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When you’re living in a cluttered, untidy home, your mind will often be cluttered and messy too. Even if you don’t realize it, living in this way can have a detrimental effect on your life and cause you to be much less productive than you would be if your home were tidy (especially if you happen to work at home as well). Tidying up and – more importantly – decluttering will be crucial for better productivity and peace of mind in general.
Looking around, this might seem like an impossibility, but once you start with one of the following helpful and smart decluttering examples, you’ll wish you did it ages ago. Read on to find out more.
Sometimes your home is so cluttered that it is hard to know where to start. Here are 3 helpful decluttering tips to get you started!Click To TweetFive Minutes
One of the reasons you might be putting off the task of decluttering, even if you know it’s the best thing for you and your family, is that it will feel like there’s a lot to do.
Larger jobs like this can be overwhelming, and getting started is always much more challenging than doing the job itself.
Because of this, it’s a good idea to work in five-minute bursts. This doesn’t seem like very much time, but that’s the point; you can get a lot done in five minutes because it’s such a short deadline and, for the same reason, you won’t get overwhelmed.
Five minutes is enough to clear out a drawer or two, or go through a pile of magazines or tidy up your desk. One small task a few times a day when you’re taking a break from your work, for example, can be enough to make all the difference.
Four Boxes
Another reason that decluttering can be hard is that people grow attached to things, even if they have no real value. The idea of getting rid of them entirely is a difficult one to deal with. This is why the four boxes idea is a good one.
Have four boxes in each room, and use them to declutter. Those boxes should be labeled ‘Keep,’ ‘Throw,’ ‘Sell’ and ‘Store,’ meaning there is a box of items you’ll keep, a box of items you’ll throw out, a box of things you can sell (or give away if you prefer), and a box of items you’ll take to Dallas self storage.
Why this latter box? It’s because, even if you don’t have space in your home for some things, throwing them out isn’t always necessary if it’s going to be too difficult and slow down your decluttering. Using a storage unit is a great halfway point.
The Hanger Experiment
Clothing can be a tough thing to declutter because it is hidden away most of the time in drawers and closets. Yet that doesn’t mean you can keep everything if it would be more productive to throw some of it out or donate some to charity.
The problem is, it’s difficult to begin, just like with any decluttering exercise.
Therefore, you can take a little more time with your clothing. Start by turning your hangers the opposite way around in your closet. Over a month or so, every time you wear an item of clothing, turn the hanger back around. By the time you’re ready to declutter, you’ll immediately be able to see what you do and what you don’t wear.
What is your best decluttering tip?
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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I definitely needed to read this post! I try really hard not to have a cluttered home but honestly..I’m a hoarder! And its very hard with all the kiddos! I appreciate the tips!
True – kids are little hoarders too. My son hates when I start purging his stuff but I need to declutter sometimes