Reduce Clutter – Get Organized
Filed under: Archives, At Home, At Work, Home Improvement, Organizing, Parenting, decluttering
Reducing clutter will aid in getting yourself organized. But how we reduce that clutter is the first challenge.
If your home or office has a lot of clutter, to avoid becoming overwhelmed, start small. Whether it’s a drawer or closet, getting started is half the battle. You’ll find that the act of decluttering becomes contagious. Now only for ourself, but often for other family members, as well.
If children are involved, make it a game. Set up boxes or totes and let them determine that which can be donated, or maybe later sold in a garage sale. If children are taught charity (the gift of sharing and giving to the less fortunate), they will soon learn how to easily give up toys they are not playing with.
As you declutter, you may encounter some items to which you have an emotional attachment. If you’re not willing to let go of these items, think about packing them up and putting them in storage.
On thing I learned from reruns of the “Home Made Simple” show on TLC (The Learning Channel , is to have either a “path” or a “home” for everything you own.
A home for your clothes would be a closet or drawer
A home for dishes, pots or pan may be in a cabinet, drawer or hanging off of a pot rack.
A home for books would be a bookcase or shelf
A home for a family heirloom may be a curio cabinet
A path for excess toys, clothes not being worn, or decorator items not being used may be…”to our favorite charity”
A path for broken or worn out items would be ….to the garbage
A path for seasonal clothes or sports equipment would to …..to storage
A path for important papers would be……to be filed.
I now use this technique when I go shopping. If I see something, and I think of buying it, I ask myself, “Do I have a home for it?” Often the answer is no. By using this technique, I’m not only saving money, but reducing excess clutter.
Some say, if you bring one new item into your home, you should remove two like items. Although this appears to be a great system to declutter a home, I haven’t tried it yet.
Photo Credit: ifindkarma’s photostream
Tags: decluttering, decorator items, emotional attachment, excess clutter, family heirloom, garage sale, half the battle, photo credit, pot rack, rerunSimplify Your Life – Find Your Creativity
Filed under: Archives, At Home, At Work, Cleaning Tips, Organizing, Projects
The easiest way to simplify your life, is to get rid of clutter.
Clutter can be everywhere. In your closets, on your counter top, in your office, in the children’s rooms, in your garage, in you car…the list goes on.
Too much clutter can overwhelm you. It can make you tense and irritable. It can be embarrassing. And, clutter can also stifle your creativity.
I once heard a story of a women who wanted to simplify her life. She first got rid of her husband, then proceeded to get rid of most of the furniture in her home (he picked it out…she hated it), and then moved onto her closets and cabinets. Even though her home was nearly empty of “stuff” , she was happier than she had been in many years. She felt lighter, and her creativity, which had been dormant for many years, began to resurface.
Now, I’m not suggesting that simplifying your life, means getting rid of a spouse, but, getting rid of clutter can result in a feeling of “a ton of bricks being lifted”
But…where do you start?
It doesn’t matter what room you start in, just start.
If you are feeling too overwhelmed, start with a small area. …maybe a drawer, cabinet, or bathroom.
Remove all items from your selected area. Find another area where you can sort through these items. This can become a time consuming process, so allow sufficient time.
Take items you haven’t used, or don’t like, and get rid of them.
Create three boxes or bags. Label them as:
Trash
Donate
Keep
One thing that I do, since we have an annual neighborhood garage sale, is to create a fourth box, for “garage sale” stuff. I keep this box in the garage, and throughout the year, add stuff to it, when I am doing “mini” decluttering projects. Read my previous article How To Have A Successful Garage Sale, for great garage sale tips.
If you change your decorating scheme, and have a mixture of different motifs, throughout your home, this is a great time to pack away (if you still like them), items that aren’t matching your current decor.
For example, I love the Victorian era, but am currently not using that theme in any of my rooms, so I have packed away all of my Victorian decorations. I know I will revive that theme at a later date, so instead of getting rid of my fine Victorian pieces, I have them stored away.
Hint: When deciding whether to keep or get rid of makeup and/or lotions, remember, they do have a shelf life. Lotions can start smelling rancid, and mascara, only has a shelf life of 3 to 4 months. For a complete list of shelf life for beauty products, see this article at Real Simple.
Once you have removed all items from the area your are decluttering, proceed with cleaning that area. Scrub the counter tops, wipe out the cabinets, sweep the floor. Do whatever it takes to get that area clean.
After your area is clean, start putting things back, one by one. As an added bonus, when you begin to put things back, you may end up tossing or donating, even more.
Proceed to throw the trash in the garbage can. As soon as possible, take the “donate” box/bag to your favorite charity drop off. Get it out of your house.
Decluttering can be contagious. Just about the time you finish one area, you will be motivated to declutter even more.
Before you know it, your whole house will be decluttered.
As an added benefit, you will feel “lighter”.
Don’t be surprised if your creativity kicks in, too. 
A Simple Tip for Decluttering
Have you ever noticed how clutter builds up? I sure do. And, the sad part of it is, that most of the clutter is mine. When you live with someone else, it’s easy to try and blame it on the other person(s), but when I really looked at what was cluttering my office and home, it was mostly my stuff (or as I like to call it, my treasures).
Now what I try and do, and I don’t follow through all of the time, but if I am leaving a room, and have an empty hand, or two, I grab whatever is in that room and take it to it’s appropriate spot. i.e. a cup that needs to go in the dishwasher, a receipt that needs to go to the office, tools that need to go back into the toolbox, etc. Just using this simple procedure, I find that I am dealing with a lot less clutter. Some people are so good about putting things back where they found them, but when interruptions happen and that’s not always possible.
The next time you leave a room, and have an empty hand, take a look around and see if there’s something there that needs to be taken somewhere else. Try this for yourself and see if it helps you stay a little more organized too.
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