Your home is a hot mess. It is both uncomfortable due to clutter, poorly organized and hard to clean because of the mess. Which means it’s a tad dusty, maybe even dirty. You can barely enjoy your home is in serious need of organizing, as well as cleaning.
I am not endorsing any particular minimalistic lifestyle, especially since I love books and clothes. But what I will encourage you is to find a place for everything and of course this may include getting rid of stuff.
I got a couple of ideas for you to try out that can be accomplished a little each week rather than keep you busy every minute of your day. When I refer to decluttering, I am talking about putting some order into your space by getting rid of things you may be holding on to that you will probably never use or need. Here are the ideas to bring to start:
- Devote one day a week or a weekend- to devote time to tackling your home and restoring order.
- To-Do list – Creating a list of things to do will allow you to see your progress and help you with a concrete game plan
- Get inspired – check out the different decluttering systems to help you find your style
- Buy garbage bags and storage containers – Get some big bags to making throwing things away more manageable and doable. Also, purchase containers to help you in the organizing process
- Your decluttering process – You need to follow a few rules: toss, give away, or store in a proper place
- Begin and end with photos – document your progress; this will remind you how your place looked and how much it improved.
- Get rid of duplicates– You do not need two of the same items, especially if you live alone or if it’s an item you use once in a while. Also, getting rid of duplicates will free up space
- Throw out broken stuff – Unless you are super handy and have excellent gluing skills, there is no need to keep broken stuff. Get rid of your broken stuff because of its occupying precious real estate.
- Get rid of your ex’s stuff- You are not a storage unit. You broke up and are holding on to property; why?
- Get rid of old electronics – unless they are in mint condition and are worth money, old stuff that simply occupies space.
- Craft projects – stop putting your craft stuff everywhere. Find a permanent spot in your place and organized a craft section.
- Books – If you have books from the time you were in elementary school, it’s time to get rid of them. You can donate them to the library or a thrift shop. Also, look into getting a kindle or a reader and replace some books with eBooks.
- Donate kitchen stuff you do not use- If you have a lot of pots, pans, dishes, etc. but find yourself using the same three pots, glasses, or containers, get rid of the rest. Unless you own a catering company, you do not need ton pots. Spend one day just sorting only dishes, pots, cups, and utensils.
- Clearing your bathroom –bathrooms can look like a warehouse of toilettes, old medicine bottles, and half-filled bottles of products. Your bathroom should be clear of clutter and clean. Think Spa.
- Living Room space – your living room should be inviting and a place to sit back and chill after a day of working or studying. Your sofa should not contain so many items you can barely sit, and your coffee table should not double as an open storage unit. Get rid of everything in the living room that does not belong in it, like laundry, boxes of extra stuff.
- Bedroom – It should be a place for peaceful sleep and making love and not the den of lost items and old junk. Take a weekend and clear your bedroom of all unnecessary items.
- Closets and storage areas – this may require several attempts, but you can begin by making a few piles, one for donating, tossing, giving away, and keeping. The rule for selecting items is how often you wear it, love it and how it fits.
- Old Photos– I love photos, but let’s be honest, not all of us took great pictures. You can digitize your photos and create a digital scrapbook, or you can take your favorite ones and do some artwork. However, the key is to get rid of the hundreds of photos lying in a box that never see the light of day.
- Old and ill-fitting clothes – We keep old clothes by telling ourselves we will lose weight, and instead, we keep gaining, and our clothes keep taunting us with the vivid memory of how skinny we were. We need to embrace our bodies and let go of what is old and no longer serves us. Get rid of your daisy duke shorts, polyester jumpsuit, and move into the current decade.
- Our kids’ toys and old clothes – it is adorable to hold on to mementos; however, keeping tons of stuff only occupies your limited real estate. Select the best items and create something nice. You do not need dozens of boxes of old childhood stuff to maintain memories.
Keep your decluttering process realistic and manageable. It should not be stressful or uncomfortable; take your time, but be consistent.
Copyright © 2020 R. Castro
Resources
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