How to End Clutter and Make Home Organization Easier
I’ve spoken to quite a few people over the years who say they have very nice clothes they love but the don’t wear them anymore. But my question is this: If you value something so much…then don’t you think you should be wearing it?
The reality is we are a society who likes to accumulate and, dating back to the Great Depression, we tend to keep everything we believe has monetary value when, in reality, it really doesn’t.
For example, a pretty dress or a nice suit you bought ten years ago went for what can be considered a lot of money. And the problem is you haven’t touched it in nine years because, as most clothes do, it went out of style. Could it come back in style someday? Maybe. Styles do often return. But this is not a reason to hold onto things you don’t use…”just in case.”
You feel like, because you spent “good” money on it, you are throwing money away. But ask yourself this… is it putting money in your pocket sitting there in the back of your closet with dust on the shoulders? Is it giving you anything? Do you benefit at all from keeping outdated outfits? Now ask yourself one more question… will you gain anything by getting rid of it and donating it to charity? Of course you will!
The benefits?
More space to be able to keep the clothes you are going to wear (we only wear 50% of the clothes we own, by the way.) I might even suggest buying a new outfit for every three to five you get rid of.
The purpose?
Because new clothes make people feel good. I don’t recommend buying new clothes for the sake of buying new clothes and throwing away your money. But you’ve got to admit putting on a new pair of pants that make us look better is a nice, uplifting feeling. The thing is the items taking up space, yes, you paid for them. But by keeping something you no longer wear or use you are not getting anything in return but more clutter and a lack of storage space you could be using for something else.
Here is something you should do right now with items (they don’t have to be clothes) you are holding onto because you paid good money for them.
1. Go find ten items you own for one reason and one reason only… because you paid for it.
2. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns.
3. Write the items you are having trouble getting rid of in the left column. In the middle column, write “why I am keeping this item” and in the third column write “what will I gain by getting rid of this item.”
My guess is you will have a lot more in the right column than you will in the middle. Be specific with both. If you can honestly fill up the middle column with more reasons of why you should keep it, and they are good, legitimate reasons, then maybe you shouldn’t get rid of it. But I’m willing to bet that won’t be the case.
Five Steps to Get Rid Clutter and Organize Your Home
A pact, according to Dictionary.com is “a formal agreement…such as one between nations”.
Well, I want you to have A-Pact with your clutter. Although this turns into more of a battle (that you win)…it’s a great way to remember the steps to organization.
Here’s what it means and how it works …
A–>ASK
Ask yourself what you want out of the room or area you’re going to organize. What are the goals of the room? What are you shooting for by getting organized. And the thing is, you want to dig a little deep into how you want to benefit. This will help you get motivated and work towards the final goal.
For instance, if you’re going to start the process of organizing paperwork in your home office, the question is “why do I want to organize this space?” The answer could be “I don’t ever want to have a late bill again” or “I want to find any document in less than two minutes.”
Once you’ve answered the question, then move onto step 2…
P—>PILE
What you do in this step is pile “like” items together. In your closet, you make a pile of all your shirts. Another pile of all your pants. Or let’s say we’re in your home office (or wherever you do keep paperwork.) Start with your file drawer, or grab a pile if that’s what you’ve got for a “filing system”. Put each piece of paper in “like” files. For example, all the insurance paperwork will go together. All of your 401K paperwork goes in another. All medical expenses from the present year in another.
A—>ANALYZE
Next you go through the piles and break them down even more, this time into two piles of “treasure” or “trash”. I like to assign each category with treasure or trash so there’s no in between. No room for “I’m going to decide on this later.” Now, decide right there and then if it’s either staying or going. No in between. Now the thing is, the trash doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to the garbage.
That step comes next… and remember the saying, one man’s trash (or junk) is another man’s treasure.
So next…
C—>CASH-IN
This is where you go through the “trash” and break it down once more, deciding what can be donated, what can be sold, and what’s going to the dumpster. Next step is where you get organized…
T—>TIDY UP!
This is where, once you’ve gotten all the “trash” out of the area, you organize the items you’ve decided to keep. Tidy up, put it back in an ordered, organized fashion. When you’re organizing, always keep like items together whether on a shelf, in drawers or in any other type of storage you’re using. Have items you use more frequently be more accessible and within reach, too.
So there you go…
Have A-PACT with your clutter today, and get organized!
Decluttering before packing is an important aspect of preparing to move because it allows you to decide what you’ll need for the new house, what you’ll have room for, and what you won’t.
The most important thing to remember when de-cluttering is that you’ll be making room and getting rid of emotional baggage, whilst lowering your moving bills. An average four person house requires at least a seven tonne van to move, whilst a house that doesn’t de-clutter might need twice that!
Decluttering can be considered essential or heartless – but either way, moving house is one of the best times to do a proper declutter – in fact sometimes, its the only ‘spring clean’ that some people do. And while its always good to hang onto things of sentimental value, do you really need a newspaper from 1985 with an article about something that you needed to follow up within a week of the printing?
Get rid of any papers that you don’t need (though keep all important documentation) – consider donating any magazines, books, old toys or clothes in good condition to a local charity – or sell them on Ebay or similar, to make some cash.
These donations and sales make mental and space sense – you’re not wasting perfectly good items you will probably never use again, and you could sell the really good condition items in a variety of places. You could hold a yard sale, or garage or even a car boot sale – or if you have enough time, auction them online, either via a recognized site, or through your own website, if you have the know how – getting rid of the things you don’t need is both very freeing and releasing, and can actually generate you some extra money for the move. You could even sell off surplus office, or craft supplies, if you have them spare, making your home office move leaner, and easier.
