Getting through the clutter can seem like a never-ending process. It is possible to declutter your home in a very simple way. You’ll be able to get through the clutter in your home by following these 7 simple steps.
Sometimes it seems that the clutter in our home creeps up on us without any notice. When the clutter starts taking over more and more space, that is when we finally notice it.
If you’re ready to declutter your home and don’t know where to start then this post is for you. In this post, you’ll learn how to declutter your home by following these 7 steps. I’ve created a free decluttering checklist to help you declutter your home. Click the button below to download that now.
Here are a few other posts you might find helpful:
- Organizing Paperwork Tips To Conquer Paper Clutter
- Frugal Organizing Ideas To Help You Organize Your Home
- How to Use a Weekly Planner Printable
Declutter your home
When you go to declutter your home there are a couple of problems people tend to face.
- Knowing where to start
- Not enough time
Seeing clutter as a whole can be quite overwhelming and almost paralyzing. That’s why knowing where to start can be the #1 problem people face. Instead of tackling all of the clutter at once, think about breaking it up into small sections. This will help eliminate the overwhelming feeling and burnout.
When your schedule is jammed packed and you don’t have time to declutter your home, think about only spending 20-minutes a day decluttering. By following the decluttering steps (which we’ll get to in a moment) you can achieve some amazing results in a small amount of time, giving you the clutter free home you have been looking for.
Following the steps to declutter your home
Make small sections
If you want to be successful, then this is probably the most important step. What you need to do is rethink small sections. What does this mean? It means that instead of decluttering the closet or a cupboard, you’ll want to declutter a drawer, a basket, or a shelf. Think smaller sections.
Think of an area that you can tackle in 20 minutes or less.
How often do you find yourself trying to talk yourself into decluttering an area like your closet or your bathroom? You get stuck on the idea that it’s going to take the entire day to get through. These are the thoughts that make decluttering your home seem overwhelming.
By breaking your decluttering into sections, you’re going to accomplish more without feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated. And, best of all, it’s only going to take you 20 minutes to get through!
Sort your section into 4 sections
Now that you have your small section picked out, it’s time to declutter it. But how the heck are you going to do that?
You’re going to sort this pile into 4 piles:
- Recycle
- Garbage
- Keep
- Donate
So, you’ll sit down and quickly sort out everything. Simple as that!
The reason for the 4 sections is, we often find that extra stuff gets thrown where it doesn’t belong. How often have you quickly cleaned up because you were short on time?
You know what I’m talking about, the surprise company, or the mad rush before a party. There are always those “extra” items laying around that you just don’t know what to do with. When you don’t know what to do with them, you stash them in a cupboard, drawer, or basket. Out of sight, out of mind.
Until it turns into a mess.
Create a room plan
Creating a plan will set you up for the most success. If you find yourself easily overwhelmed or easily distracted, listen up. This section is for you!
People in general need boundaries. Some people have a hard time with self-discipline. Since you don’t have someone guiding you to do the next thing, you need to do this for yourself.
Going around the room and numbering your sections will have a huge impact on your successfully decluttering your home . By giving yourself a plan you can move around the room without that ‘I don’t know what to do next’ feeling.
One room at a time!
If you are someone that has that shiny object syndrome then this section is for you! If you want to complete the decluttering process you really need to commit to one room at a time.
Sure, you could do one drawer in one room. And one basket in a different room. The problem that you’re going to find is you’re not going to see results. If you don’t see results, you’re going to give up.
Would you stay on a diet that you didn’t see results on? Probably not. We need to see good things happen in order for ourselves to continue on, right.
So please, commit to one room at a time. There’s time, you can move to the next room later.
20 minutes max
Since the decluttering process is such a monotonous job, you need to think of it as being a marathon, not a sprint.
You cannot sprint for an entire marathon.
Everyone can find 20 minutes in their day. 20 minutes is easier to find than finding a weekend, week, or month.
Once your 20 minutes are done, walk away, and enjoy the rest of your day. You’ve completed your decluttering session for the day!
Complete your section
This is so important for success. Have you found yourself, in the past, starting the decluttering process and then giving up part way through? You end up leaving a bigger or, more visible mess than you started with.
By setting up the decluttering process this way, you can commit to completing your section because you’re going through a small area, only spending 20 minutes on it, and you’re separating your piles into 4 specific parts.
You can quickly take care of those 4 piles without feeling so overwhelmed, or feeling like you have another chore to do on top of sorting.
By completing your section, you’ll have a beautifully organized shelf, cupboard, drawer, or basket.
Make it a daily thing
Do it! Yes, every single day. Make decluttering daily a habit. Just think of it this way. By the end of the week, you’ll have completed 7 sections. At the end of the month, you will have completed 30 sections. That’s a ton of garbage, recycle, and donation bags out of your home.
A simple way to commit to decluttering your home daily for 20 minutes a day is to add a recurring appointment on your calendar. Once it pops up to remind you, stop what you’re doing and sit down for the next 20 minutes and start decluttering.
Getting through the clutter
So, I encourage you to follow these 7 steps so you can easily declutter your home without feeling like you’re burning yourself out, or that you’re just completely overwhelmed.
If you need a little nudge or you need a guide, then you’re in luck because I’ve created the Declutter in 20 Cheat Sheet that you can download and have with you when you’re decluttering your home. All you need to do is click the button below to download your cheat sheet now!
I hope that these declutter your home steps and decluttering checklist I shared with you today will help you get through the clutter. Let me know in the comments below the first place you are going to start decluttering?
Have an amazing day.
Jenn
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