10 Decluttering Tips

Sometimes it is difficult to find the time and energy to declutter when there is an overwhelming amount to do. So where to start and how to declutter effectively? If one of your new year resolutions is to get organised, here are ten tips that might help with the decluttering mountain:

Photo by Sarah Rudolph

1. Start with surfaces and clear those first before you start on bigger projects. The satisfaction of having some tidy spaces may help you feel the motivation to tackle bigger projects.
2. Consider starting on a space that is the most annoying/dysfunctional to you. Think through what is working and not working in that space and try to design a more effective way of using it by listing the functions the space needs to perform. Only keep what supports the functions that you listed.
3. When you are working on a project, clear out the entire space before sorting out the contents and then deciding what needs to go back. Although it can make a lot of mess, it is really helpful to see the space empty and make considered decisions about what to keep.
4. When working through the decluttering process, make a mental shift to decide what you will keep rather than deciding what you will get rid of. Remind yourself that others may be able to use and appreciate the things that are no longer helpful to you.
5. Use pictures of your ideal space to help you keep a vision in mind of what you would like to achieve. It sometimes help to start with the end in mind and to consider how the newly organized space will make you feel when it is functioning well and looking its best.
6. Deal with items that are easier to declutter first (for example, clothes or kitchen items) and then move on to more sentimental items later in the process.
7. Try to make the decluttering more fun by roping in a friend and playing upbeat music while you work.
8. Use a timer to make the process more manageable. Stop and take a break after the timer goes off and have a snack or do something else for a while.
9. Reward yourself for making progress with your decluttering projects.
10. Break up big projects into smaller steps and estimate how much time each step will take. Then schedule appointments with yourself to complete each step.

What is your best decluttering advice? How have you motivated yourself to tackle decluttering jobs?

Organizing a Big Project: Sorting Out the Garage

Do you also have that one embarrassing part of your home where old or unused and unwanted things go, I almost want to say "to die"? I really struggle with keeping our garage in a usable state and we have decided that during our summer holidays (which is in December in our part of the world) we are going to do a big clear out!

I have "tidied" the garage before but it is a magnet for things to go before we donate or recycle them.
Today is a lovely sunny day, so I took the opportunity to spend some time in the garage and plot the steps we will need to take to get the space sorted out.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo

My strategy for today was to survey the garage and decide on a plan of action. I realised that I could group the tasks into different categories to make it easier to get the job done. These are my five steps to a more organized garage:

Step 1: Organize for recycling of items. This will involve a trip to the recycling center , a trip to the local dump, a drop off of printer toner cartridges at a technology shop and a trip to a donation center for unused items still in good condition. It will probably take at least a full day to do all of this, so I will try and get this done first. Maybe in future I need to schedule a monthly recycling trip so the things don't build up into such a pile.

Step 2: Check with family members who are storing things in our garage how long we still need to store those things or if those items can be sold or given to other family members. 

Step 3: Sell large items that are no longer useful to us. There are a few large pieces of furniture we no longer need that can be sold to our local second hand shop or advertised on our local online sales group. 

Step 4: Clean and Organize. Once all the unnecessary items are removed it will be time to clean up and organize what is still stored there. We may also need to re-evaluate what we are storing and why we are storing it.

Step 5: DIY. We need to put a board over the stairs to create a storage area and complete the workbench that is a work-in-progress. We also need to consider getting quotes to put in a ceiling and seal the floor. 

Hopefully by spending some time neatening up and re-organizing our garage we will find it easier to keep it tidy and functional. I am also hoping it can be a useful work space for DIY projects if there is more space available there.

Do you too have a difficult space that gets untidy? What are your organizing tips and solutions for difficult spaces?