January 04, 2011
De-clutter your home and life once and for all with these de-cluttering tips. Remember, de-cluttering can be a big job and overwhelming, so be sure to start small at first by choosing one thing (i.e. paper, kids toys, closet, bedroom, garage, etc) to work on rather than trying to tackle your entire home.
Toss junk mail immediately into the garbage or recycling bin and be sure to have a strategy to handle mail you need to keep. Products to help you with this: Mail Sorter
Take time every day to clear clutter off your kitchen counters. Be sure to include this in your daily routines, family schedule, or on your do list, family calendar or in your planner. Products to help you with this: family calendars, mom planners, Things to Do Around the House Notepad, To Do List, Dry Erase Do List
Think before you buy. You can use The Clutter Diet’s free wallet sleeves to help you stop purchasing things you don’t need.
Have a plan to organize your paper.
Plan before your de-clutter. Think through how you want the space to look or how you plan to use the space before de-cluttering and buying organizing products.
Purge toys and clothes before big events like Christmas and birthdays to help make room for new items you receive.
Schedule de-cluttering days on your family calendar or in your planner.
Have a plan for what you are going to do with discarded items or schedule a pick up from your local Salvation Army or Purple Heart organization on the day after you de-clutter. The key is to not let the discarded items sit around in your basement!
Have your tools ready and easily available on de-cluttering days. Tools that you want to have handy are garbage bags, boxes, markers, masking tape, and label makers.
When de-cluttering, sort your things into three piles, Keep, Toss, Not Sure. At the end of the day, go through the Not Sure items and make a final decision to keep or toss them.
Use the O.R.D.E.R approach from Lorie Marrero’s book, The Clutter Diet, to help you tackle your organizing projects. Outline Your Plan, Review Your Items, Decide Where Things Belong, Establish Homes & Routines, Revisit Your System.
When trying to decide whether to toss or keep something, ask yourself these questions – When was this used last? Does it have special memories for me or my family? Does it work? Does it have stains or holes? Will I take the time to fix it?
Don’t be afraid to get help from professional organizers like our resident organizing expert, Jennifer, at Organizing Without Limits, or from our friends over at The Clutter Diet.
Need help getting organized? Here are 3 ways we can help:
- Get our FREE report, “30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized“
- Get 14 days of unlimited FREE advice from our team of Certified Professional Organizers®
- Get your house in shape® with the Clutter Diet® book
URL: http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/declutter-your-home.html
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