Your real estate agent has come to your house to assess what needs to be done to sell it the quickest. The word, “declutter,” continues to come up. You assure your agent that you are a very neat person and that everything will be clean when the potential buyers come to view it. Many sellers encounter the same situation each day. What agents wish their clients would understand is that decluttering is more than just keeping the baseboards dust-free and the countertops wiped down. Try some of the following tips and wow your real estate agent, and especially, your buyers.
With pen, paper and clipboard in hand, tour the outside of your home, then the inside. As much as possible, pretend that you don’t own the house and even that you’ve never seen the place. You will quickly see what your real estate agent meant by decluttering when you use this new perspective. Write down anything which is the least bit offensive to the eye, including unruly hoses, toys in the front yard, a busy mantle above the fireplace and newspapers stacked up in the laundry room. The list will seem longer the more times you go through the process. However, the more you notice, the more prepared your home will be for eagle-eyed buyers.
The biggest stumbling block for sellers preparing their home for the market is their lingering attachment to their house. From repainting a room neutral, to taking family photos off the wall, sellers must accept that their time in that particular house is coming to an end. To counteract this mental block, take your most personal items out of rooms first. Get plenty of clear plastic tubs, or boxes to store your items. Treat the decluttering process as if you are preparing a model home for viewing. In order to sell your home, you have to give the buyers room to imagine their personal belongings. Little forward-thinking daydreams about decorating your new abode should also counteract those strong attachments.
A good round of decluttering will often leave you with a pile of boxes and bins to contend with. Although stacking them up in a closet seems like a nice, out-of-the-way option, this may not be the best choice. Consider that closet space is often one of the key selling points for a home. Closets should look as impeccable as possible. This will aid greatly in creating a spacious feeling. If the closets are crowded and messy, the buyer may think that your home is just not big enough, even if it has the square footage they want.
Your garage is the most acceptable place for storage in the mind of the buyers. Of course, not everyone has this luxury. If you can convince a family member, friend, or even a neighbor to let you store those boxes and crates, then take advantage of the opportunity. However, if you really need or want your storage items in the house, then try to stack them up in the least conspicuous place you can find. A playroom or basement can usually stand to have a few of these bins stashed in the corner. Better yet, think about renting a temporary storage facility to house these things.
Despite all your efforts, be prepared to hear your Tampa Bay Florida real estate agent tell you that you still have too many belongings cluttering the house. If this happens, just remember that they’re on your side and that they’re the expert. Also, remember that a well-decluttered house is your quickest ticket to a “Sold!” sign.
Decluttering your physical space can have an amazingly uplifting effect on your mood. Feng Shui experts claim that buildings and furniture store the memories of events in the form of energy, and that by de-cluttering you can clear the energy of historic traumatic events. Whether or not you put any store in that kind of theory, nobody who has ever de-cluttered a space could deny the positive benefits of increasing the physical space in their environment.
However, physical de-cluttering can also have a cathartic effect on people emotionally. When we let go of things we’ve been hoarding for a long time, we often let go of emotional memories we’ve been hanging onto along with them (albeit unconsciously), and so by clearing physical clutter you can clear space in your head and in your heart as well as your home.
Clutter though is not only physical. We can also have mental and emotional clutter blocking the flow of energy in our lives, and clearing this out is guaranteed to help improve our emotional wellbeing. Examples include undone/unfinished tasks; people/activities that drain you of energy; remaining angry at people; busyness – filling up your schedule with activities you feel duty-bound to do, and leaving no time to nourish your soul and refresh your body.
Some tips for clearing your physical clutter:
• Look at your home and identify the areas that need decluttering. Break it down into small tasks that can be tackled over a period of time, rather than one big project to be done in a day. Start small with everyday areas like the kitchen table and build momentum towards the areas you avoid because the idea of tackling them is just overwhelming.
• Go through your stuff and for each item ask yourself Do I love it? Do I need it? Do I use it? If you can answer yes to any of them, it stays. If it’s no to all, then it goes.
• Divide everything into four piles: Keep, Recycle, Donate and Dump. As soon as you’re done, remove the items that aren’t staying straight away and deliver them to their new destination.
• Once your big clear out is done, avoid a new build up by clearing out little and often.
Tips for clearing your Mental/Emotional Clutter:
• Make a list of anything you’ve been procrastinating over, and ask yourself why you have been putting it off. What can you tackle and what can you let go of? When you’re clear on what you definitely has to be done, make a plan and get to it.
• Stop worrying. There is nothing constructive about worrying – it won’t help you avoid the outcome you’re worrying about and it’ll destroy your ability to enjoy the present. When a worrying thought arises, quash it straight away and sing along with me “Everything’s gonna be alright, everything’s gonna be alright…” Focus your energy on what you’d like to happen instead.
• Follow through on promises and commitments. When you’ve said you’ll do something but you keep putting it on the long finger, it drains you of energy. If you can’t or don’t want to see them through, then be upfront about it and withdraw your promise.
• Let go of anger and forgive. When somebody hurts you badly, it’s a normal response to feel anger, and to not want to forgive. But anger is bad for your health, both physical and emotional, so it’s actually in your interests to let it go and forgive the other person. Forgiving them doesn’t mean you have to welcome them back into your life with open arms, it just means letting go of the memory of what they’ve done to you and the feelings that go with it. Maybe the other person doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but don’t you deserve to move on and leave the pain behind?
• Say no to people and activities that drag you down. Instead, surround yourself with people who uplift you and do things that make you feel great!
As with your physical clear out, don’t make this a once-off project or an irregular purge. Develop clutter free habits in every aspect of your life, and you will enjoy an easier flow through life on a continuous basis.
