In the spirit of the Spring Cleaning Challenge, I thought I'd finish up the series talking about something that we all deal with: clutter. Some of us have a little, most of us have a lot, but it's something that can, and should, be tamed to make more space in your home, mind and lifestyle.
Clutter is simply not worth the cost. Don't lie to yourself by thinking that it's not hurting anyone but you. If your purse is too cluttered and you can't find your car keys, you'll be late, disrespecting the time of others. If there's clutter in your pantry, you might buy duplicates of items that you've already purchased, adding to your grocery bill. If your counter is filled with papers, it's difficult to fix meals and you might be tempted to spend money unnecessarily on take out.
Remember: the less clutter you have, the more time, energy and money you'll have. You'll feel less frustrated and you will have more space to enjoy with your family.
If you felt overwhelmed at the schedule I put together for the Spring Cleaning Challenge last month, yet were inspired at the thought of organizing nooks and crannies of your own home, start small. Make a list of things you'd like to do and just get started.
The main principles of decluttering are:
1. Remove everything from the space.
2. Divide the "stuff" into piles to:
...KEEP
...SELL/DONATE
...THROW AWAY
3. Designate zones for like-items in the "things to keep" pile
4. Put everything back in a logical spot.
5. Develop a system to maintain order in that space. (i.e. "When I buy a new pair of shoes, I have to donate an old pair to make room for them," or "I'll open the mail daily near the recycle bin so paper doesn't stack up on the counter.")
A few more tips:
- Establish a routine for keeping up on your decluttering and organizing. Just like you (hopefully) regularly clean your home each week/bi-weekly, make a new habit of organizing your home for a short amount of time each weekend. Set the timer and see how much you can get done in 30 minutes, working quickly, putting everything back where it belongs to start fresh for the upcoming week.
- Vow to follow the "touch it once" rule. Don't wipe your child's nose and leave the tissue on the counter; walk the extra four steps to the trash can to throw it away. When you walk a pile of folded clothes upstairs, don't put them on the dresser; take an extra minute to put underwear, socks and PJs in their correct drawers. Spending an extra minute or two to finish the task will keep clutter from multiplying.
- When you leave a room, bring something with you that doesn't belong. I do this when we unload from the car, too. I ask the kids to toss Jason's car books back into their bin and to grab trash, water bottles, wrappers, etc. to bring back into the house. This keeps my car looking a little less like a mom-mobile.
- Embrace the mantra: "A place for everything and everything in it's place." If something doesn't have a home, create a home for that item. Go through your home periodically and put things away. To keep myself fromgoing crazy tidying up a million times each day, I've resolved to only pick up toys before naps and bedtime. And every night, I make sure that all of the dinner dishes are in the dishwasher and the kitchen table and counters are wiped off. Waking up to a clean kitchen just seems to start my day off right!
- Lastly, understand that your life is unlikely to ever be clutter-free. Remember that there's only one Martha Stewart. And as organized and perfect as she appears to be, I've heard that she's not very nice to be around, so she could stand to lighten up a little!
Does anyone else have any must-have tips on avoiding clutter???
The main principles of decluttering are:
1. Remove everything from the space.
2. Divide the "stuff" into piles to:
...KEEP
...SELL/DONATE
...THROW AWAY
3. Designate zones for like-items in the "things to keep" pile
4. Put everything back in a logical spot.
5. Develop a system to maintain order in that space. (i.e. "When I buy a new pair of shoes, I have to donate an old pair to make room for them," or "I'll open the mail daily near the recycle bin so paper doesn't stack up on the counter.")
A few more tips:
- Establish a routine for keeping up on your decluttering and organizing. Just like you (hopefully) regularly clean your home each week/bi-weekly, make a new habit of organizing your home for a short amount of time each weekend. Set the timer and see how much you can get done in 30 minutes, working quickly, putting everything back where it belongs to start fresh for the upcoming week.
- Vow to follow the "touch it once" rule. Don't wipe your child's nose and leave the tissue on the counter; walk the extra four steps to the trash can to throw it away. When you walk a pile of folded clothes upstairs, don't put them on the dresser; take an extra minute to put underwear, socks and PJs in their correct drawers. Spending an extra minute or two to finish the task will keep clutter from multiplying.
- When you leave a room, bring something with you that doesn't belong. I do this when we unload from the car, too. I ask the kids to toss Jason's car books back into their bin and to grab trash, water bottles, wrappers, etc. to bring back into the house. This keeps my car looking a little less like a mom-mobile.
- Embrace the mantra: "A place for everything and everything in it's place." If something doesn't have a home, create a home for that item. Go through your home periodically and put things away. To keep myself from
- Lastly, understand that your life is unlikely to ever be clutter-free. Remember that there's only one Martha Stewart. And as organized and perfect as she appears to be, I've heard that she's not very nice to be around, so she could stand to lighten up a little!
Does anyone else have any must-have tips on avoiding clutter???
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