Tips For Decluttering

What is 2020 though?!

Apologies for my radio silence lately but I’ve been struggling to come up with blog topics that are in some way helpful to this “new normal”.

I don’t want to talk about fall trends when parents are struggling with school reopening plans. I don’t want to report on the newest mask styles because frankly I’m even in denial that this is becoming a fashionable thing. But there is one recurring theme throughout- and that’s organization.

Perhaps because we are home more and finally tackling the honey do list? Or because we are striving for some sort of control in these uncertain times. But some clients I worked with lately reminded me of important points that I would like to share as a reminder:

1. Break big projects down into smaller tasks

Clutter is overwhelming. You look around, see chaos and immediately retreat because you don’t know where to begin. Pick a place! Choose a starting point! Even if that means beginning by making a list:

– Write down your final objective, ie “organize my office”.

– Brainstorm everything that has to be done in order to achieve this: clean out drawers, organize papers on the desk, empty trash, go through random catch all bin, etc.

– Then group each task together by similarities such as organizing the papers and the drawers. Those all pertain to the desk. Dedicate to tackling the entire desk area first by doing everything you’ve identified, then move on to another section of the room.

2. Pull everything out

Sometimes you’ve got to make a mess to clean a mess. if you haven’t reorganized in awhile and you don’t know exactly what you have, you’ve got to get in there, lay it all out, edit through, then pile like items together so you know how much of each category of item has to fit where. This determines which organizational system you will use. Back to the office example, you’ve got a drawer full of loose pens. Pull them all out, test them to make sure you are only keeping ones that work. Then you can determine if maybe they can all fit in a decorative cup on top of the desk. Or if you have other small items in the drawer like tacks and paper clips, you should get a drawer organizer with different sections.

3. Have a system

This is a big one!I can’t even tell you how often I misplace my keys when I go to a friend’s house. Why? Because I have a system at home that keeps me on track. A specific place to put my keys as soon as I enter my house, a hook right inside of the doorway. Having a designated spot for everything helps you to not misplace anything, keep track of certain items and see exactly what you have. It gives you actual peace of mind because you know things are where they “should” be.

Like my messy kitchen for example. I can have a sink full of dishes but as long as my counters and floor are clear, I consider the kitchen clean. If that same amount of dishes were on the stove and counter I would have anxiety about my messy kitchen. The difference? When the dirty dishes are in the sink they are where they are supposed to be. So it feels like most of the work of cleaning the kitchen is already done. Eliminating the mental part of the clutter goes a long way in tackling the physical part of it.

4. Everything should have a designated spot

 Keeping things where they belong also helps to reduce clutter. How? Because once you’ve designated a certain home for items, they cannot exceed that unit’s storage space. If it starts to overflow, it’s time to edit and/or you’re not allowed to buy anymore. I worked with a client recently, and man I love telling this story! I was hired by the wife to organize a his and hers master closet. She told that her husband has a rotation of about 4 pairs of shorts that he wears to work everyday. He keeps buying shorts because he thinks he doesn’t have any. The real issue I discovered once I got into the closet and bureau drawers was the lack of organization or a system. He actually had tons of shorts, but because they were being stored in all different places he couldn’t always find them. So I pulled all of the shorts together into slide out baskets and counted them… 40 pairs of shorts! And 90% of them were khaki colored cargos! When the husband came in to check out the organized closet (wearing yet another pair of khaki cargo shorts!) he commented “wow where did those come from?” haha!

Actual footage:

5. Just do it!

Just start. Take action. Begin. (… even if that means calling me to come over and help, hehe)

Clutter is overwhelming and it’s very easy to let it get out of hand and to come up with a hundred excuses to procrastinate on doing it. You have to just pick a starting point and begin. Even if you only put in 30 minutes. You’ve got to start somewhere. And once you experience how empowering it feels to take inventory of your possessions, organize and present them nicely, and how cleansing it feels to edit, it will become easier and more enjoyable!

Has the pandemic made you dive into organizing your home, or dread it??