28
Jan

5 Easy Tips to Declutter

Would you like 5 Easy Tips to Declutter any part of your home or office?

It sounds really easy, doesn’t it?

For some people it is a simple process. You see something and simply make a decision about whether or not you will keep an item. It fits into one of 3 categories:  Keep, Toss (or eliminate) and Donate.

KEEPING ITEMS

The key to keeping something is that it also needs to have a home. If you decide that you want to keep an entire stack of books but don’t have a place to keep them, you may need to rethink your decision to keep them or make that donation to your favorite charity.

 

 

 

TOSSING ITEMS

Toss those items that absolutely have no value to anyone else. To make this decision you have to be realistic about whether someone else can really use the item – because you don’t want to give it to someone else and cause them to have more clutter. If they can be recycled, then by all means please recycle them but don’t let that hold up your decision about tossing them. You may even be surprised at the amount of stuff that is being kept that is just trash!

 

 

DONATE ITEMS

When it comes to donating items please remember that the thrift stores only want items that they can actually resell. Please don’t waste their time giving them broken things (because they can be fixed).

 

 

GIVE ITEMS AWAY

If you have something that you would like to be kept in the family feel free to give whatever it is to your children now! Don’t wait until you aren’t here any more to make that decision. Now, I know that there are a Lot of adult children who do Not want their parents things! This is why everyone is downsizing! However, ask your kids if they want it and then give it to them. The key is that then the children get to do whatever they want with the item – and you don’t get to ask them about it!

 

Now that I have said my peace, here are my 5 Easy Tips to Declutter any space!

  1. Have the right mindset. Be realistic about the amount of things that you need to make a decision about in order to declutter your life. Decluttering is not about shifting items around and reorganizing them. Be brutal with yourself and make a decision.
  2. Have a charity in mind that you want to take your donations to. I find that it is really helpful to find a charity that helps other people in the community. Find one that helps the homeless population, veterans or people who are living in hotels. Locally, our charity of choice is Provisions Thrift Store. They offer great deals on their items and even give items away to those in need who do not have any money.
  3. Find someone to help you get rid of items! Doing it alone can take a whole lot longer than having a friend, family member or a Professional helping you. Get someone else to do the “leg” work for you! It is well worth the money!
  4. Write down your declutter goals. Start in one room and then move into another and another. It will take time!  The clutter didn’t evolve overnight and it won’t go away overnight. Be realistic about your goals and stay focused.
  5. Stop shopping and bringing in more clutter. Take a look at all of the receipts in your purse or pants pocket and add them up – or just take a look at your bank account!  All of the items that you purchase that you really Don’t need add up to an enormous amount of money. Walmart can easily take $100 out of your wallet for a bunch of nothingness.

Please don’t take anything that I said personally. While I don’t consider myself a true minimalist, I am definitely not the person who shops (just because) or feels that more is always better (just because).

Living with less allows you to enjoy life so much more! You have less to clean up after, less to control and less to