Liv said “I was so embarrassed when my 5 year old next door neighbor invited herself in my house to find my kids. Lol. She was like “You have a lot of stuff”. That was the nice way of putting it. It is chaos right now. Its time to do something about it😭 where do i start?!”
It certainly sounds like Liv has found her motivation to get her house decluttered. So what should she do? How should she start decluttering?
Step 1) Start decluttering by choosing one small area to tackle
Start by getting on top of a couple of the basic zones. You will want to think about the areas in your home which are used the most. Begin in one of those. Which one would make the most impact for you right now?
Perhaps it’s the kitchen. Having clean countertops and an easy to navigate pantry might be just what you need to get a lovely nutritious meal on the table for the family.
Perhaps it’s the family room. A spot to sit together and play games or watch television without being surrounded by stuff that belongs in other rooms.
Perhaps it’s your bedroom. Developing a serene, comfortable spot to lay your head at night so you are able to switch off from all of the day’s challenges could be just what you need.
Choose the one area which would give you the most satisfaction if it were clutter free. Start there.
Then there are some basic steps to take to make the process as smooth as possible.
Step 2) Grab three boxes/baskets/containers
Use the baskets or boxes to separate the decluttered items into:
a) Put away
b) Throw away
c) Give away
Step 3) Set the timer for 15 minutes
Use all of your energy in that one small area for the whole 15 minutes. Don’t be tempted to do anything with the decluttered items other than separate them into the correct baskets. This will help to prevent you being distracted by other things around the home.
It’s no good getting halfway through decluttering the kitchen counter, getting distracted by the laundry and spending the next 20 minutes putting clothes away. This will get you nowhere fast. Now is the time to FOCUS!
Step 4) Deal with the baskets
Once your timer goes off, take each basket and deal with it, not before.
Take the throw away basket and tip it straight into the bin. The give away items go into a bag in the car to drop off at the charity store next time you drive past. The put away basket might take a little longer to deal with. Put every item back into the place it belongs. Don’t stop until it is done.
Step 5) Celebrate your success!
Lastly, you must take a few moments to congratulate yourself on a job well done. Celebrating a success will help to develop that motivation to keep going until it is all done.
Enlist the help of a friend
If you are struggling, it may help to find a sympathetic friend to help you keep on track. Choose this person carefully. You obviously need someone you can trust since you will be sharing your struggle with them. They also need to be able to avoid distractions and help to keep you focused on the task at hand.
You can find support in the Clutter Free Life Membership Community. Find out more here.
