21 Wicked Easy DeclutteringTips!
There are so many easy ways to keep yourself decluttered! The trick is you have to make these tips habits! Once the action is made into a habit you hardly know you are using these methods because it becomes a mindless rote thing you just do. How cool is that!
Discard and donate the possessions that you don’t regularly use. The next step is to organize your remaining items. Every object you own needs to have a dedicated place to live when not in use such as clothes in the closet and dishes in the cupboard.
Why do I have to keep decluttering?
Now that you are tidy and organized it should take very little time each day to maintain your space, maybe a few minutes at the end of each day.
You only have to do a big decluttering once if you learn how to maintain your surroundings. Daily maintenance is the secret sauce. Along with making your bed and brushing your teeth daily, you need to practice habits that will keep you clutter free!
Habits
Train yourself to make time to make maintenance a part of your routine. Your life will become much easier and stress-free once you get yourself organized! When you are organized you are far more efficient. Done daily these maintenance tasks become a habit.
My kitchen light does not go off at the end of the day until this space is clean. Some nights I feel so tired I just want to skip it. I think of how this will feel in the morning and I muster the discipline to get the job done quickly.
Same in the bath. This is my habit for as long as I can remember. The payback for this is waking the next day to a new day in a clean, orderly space.
The best way to make habits stick is to pick one habit at a time and work on it The one-touch rule is a great habit to make first! Practice this action every time, every day you use something, with no exceptions. Consistency is key to habit-making.
The one-touch rule is when you only touch an item once. For example, when you need a pair of scissors, use them and put them away immediately so you don’t have to backtrack later to put the scissors away. The one-touch rule is one of the smartest decluttering tips there is.
Let a voice inside your head for example say ‘one touch rule’ when you take scissors or something out to use. Use the item and put it away immediately. This works!
I have a friend who teases me – she wishes I never taught her this rule because now that voice inside her head makes her put stuff away immediately! She is kidding of course.
When one habit becomes so ingrained you hardly notice you are doing it, it is time to introduce another habit to start practicing. Honestly, this works.
Yes, daily repetitive tasks are boring and sometimes I think I will scream if I have to make my bed again. When I think it through though I know how lucky I am to have a clean bed and how neat it will feel at day’s end.
21 wicked easy tips to use today to declutter!
First things first! Label 3 trash bags – trash, sell, and donate
Bring these labeled bags with you to whatever area you are decluttering. At the end of your decluttering session remove these bags from the premises. Otherwise there is too much room to second guess and reclaim your objects.
Keep a waste basket in each room, lined with a bag. Put a couple of extra bags under the bag liner so it is handy for the next time.
Keep a small trash bag in your vehicle and leave the car clean each time you park.
Spend a few minutes at day’s end cleaning the kitchen and bath etc.
Keep up with laundry.
Leave a cleaner and towels in kitchen and bath so you don’t have to hunt.
When you complete a task tidy up.
When you enter your home and remove coats, shoes etc put them away.
Pegboard is great for organizing tools!
Before you make a purchase ask yourself if you really need it and where this item will live when it enters the home.
Use a magnetic strip for organizing metal things like knives.
Use the one-touch-rule always. Train yourself because this rule is such a huge time saver!
Get rid of the over abundance of throw pillows and throws. You know there are too many pillows when you have to move them all before you can sit.
Get rid of clothes that don’t flatter you or fit.
If you are not going to repair the pile of stuff in the repair pile get rid of it!
Use a hanging shoe organizer for small items like socks, accessories, toiletries and crafts.
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Collect your mail and walk directly to your paper recycling bin. Open mail, get rid of junk mail and put the other mail where it belongs- immediately.
When you are replacing items discard old item first.
Look the other way when passing yard sales and thrift shops!
If you have not worn a pair of shoes in a year why are you keeping them? Are they uncomfortable or just not your smartest purchase? Get rid of them! Make someone else happy by donating them!
After you have decluttered your space get organized! There is no shortage of storage solutions. You need to get rid of as much as possible first. Decluttering is always the first step.
Start in the kitchen and find and get rid of all the duplicate items. Toss the icky ones and donate the rest.
Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutter-er and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. “Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.
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