Have you ever had the urge to throw something away but didn’t because you felt you may need it in the future? Been there, done that! While some would identify this behavior as cautious – and as helpful as it may ultimately be – it causes a lot of clutter.
According to long distance movers in Dallas, clutter can build up rapidly in your home, car, and garage and overtake your life without you even realizing it. It can become very stressful and make it hard to find the really important things you need on a day-to-day basis.
In this post, we are going to go over some effective ways you can declutter your home and reduce the stress that unnecessary messes cause.
How to Declutter Your Home
Where to Start First
Identifying problem areas should always be your first step to declutter. Do a walkthrough of your home and identify the most clutter-plagued rooms or areas. Don’t exclude furniture either. Some of the most clutter-congested areas in your home could be items of furniture like desk drawers and coffee tables where everything just seems to end up.
Getting rid of clutter can be a bit stressful in and of itself which is why it is good to identify the worst areas in your home first. This way you can take it one area at a time and ease into the practice.
It is also important to acknowledge that not all clutter is trash. Just because an item is not where it should be doesn’t automatically make it garbage. Understand that in many cases “decluttering” really means “relocation” or simply organization.
Label Boxes
When you have identified your target area, grab three boxes or trash bags and label them as “trash”, “donate”, and “relocate.” Each label is pretty self-explanatory but it will help you remain organized while you work and give you an affirming visual of how much progress you are making.
Since this task can seem overwhelming, a visual representation is a helpful motivation tool throughout this long process.
Host a Garage Sale
For a lot of people, clutter buildup stems from not wanting to lose money. They keep items like old boxes so they won’t have to buy boxes should they need one in the future. They keep kitchen appliances they never use because if they throw them out, they feel like it was a waste of money. This is why it may be helpful for a lot of reluctant declutterers to have a garage sale.
Equating the idea of getting rid of things you don’t need any more with the notion of making money may make it easier for you to let go of your unused items.
Don’t Rush the Process
No one bats .1000 so don’t expect to get it right the first time. After you are done de-cluttering for the day and you have all your items in the appropriate boxes, don’t take any action yet.
Don’t throw anything away or donate anything. Instead, sleep on it. You may rethink some of your decisions and make better ones after a day or two.
We hope these tips have been helpful and that they lead you to a cleaner, stress-free, and more organized home. We know this task may seem daunting, but you can do it.
What tips do you use to declutter your home?
How many times have you moved in the last 10 years?
See ya later,
Kimberly
2 thoughts on “Minimize Mess and Stress: A Guide to Decluttering Your Home”
Having a triple whammie of being a teacher, photographer, and creative, I can certainly appreciate this post. I have items in my living room now that I use for each practice! I’ve just designated a room in my home for these things where I’ll need to use stairs to get to them. But, living with them everyday has run its course lol.
Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!