The last few months, my social media feed has been filled with comments of friends from high school and college talking about decluttering. Maybe it’s because we’ve reached the middle-aged stage of life where we start realizing time is running short. Or, maybe it’s because kids are growing up and no longer need a houseful of toys. Whatever the reason, decluttering has become a hotly debated and Pinterest researched topic within my social circle.
I have a different take on wanting to declutter. My reason for getting rid of stuff is simply because I HATE cleaning. My reasoning is that the more stuff I get rid of now, the less I have to clean and keep organized down the road. I’ve also learned that I feel more creative when my work space is clutter-free.
I am certainly no organizational expert or minimalist guru. But as I’ve started the process of going through everything I own, small changes help me make progress. There aren’t fancy names or systems that require buying a book or online course. These are easy actions that don’t take much time. These are real-life, daily tasks that anyone can do in the pursuit of downsizing.
START SMALL
When it comes to decluttering, the initial motivation gets derailed by interruptions or lack of help from others in the family. You lose steam quickly as you dig into those first few boxes and realize just how much stuff there is to go through.
Depending on your situation, the volume of items to be sorted can be overwhelming. Starting small is your best option to stay motivated throughout the process. Instead of saying “I want to declutter the kitchen,” start with “I want to declutter the silverware drawer.” Breaking down a large project into small, specific goals allows you to focus on one thing at a time. You’ll also be more likely to stick with your decluttering goals long term if you give yourself daily wins when you mark off a task on the To Do list. Making small, daily progress builds up over time.
WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS
Whether you use a phone app, or like me, still prefer old school pen and paper, writing down your decluttering tasks helps you stay motivated to complete projects. When you look into that spare bedroom and see boxes, toys, and piles of clothes, it can be hard to know where to start. And if you don’t know where to start, it’s easier to close the door and walk past.
By taking the time to plan your tasks and write down specific goals, you’re more likely to be successful. You’ll have a place to start. And when you complete one task, you’ll know where to go next. Before you start the work, sit down and think about priorities. Which room/area is most important to get done first? What are your criteria for what to keep and what to get rid of? Writing down specific tasks helps you focus on these questions, and gives you a roadmap through the piles of stuff.
SHORT BURSTS
One of my friends joked about wanting to buy duplex so her family could live in one side, and she could live in the other. That way, all her kids’ stuff would be contained in one area. Most of us can’t afford to buy a separate home for our stuff. And it’s not practical to ship your family away for a few weeks to get your decluttering done at once. But inevitably when you start trying to clean out a room, you’ll be interrupted. A child will need help with homework. A spouse will get sick. An unexpected guest will show up. When you’re sidetracked in the middle of a big project, regaining motivation can be elusive.
Unless you are lucky enough to be able to take a week off of work to focus on decluttering, I suggest starting with 15-30 minutes a day, whatever short time fits into your life. Working in shorter bursts allows you to schedule your cleaning time around other obligations. This also means you’re less likely to be interrupted in the middle of something. But if you are interrupted, missing a few minutes doesn’t seem as defeating as being interrupted during a planned daylong cleaning session.
LOOK FOR EASY CHOICES
When starting a decluttering project, one of the easiest first steps is finding items you have multiples of, or things that you flat out don’t use. To use myself as an example, I love books. As an avid reader, I have stacks of books on my shelves. Some I’ve read, others I’ve had on my To Be Read list for years. While letting go of books is hard for me (I know, I’m weird…), I have started going through all my books once a year. I look for ones that I have multiple copies of, or ones that I’ve read and know I most likely won’t read again. As much as I love Moby-Dick, I probably don’t need three copies of it (true story!). Also, if a book has been on the shelf for a long time and I haven’t gotten around to reading it, I throw it in the Donate box. If I haven’t read it in the years since I bought it, it’s probably not something I cared enough about to make a priority in my reading list.
Getting rid of these kinds of items makes a big difference from the beginning. This gives you motivation to keep going as you reach those items that will be more difficult to decide what to do.
DECORATIONS/GIFTS
Raise your hand if you shop after-Christmas sales with the intent of buying more decorations and gift bags for next year? Many of us are guilty of stocking up holiday and special event items when there are sales. If you buy thirty sets of Christmas dish towels now, you’ll have something for a quick gift if you’re invited to a holiday party next year, right? But what happens to most of those things? They end up in oversized storage totes shoved in the attic or garage.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make your home festive for holidays or birthdays, the problem is that we often over-anticipate our needs for decorations and gifts. We end up with boxes full of gift bags or strands of lights that never get used. Take some time to go through these items. If a box of lights hasn’t been opened in several years, it’s time to let go. And if you have thirty gift bags that were purchased several years ago, check with a church or local charity. Many non-profit organizations, especially those working with families in need, are always looking for those kinds of items for their holiday donations.
Decluttering your home can be a daunting challenge. But if you set yourself up for success by planning ahead and creating small, manageable goals, chances are you’ll stay more motivated to keep going. One box at a time. Start today by thinking about one small area or group of items you could let go of right now.
***What is one thing you can do today to start decluttering your home? What items would be a hard decision for you when it comes to letting something go?
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