Clutter Problems? 5 Helpful Ways to Properly Declutter
Today’s subject is the problem of clutter. Clutter in our homes, in our offices, in our lives. This is what I’ve decided to call “stuff that just isn’t working” for us anymore.
I was having a conversation today with my neighbor Chris when he told me how he got rid of his old dining room table and replaced it with an adjustable one so he can use it both as a dining room table and also work on little projects in the living room if needed. “It’s kind of like your office cubby,” I said to him, explaining how years ago when I had my apartment I used to turn one of my spare bedrooms into an office/craft room combo ended up being too much space for me.
Part of the issue was that I would constantly be moving stuff in and out of there, leading to everything getting very cluttered, very quickly. It also made me feel like I was living in a craft room instead of an apartment. That’s when I decided to make it one or the other – either my office or my craft room, never both at once.
“Yeah, I’m kind of trying not to do that anymore,” he said back to me with a chuckle. “I know what you mean…stuff is taking over.”
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Decluttering can be difficult
Decluttering can be hard. It’s so easy to just NOT deal with stuff. It’s more fun to move it around than actually put it away where it needs to go. Putting away old stuff can feel like choosing to get rid of memories, which is very difficult for some people.
That doesn’t mean that clutter is not taking over your life! You may not even realize that you’re overly stressed because of the sheer amount of stuff cluttering up your life, but I promise you…you are feeling the effects of having too much STUFF!
How To Properly Declutter
Take 3 boxes, label them: Keep, Throw Away, and Store.
You’re going to be gathering up all of your excess stuff into these three piles – items that you don’t need or use anymore that can either be thrown away or donated to charity. The “Store” box is for things you want to keep but don’t have anywhere else to put at the moment…stuff like seasonal decorations, out-of-season clothes, etc.
Find a place on the floor where you can spread everything out so it’s not in your face while you go through each pile one by one.
If an item belongs in more than one pile then give it to the appropriate pile before moving on to the next step
Go through each pile and ask yourself, “Do I love it?”
Make sure you are being honest with yourself! If “yes” then your item goes into the keep pile. If “no” then it belongs in the throwaway or donate box – but only if you’re SURE that you won’t ever need that item again! Remember that if you don’t use it then you don’t NEED it!
Once everything is done, give your home a once-over
To make sure none of these items have somehow migrated back into places where they will clutter up your life even more. This includes closets, drawers, cabinets, etc.
Remember to be realistic about how much space you actually need for this stuff…if you need help ask your friends, family, or even professionals like yard salespeople.
Label the boxes again
(these labels are not to be written on) and put them in a safe place for when you really do need that item again in the future! I’ve found it helps to label my storage boxes with three years – for example 2013-2015…that way I know exactly when they’ll become useful again if needed!
How has clutter affected your life? Do you have any tips or tricks about how to deal with too much stuff? I would love to hear from you all! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below 🙂
