Too much stuff in your space makes living (and moving) complex and stressful – no doubt most of us would prefer a clean, minimal and streamline home and work environment. Do we really need those two coffee machines sitting on our kitchen counter? What about the unused iPad collecting dust on our desk?
The idea of living in a simplified and uncluttered space sounds appealing – less to tidy up, less to organize, less money spent and less clutter accumulated. But where do you begin?
Here are some great ways to tackle the task of decluttering your living space:
#1. Pick one area each day. Create a list of spaces in your home to declutter, starting with the simplest and easiest. When you’ve tackled that single area, stop. Picking one small task to focus on (and complete successfully) will motivate you to tackle other messier projects. Don’t set aside an entire day to try to organize your entire home! Limit each project / space to 2-3 hours only.
#2. Try the 12-12-12 challenge. This involves finding 12 items to discard, 12 items to place in their proper space, and 12 items to donate. Once you’ve completed this, you’ve tidied up 36 things in your house! Encourage your children to participate as well.
#3. Try Oprah’s closet challenge! This is a great way to figure out what you actually wear in your wardrobe and what can be donated. Hang all your clothes with the hangers facing the reverse direction. Whenever you wear an item, return it to your closet facing the right direction. After 6 months, you’ll have a good idea of what should be donated / discarded. Apply this tip to other areas of the home too – including your tools, hobbies / crafts, linens, cleaning products, etc.
#4. Take on a minimalism wardrobe challenge! For 3 months, limit yourself to wearing only 33 articles of clothing. Mix and match these freely – you’ll be inspired to create new wardrobe combos and challenge yourself to live with less. What can you learn from this experiment?
#5. What do you really love? This may seem obvious, but sometimes we find ourselves holding on to things that we don’t really like. We’ve spent good money on items, forget to return them and then can’t bear the idea of throwing them out. If you don’t love something and haven’t used it in 6 months, get rid of it!
#6. Be aggressive and thorough. If you come across that same item in a store, would you buy it again? Does the item add value to your life? Keep a garbage bag or box on hand to continuously remove clutter from your space. Let it go!
#7. Keep things simple and practical. You may enjoy the aesthetic of a bunch of neatly stacked boxes when you first organize your space, but this could prove entirely impractical. If you want to remove something from the bottom box, you may have to move (and put back!) all the other boxes. Keep your most frequently used items within easy reach. The easier something is to grab, the more likely you’ll continue to use it. All items should be accessible and not require a lot of shuffling around.
#8. Continually evaluate and modify your strategy. You may discover that certain components of your organizational system aren’t ideal. Changes and tweaks are to be expected! Continually assess and re-assess your space to make it work for you.
#9. Recycle electronics too! Apple has a great trade-in program for older computers. Trade in those older models collecting dust in your closet – you can even save a lot of money on the purchase of a new iPad or laptop by trading in old phones, computers and iPads. Dell has a recycling program as well.
We hope you enjoyed these simple tips! Give them a try and put yourself on the path to a de-cluttered life.
