A Quick Start Guide to Decluttering
When attempting to bring order to our homes, many people immediately jump to the categorizing stage of organization. This is a huge mistake!
The first step in bringing order to any home is to declutter!
But decluttering our space can be completely overwhelming! Perhaps we have months or even years of clutter to sort through. It's happened to most of us. Life gets busy and our homes get out of control. Suddenly, we wake up and realize we need to take action! Where do we even start?!
Don't get overwhelmed. Relax. Take a deep breath. You can do this!
Start by gathering a few supplies...
2 large black garbage bag - one for garbage, one for recycling
2 empty boxes - label one "DONATE", label the other "PUT AWAY"
Discard the Obvious
Decluttering quickly becomes overwhelming when we jump right into making difficult decisions. Instead, start by throwing away or recycling things that you obviously no longer wish to keep. Outdated sales flyers, old newspapers, empty envelopes, expired food or candy, trash that never made it to the garbage can... these are just a few of the common items that we often say we'll "deal with later". Grab those two black trash bags for garbage and recycling and throw these things away now!!
Make quick work of this step, don't become obsessive about it. You're going for an obvious difference - a quick win! You can discard more items later as you come to them. And don't get distracted by everything else - just the trash for now!
Separate the Remaining Items
Once you've removed the items you obviously don't want, it's time to go back over everything and tackle the mess! Rather than jumping into the middle of it all, find a starting point at one end of the room and work your way around the room, leaving a clear trail behind you.
You will need to handle each item and decide if it is something you wish to keep, or if it has served it's purpose in your life and can now be discarded.
Items to keep should be put away immediately! If the item belongs in the current room, you should be able to put it away quickly and get back to decluttering.
However, if it belongs in another room, DO NOT leave the room!! Leaving the room will cause you to be distracted by something else and keep you from the task at hand. This is where the "PUT AWAY" box comes into play. Any items you wish to keep but belong in other parts of your house should be placed in this box and we will put them away when we are through with the decluttering process.
Items you no longer wish to keep will either be discarded or placed in the "DONATE" box. Please, do not donate your worthless items to charity! Damaged items are just that - damaged. Nobody will wish to purchase it or use it. Realize that the item has served its purpose, then take a deep breath and discard it - it's ok! Really, it is!
Let's review — When we have items in the room to deal with we only have one of four places it should go:
In its proper place in your room where you're working
In the "PUT AWAY" box because it belongs in another room
In the "DONATE" box
In the garbage/recycling bag
Clearly, this step will be a little more tedious, but you can do it! It may take several hours, or even several days, depending on the severity. But don't get discouraged, you can do this!! The results will be so rewarding!
Put Items in their Proper Place
Once you have completed the above process, it's time to take care of those bags and boxes.
Tie up the garbage bag and throw it away immediately so you won't be tempted to retrieve anything from it! Double or triple knot the bag if necessary! This also keeps other family members from snooping in your bag and reclaiming items that truly should not be kept.
Take your recycling bag to the recycling can - Do not let it stay in the house.
Tape up the DONATE box and place it in your car. Take it to your donation center ASAP!! Do NOT leave it in the house!
Put away the items in the PUT AWAY box. Do not leave this box setting around full of stuff - put the things away! One by one, put these items away until the box is empty. Do not get distracted by trying to declutter the areas where you put things away. You'll get to that next time.
Smile!
Hopefully, by this time your room should look significantly improved! Because you now have a better grasp on what you wish to keep in your life and what you can let go, you should be able to move through the other rooms in your home with speed!
Once you have finished decluttering, it's time to take the next step of Macro-Organizing! (Trust me, it's not as intimidating as it sounds!)
I’d love to hear from you — What do you find to be the biggest challenge when it comes to simplifying and organizing your home? Let me know in the comments below!
