Life gets pretty cluttered huh? I didn’t realize HOW MUCH STUFF I had until I moved into my husband’s place after getting married. All that stuff that I crammed into one room at my parent’s house was now to be spread out everywhere. It was too much. So I purged. I got rid of clothes I was never going to wear again, decor that I would not use anymore now that it’s not just a girly room, and other things.
So we began our new life… and accumulated MORE stuff. I didn’t realized until… yep, that’s right, we moved again into our first home. As we were packing up, I realized how much stuff we had and a lot of it was unnecessary. So instead of bringing all that clutter into my new home, I got rid of a lot of it before it even had a chance to make the move with us. I know, easier said than done, but it can be done. It is time for spring cleaning, after all! ;)
Here are some of my favorite tips when de-cluttering my home:
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Give myself a certain amount of time to get it done.
When I tell myself I have all day to declutter a room, I will spend ALL day in there, sometimes making an even bigger mess than there once was. I bring everything out, go through old memories, take a break, get a snack, come back, realize I have to use the bathroom cause I drank so much water during the break, get back into the room, turn on the TV cause it is too quiet, and then next thing I know, I have taken up the whole day to do it and never actually finished. Oh, and I get discouraged along the way because there doesn’t seem to be any progress.
I don’t do that anymore. I block off 2 hours TOPS for a room and get in there and tackle it. I will set a timer, too. If you are a bit competitive, it works great! ;)
2. Make sure I have what I need
You don’t know how many times I have been in a room organizing when I realize that I need a trash bag. I go downstairs to the laundry room and along the way I find something else that needs to get done. So I either get distracted with a load of laundry, or a trip to check the mailbox. That doesn’t happen to me anymore. Now I take a trash bag, a wet rag, and anything else I think I may need for a particular room to make sure I do not have to leave.
3. Decide what stays and what Goes
Too many times, I cannot give something up. I just can’t bring myself to do it. My husband and I can both tend to be hoarders and hold on to anything for any little reason. So now, I need to be intentional about getting rid of things. I ask myself 3 questions when I am getting rid of things:
- Will I ever wear this again? Or has it been used too much where it is worn beyond repair?
- Do I have duplicates of this item and not actually need this many?
- Is this item significant to me in any way or have a special meaning?
After you decide what stays and what goes, decide if it is going to trash or charity. Make sure to separate those things along the way so you do not have to separate all the stuff later.
I try to keep only what is necessary in my home as well as a few things that are actually beautiful and I enjoy looking at. If it does not bring me joy, I do not hesitate to get rid of it. I like my house to look furnished, but simple, clean and organized. I don’t like to see a lot of “stuff” lying around that is unnecessary. :)
Great tips, thanks.