A cluttered home can cause chaos both within your own mind as well as the unity of the home. If you are at the point in your life where all you see is clutter filling up every space in each room, you need to get serious. Many people do not realize how things can spiral out of control when they drop that first flyer onto the countertop or those books in the corner, or even keys or purses just dropped in a convenient spot. Clutter multiplies! Pretty soon, what once was minor has become a huge task and just looking at it all can leave you immobilized at the thought of what to do to clear it all up. In this article we will discuss organization tips for how to declutter your home and get you back to a more balanced mindset.
Organization Tips-How To Declutter Your Home
by sheriesmith
This article shares organization tips for all those who are feeling overwhelmed with all of the clutter in their homes. Learn easy tips that the whole family can use to clean up.
Take Stock of Your Own Patterns
The hardest part of the process is realizing just why things became so chaotic. For some people it can be laziness, procrastination, tiredness, lack of time or many other things. But 5 minutes here and there to clean up can make a big difference in the long run and keeps things manageable. So, starting with yourself, grab a piece of paper and write down some things to help you focus.
1. You will need to plan to organize each room and be willing to throw out things you no longer use, which are worn out or are just taking up unnecessary room.
2. Be realistic-if you need to tackle your whole home, try not to look at it as a whole project or you may stop yourself from doing anything before you even get started. Allow yourself so many days or weeks to go through each room of the home if necessary, and just concentrate on that one area at a time. Stick to the plan and it will all get done before you know it.
3. Some rooms are probably worse off than others. Make a list of all the rooms in your house and which areas you consider to be the worst. Take notes of whether something may just need a simple organization, or if the purchase of storage boxes, shelving units or other useful furniture needs to be bought to help with your organization. More often than not, you will find you can use the furniture you already have once you have removed what is no longer needed. Look at your furnishings with a creative eye and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.
What has previously served as a dresser for the master bedroom might make the perfect nursery changing table with railing and pad added to the top. Or an unused entertainment center, more recently banished to the garage, might make the perfect hobby and craft center with just a cheerful new paint job.
You also need to think about the reasons behind why you may have so much stuff. Are you a hoarder who is afraid to get rid of anything based on past experiences? By getting to the bottom of why you may have let your home get so cluttered, you can take the steps to ensure that it does not happen again in a few months.
SUCCESS comes with a PROPER PLAN
You may need to take a deep breath before you start this step. Remember, don't start over-thinking the whole job or you will become unproductive. This is all doable! This is good for you and your family!
You will need to come up with a detailed system to do things as effectively and efficiently as possible. This normally means labeling a bunch of boxes and getting ready to fill them. Big green garbage bags are also a must have for those things that need to be thrown out and can't be recycled.
If you are cramped for time or don't feel like you could handle too much at one time, you can start with just setting aside 15 minute increments to work on one area in a specific room. You may find once you get started that you want to keep going but if not. Once the timer goes off, stop what you are doing and walk away until the next day.
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Once you have decided on the room to tackle, start at one corner of the room and work your way around it in a clockwise pattern. Some people find starting in the closet is a good beginning. Others find starting at the doorway and ending in the closet is best. It is up to you but once you decide, work your way around in an organized manner.
When you have filled up your boxes, they need to go out of the room and off to their new home (attic, basement, or your trunk to go to a thrift store).
Don't buy anything new and bring it into the room or you will just be adding to the clutter. Also, if you have a family who is old enough to take care of their own room, they too need to get in on the plan. If they do not want to, tell them that you will more than likely be throwing out stuff they don't want you to (or coming across things they don't want you to see as is the case with many teenagers).
As there is a lot to cover on this subject of how to declutter your home, we will share tips with you next time for how to better organize each room of your house efficiently so it will be easier to stay on top of things as time goes along.
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Comments
Hi belinda342, working in a clock-wise pattern is such a simple concept but it really does make the task easier. Glad you found this idea helpful.
Hi katiem2, getting rid of extra "stuff" is always an ongoing effort. One good rule to use, for everyone in the house, is for everything you bring into the home, one thing must go! Buy a new dress, donate one piece of clothing. New toy for a child? Donate an outgrown toy to a church or charity or to a family you know is struggling. It doesn't always have to be like items, but the one thing in/one thing out is a good way to get your family thinking about decluttering too.
I too like the clock-wise approach. I'm in the midst of decluttering my home. My issue is I have far to much stuff! I'm getting rid of a lot of things, donating them to charity. My goal is becoming as near a minimalist as I can. Great and helpful article, thank you!
I really like the idea of working a room in a clock-wise fashion. It makes it easier to get started again because you'll know exactly where you left off. Good tips!