Do you have that one room in your house that you avoid entering because of the mess? Or the one drawer you can’t open because you know it’ll burst with junk? When spaces like these begin to give you anxiety, it’s time to declutter.
Methods
There are several methods for decluttering and organizing your home, and you might find that one way works better for you than another. Give each method a try to find a decluttering solution that is fast and effective for you.
Use two boxes
When you go to clean a room, take two boxes with you. You should fill the first box with things you’d like to donate and the second box with things to throw away. You can also do this with garbage bags if you’d rather. This method is also useful when you’re moving, but instead of using two boxes, use three and fill the third with things you’d like to keep.
Save special items for last
Sentimental items are hard to part with, but do you really use them? If you come across a memento while you are cleaning, put it to the side and look at it later. You might find that in your time of shedding unnecessary items, you are ready to part with it too. Or, after all the purging, you’ll feel justified in keeping a few more special items. Saving the sentimentality for last is also beneficial because it keeps you focused on cleaning instead of reading an old journal you found from high school.
Give yourself a time limit
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in each room, focus on one room and set a time limit. Set a timer for twenty minutes and get started on organizing the bathroom. Once the timer goes off, stop and take a break or move onto another room. If you only have a little while that you can dedicate to decluttering, this method works well. You utilize the time you have without over-investing yourself.
Visualize the space
Before you start working to organize a room, spend a moment imagining what you’d like it to look like when you’re done. For me, I look in my closet and I imagine all the clothes hanging up or neatly folded, instead of thrown on the shelf. Having a vision of what you want the space to look like helps motivate you into working to meet that goal.
Start where it bothers you
When I find clutter, it’s in my closet or storage room. Clothes and random items are always strewn about in these two areas. If you have a spot in your house that bothers you and causes you anxiety, that’s where you should start decluttering. It will make you feel better once it’s done by lessening the mess and reducing anxiety, plus you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment!
Whether you are organizing in anticipation of an upcoming move, or if you simply feel the weight of owning too much stuff, it’s a good idea to declutter your home. It will take some work, but the results will be worth it.
