Decluttering and minimalism seem to be all the hype right now. People are intrigued by the idea of simple living and owning less stuff. In past centuries, everyone lived a pretty simple and minimal lifestyle. They didn’t live the hectic lifestyle that a lot of us are living right now. It was a simpler time. People were happy. They were not always stressed and rushed from one place to another. Fast forward to 2022 and many people are starting to crave that lifestyle again. I am one of those people.
But where do you start the decluttering process? Do you start with the most difficult areas of your home such as your garage or basement? Do you start with the room that is giving you the most stress? Do you start with the area that you think has the most clutter? These are questions I get asked all the time and today I am going to share with you the secret to starting your decluttering process TODAY and some simple habits to incorporate into your day-to-day routine to finally start seeing and feeling a difference in your home.
So, are you ready to tackle some decluttering? This is where you are going to begin…
Find a drawer closest to you right now…
Are you there?
Okay, now open it.
This is where you are going to begin.
You see, when it comes to decluttering your home there is no real strategy. There isn’t a list that you really can follow. Yes, there are many challenges out there where you can follow some guidelines and get motivated but when it comes to starting the decluttering journey you just have to start somewhere and you have to start today. That is truly the secret.
Back to that drawer. I want you to take every single thing out of that drawer. Yes, even that little paperclip in the back and that broken elastic band. Everything must come out. Next, give it a good wipe down. Now, one by one you’re going to go through the contents you had in that drawer and make a few different piles. One pile will be “keep in this drawer”, one will be “re-home to a different area of home”, one will be “donation”, one will be “garbage”, one might be “return to someone”, etc. Take all of the contents of your keep pile and put it back into the drawer as nicely as you can. At this stage you aren’t concerned with organizing; your goal is simply to declutter but I always encourage still keeping things as tidy as you can during your decluttering journey. Now take all of your other piles and take the necessary action.
I highly recommend you not just keep the donation items in a corner of your home. The whole purpose of decluttering means getting things OUT of your home. So, if possible, take it to the donation center TODAY or, at the very least, put it in your car and make a note to take it the next time you pass by. This is a habit that will make such a difference! It makes for a lot of trips to the donation center but getting even a few small bags out of your space will feel so liberating and those trips will be totally worth it.
BONUS TIP: Take a picture of every single pile of things you take to the donation center and make a separate folder in your phone with these pictures. Whenever you are feeling like you aren’t making progress, look through these pictures to see all the amazing work you have done so far. It will surely keep you energized to keep going 😊
Okay, so how long did this take you? I am going to assume under 20 minutes? Well, that is a perfect start to the day. Now you can decide if you want to continue to the next drawer or if you are good for the day and want to move on from decluttering.
Spending 20 minutes every single day alone is going to make a huge difference in the long run. I always say that even getting 1 small thing done every single day is better than 0 and again, in the long run, 1 small thing per day adds up to quite a good number of things getting done.
Really good work today, friend! Let’s keep the momentum going! And remember if you ever need some help decluttering your home, schedule your assessment with us and we can have you set up with an amazing professional organizer to work alongside you during your journey.
