As my Summer of Declutter gets underway, I thought I’d share my best tips for decluttering which have all helped me to sort my way to sanity during previous declutters. Perusing through Pinterest, I saw a lot of posts on “whats” to declutter but not a lot of “hows” so hopefully this post will be helpful to someone out there. If you haven’t already, you can check out my list of 14 things I want to declutter/organize this summer right here. But first, here are my top eight decluttering tips and tricks…
Clean Up First!
Don’t try to declutter in a dirty room. Just don’t. Doing so will only add to the overwhelm and limit the amount of space in which you have to work. Clean up the room you’ll be decluttering in and, if you’re decluttering things like dishes or clothes, make sure all the items are clean and accounted for before you start to sort or organize anything.
Set Aside Some Time!
Even if you decide to declutter on a whim (aka you have an enough-is-enough-I-can’t-take-anymore mom moment), make sure you have a sufficient amount of time to dedicate toward the sorting, cleaning and organizing you’ll need to do. Doing so will help your declutter go a little smoother as you’ll be able to power through without stopping and starting for too many other tasks in between.
Listen to Something!
Music is of course a classic cleaning go-to but there are plenty of other audio-based things that you can enjoy during a lengthy declutter. Podcasts, audiobooks (like Issa Rae’s Awkward Black Girl pictured above), YouTube videos, Netflix or – my personal fave when the kids aren’t around – Game of Thrones on HBO Go are all incredible options for listening while you work!
Get the Kids Involved!
Depending on the age of your kids, this may slow the process down or speed it up but either way they’ll learn to make positive decluttering decisions that they’ll (hopefully!) carry into adulthood. Younger kids are great at making piles (what to keep, donate or trash for example) and older kids can pretty much be your second set of hands. Get them involved, put on some music, make some memories in the process and get decluttering!
Make a Pile for Each Category!
The best way to see how much you have, how much you should keep and how much you should toss is to make separate piles for like items. This also makes the decision-making process much easier as you won’t be decluttering from a huge stack of random stuff. I always end up surprised at just how many multiples of the same thing we have in our house – i.e. reusable grocery bags, kitchen utensils and t-shirts for Hendrix as (for some unknown reason) he always ends up with way more clothes than the girls!
Make Lists as You Go!
If you’re anything like me, ideas on how to organize your space will start to pop into your head during the declutter process. And also, if you’re anything like me, those ideas will pop out just as quickly, as soon as you walk out of the room. Keep a notepad or your phone handy at all times and jot down lists as you go. What do you need to replace? What do you need to buy more of? What storage solutions would work well in this space? Put it all on a list!
Find Storage Solutions That Work for You!
Not every type of storage/organization system will work for everyone. Some of us thrive on simple systems and some of us need highly intricate systems to keep us functioning happily and efficiently. Figuring out what works for you is literally half the battle. I highly recommend this quiz from Cassandra aka ClutterBug that helps you find your organizing style. Cassandra also offers tips based on which kind of clutter bug you are which is so helpful! Based on my quiz results (I got ladybug!!) and how well I know myself, I’d say I’m about 70% lady bug and 30% cricket. Take the quiz if you have a moment then come back here and let me know what your results were!
Just Start!
One thing that always hinders my decluttering dreams is thinking about decluttering. The idea of being surrounded by piles of stuff pulled out from every nook and cranny of a room that require not only my physical energy but also my brain power to sort and reorganize them all is frightening EXCEPT it’s never really as bad as all that. I feel like when you overthink a task, it’s almost like you end up doing it twice – once in your mind and again accompanied by your body – which I think we can all agree isn’t cool. Make the decision to declutter and then just start. If it helps to dump everything into an unavoidable pile in the middle of your floor to force yourself into action (I’ve actually done this), do it to get your declutter done!
Those are some of my top decluttering tips and tricks!! Share yours below OR let me know which tip above will help you the most!
Leave a Reply