Get ready! This Saturday, 11 March, is “Clear Your Clutter” Day. It’s your day to get rid of some of the stuff you no longer want or need. Whether you take this day and start with a shelf, focus on a room or continue on your decluttering journey, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you start.
New to decluttering
If you’ve never decluttered before, you may feel overwhelmed. Because of this feeling, you may decide to just postpone it. But as Barbara Hemphill, the Paper Tiger Lady and master of decluttering, once said: “Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” I’m guilty of a pile of papers, neatly stacked up, that I don’t tackle and it’s just a postponed decision. If this describes you, just take a small area in your home, set a timer for 15 minutes, pick up each item and decide:
- Do I still use it?
- Do I still love it?
- Would I buy it again?
If the answer is no, let it go. Whether you give the item to a friend, donate it to a charity, sell it or if it’s no longer in a condition to be passed on, throw it out.
Remember the feeling when you’ll take the bag with the unwanted pieces and dumb it in your rubbish bin. A lot of my clients feel relieved! Like some physical weight that dragged them down had been lifted. They also described how it motivated them to continue!
You’ve decluttered before
So you remember how great you felt after your last decluttering session. You’re excited to make space again. Well, maybe excited is more for organising geeks like me. Trust me, my sister doesn’t get excited either but she loves to have space in her home.
Will your “Clear Your Clutter” session on Saturday be a quick one? 30 minutes maybe? Where you get everyone in your household involved? Or do you prefer to focus on one area just for you? Like your reading area, your crafts room or your office?
Ask yourself the same questions posted above and decide what you’ll do with each item.
As a next step, organise that space. You should have more free areas and can decide whether you want to improve how you hang, fold or roll your clothes, keep your books (e.g. in the traditional horizontal format, stacking them on top of each other, taking them as pieces to decorate) or stock your groceries by group (e.g. baking ingredients, canned soups and dry cereals).
Before you run to the next store and buy plenty of containers in pretty colours, check what you’ve at home. Having decluttered and reduced the amount of stuff you have, it’s very possible that you already have a box where you can keep where you can keep your items.
How great is it that you’ve decluttered, created space, re-organised the area with existing containers and boxes and saved time and money but not buying new ones!
If you really have nothing at home which can be recycled into a container, only then head to places like IKEA, Muji or TK Maxx Home.
Some tips
- Join forces with a friend who’s critical and supportive. For the first “Clear Your Clutter” session, let your friend come to your house and you’ll support him or next when they’re holding their session.
- Put on some music or the radio (not the TV!) to get energised and to feel in the zone. Sing along if you like. Remove other distractions and ask your family for some time to work on this project. If you have any pets, can they be a different room during your “Clear Your Clutter” session? If your family is a distraction, can they go for a walk or play outside for some time? The weather is gorgeous at the moment and maybe they can take the dog out for a walk.
- Start with visible areas, if you have various areas you’d like to declutter. This way, you’re solving one of the eye sores in your home and you’re reminded afterwards what you’ve achieved. Taking a before and after picture with your camera or your phone can also help you recognise your own achievements.
I’m going to tackle my bathroom on Saturday. There are a couple of nail polishes that I no longer use (or like) and I’ve meant to put those away for some time. This will be during my own “Clear Your Clutter” session on Saturday!
I’d love to see what changes you’ve made on Saturday and am asking you to please forward a before and after picture. Be recognised for your achievements right here on Organised Life and Mind!
Waiting for your pictures!
Until next time,
Agni