If you have decided to declutter your home, then you may be wondering how to get started. In it’s most basic form, decluttering your home is simply the process of clearing out unused items. The problem that most people run into is that the entire process is not only overwhelming, but can take a long time if you don’t dedicate yourself to getting it done. Fortunately, there are some simple tips that you can use to make the entire process much easier and less stressful. Here are 3 tips to get you started.
- Keep or Toss
The very first thing that you need to do is decide how you want to declutter your home. Some people are ready to start getting rid of the items right away either by adding them to the garbage pile or selling them at garage sales or online. The other group of people don’t really want to lose ownership of the items cluttering up their house, but they do want to create a better living environment. It is important for you to decide what your goals are right away, otherwise you cannot start to declutter your home in any meaningful way. If you don’t want to actually get rid of anything, then using resources like storage lockers might be your best option. However, it is important to still try and get rid of everything that you can. The more that you toss away now, the less you will have to deal with later. - Start Big
A lot of people will tell you to simply pick a room and get started, but that isn’t a very strategic way to get going. One of the biggest problems that a lot of people have is that they will feel like they have thrown a lot of things away, but can’t really see a difference. This is because while they are throwing a large number of things away, they are all fairly small. The smaller something is, the less you will notice a difference. A great way to start out is by identifying all of the larger items that you can get rid of. Do you have that extra chair, bookcase, or dresser still sitting in the corner? Throw that out first. Visually, this will provide immediate results and help you stay motivated over the long run. - Immediate Sorting
Once all of the large items are out of the way (which normally won’t take very long) it is time to get down to the smaller stuff. This is where you will end up spending most of your time. Before you start to declutter your home, it is important to get a few large boxes to help you stay organized. You need a trash box, donation box, think-about-it box, and put-away box. These boxes will not only help you stay organized, but will also force you to take action. Once a box is full, you need to immediately empty it. If your trash box is full, then tie up the bag and take it out. If your put-away box is full, then stop and put everything in that box where you want to store it. If your think-about-it box is full, then it is time to go through it again and make a final decision about what you are going to do with each item.
By immediately implementing these 3 tips, you will be able to completely declutter your home in no time.
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