How to Stay on Top of Decluttering
We all have that closet, drawer, or even entire room, that we try to avoid. We don’t want to be reminded that we need to do something about it. Purging, or decluttering, is difficult for some. It’s not even just procrastination, but often an inability to get rid of certain items. The indecision to keep or toss something can lead to paralysis where we just do nothing instead. To stay on top of decluttering can be overwhelming. Break it down by section or room, doing one piece at a time. Have a checklist to cross it off when completed. Decide if an item is to keep, toss, donate or relocate. Err on the side of purging when you’re undecided.
Stay on top of Decluttering: Divide Your Home into Spaces
Lucy Searle at Homes and Gardens states that ‘Decluttering is a marathon and not a sprint. It’s easier to break it down into chunks and do little and often rather than try to do everything and lose motivation part way through’ https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/decluttering-tips. Instead of looking at an entire room of your house, pick one space to do on a particular day. This might be a storage room, a closet, a certain section of cupboards, a garage, or an entire room.
Once you start, you may have the time and desire to keep going. Then do the next small section on your calendar. Go through the entire room or closet or drawer. Remove every item so that you can thoroughly wipe/dust the floors or surfaces that are never exposed. Once you have taken everything out it is time to be tough. Only put back what you need and use. I ask myself that if I was moving, would I bother taking up space in my boxes to bring this with me?
Keep, Toss, Donate or Relocate
The next step is the tough part. Once you’ve emptied the space, you need to put each item in one of four places. First, have a trash bag for items that are garbage and need to be tossed. Have a second bag for items that you can donate. An item could be used in a different location where it would be noticed. Move it to that location in the house. If something could be sold, have a spot ideally out in your garage to put it in the meantime. This gets it that much closer to being out of the house.
It’s important to do the same with the donation bags. Get them out of your house and into your car. You can drop them off the next time you are out running errands. Do not fall into the trap of keeping them in your car for months. You might accidentally change your mind. Take a photo of your item, and get on a buy and sell group right away to post it. Decide if it’s really worth a few bucks. I always get multiple responses when I post something for free.
Stay on Top of Decluttering: Be Tough With Letting Go
Be tough with yourself during this process. People may encourage us to keep things in case “we might use it someday.” Or, you might want to keep it because it has sentimental value. Take a picture of it, and move the item along. If you haven’t looked at something in a year, or haven’t used it, it’s time to let it go. In all likelihood, it will stay sitting where it is.
If you have a hard time letting go of objects enlist a friend to help you with this process. They can push you to make it go a little faster. For the items that you intend to keep, dust or wipe them, and put them back in an organized manner. A drawer or closet should always look less full, and more orderly than before you started. There should be space to put something new that you might need to store there. You can’t achieve this without getting rid of a decent amount of “stuff.”
Create a Calendar for Purging Spaces: Stay on Top of Decluttering
Decide on one focus area each month. Perhaps it is the kitchen and dining room. Then it might be basement storage. Laundry room, coat closet, and cleaning supplies. Upstairs bedrooms. Bathrooms. Garage and shed. The next step is to take that area and break it down into one manageable piece on the days that you plan to allocate time to purge. This might range from a 5-minute task to a 30-minute job, to a larger area that might take several hours.
Plan your tasks to fit your schedule, so that you will be sure to fit them in. The days you have more going on, schedule a smaller area. If you’re going to be around the house, plan for something larger. If you miss a day, just move it on the calendar, but make sure to get it in soon. You need to have purged that room or area by the time you flip the calendar to a new page. Breaking it down in this way allows you to focus on one smaller space. You will not feel stressed and overwhelmed about how much work you have to do.
If You Have to Think About It, Get Rid of It
The hardest part of decluttering is the internal struggle of what to part with. Some things are clearly garbage, as they are expired, packaging or papers no longer needed. These do not require much thought to toss or recycle. It is harder with clothing, sentimental items, or toys, that you spend money on, and that you once used regularly. Follow the rule of thumb: if I haven’t used it in over a year, I won’t likely look at it this year.
The exception might be items you’re saving for your kids someday or seasonal things you may use again. Be ruthless with things like books that you didn’t really enjoy, or that contain outdated information that you know you’ll only access online now. The same goes for clothing that is no longer in style, or that you’re hanging on to in hopes that it fits again someday. It’s great to have a CD collection, but if you no longer own a CD player and have no means to play them, it may be best to sell or donate.
Purging the Item Can Bring Peace of Mind
We’re fortunate that so much can be downloaded online, requiring less clutter to distract us from living. The bottom line is that if you have to stop and think about whether you will use the item “someday,” the reality is that you probably won’t. Your first instinct is usually correct, and it is best to avoid having these arguments with yourself. You may feel torn and conflicted in the moment. Yet the satisfaction of having a clean and organized home will bring a sense of peace and calm. Even those spaces that we can’t see, which is what I’m guilty of, will bring you joy when you see they are no longer crammed full, You will love having space to actually put something now.
Searle points out that “Decluttering isn’t just about clearing your home of clutter, period. For many of us, decluttering can have a positive impact on mental health. A recent survey of homeowners showed that 44% of us experience ‘mess-stress’ at least weekly and 72% of ‘naturally tidy’ people have experienced stress from an untidy home over the pandemic,” https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/decluttering-tips. We need to get back on track with our lives, and this starts with clearing our spaces in order to clear our minds. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a clear counter, or opening a cupboard and having space to put something. Staying on top of it is a challenge, but following these tips will allow you to make progress. Check out my post The Motivation Myth for more tips on how to push yourself to get started.
