limited means. You’ll feel better, knowing that objects that once got in your way are now brightening the lives of their new owners.
9. Don’t Become a Fanatic!
There’s no need to go overboard as you practice keeping your space free of clutter. Perfection can become the enemy of the good.
So in your daily and weekly efforts to cut down on clutter, avoid focusing on this aspect of home maintenance at the expense of other tasks, such as tending to your garden, going for a walk with your pet or preparing a lovely meal.
Awesome tips! As a mom, it is tough for me to remove something from my closet or even my house the things that I always used before. Like my favorite pans whom my mother gave me, now the pans are damaged and need a new one.
Decluttering a space helps to make you feel organized and on top of things. I really liked your tips, they are super helpful. I especially liked your idea of having a special space for mail and important papers so you won’t lose them and you can attend to them soon.
Decluttering is a big task and not everyone’s favourite thing. This post will help me get it done
Awesome post! Decluttering is a big job and it’s hard to know where to start. These are great ideas on how to begin
Making categories is something I have done when decluttering that has really helped me. Also just having a plan and being able to visualize what I want my space to look like, like you said, is a great idea. Thank you for sharing this great post
These are all good ideas. I especially like the one about finding a spot for the mail. I know that many people just drop it on the front table or the edge of the counter, and it then begins to take over the space. Dealing with it right when you walk in takes only a minute and really does keep the surfaces neater!
Excellent post. I have loved it a lot, since it will be of great help to me. I was talking about the same with a colleague from work who did not know how to start a good organization in my case in clothes. Keep up with these articles, they are great and provide ideas.
Great tips! It can sometimes be hard to just get started, so just choosing a handful of items to deal with or spending a few minutes making a plan might be just the momentum someone needs to jump in. Once you start, it’s easier to keep on going!