I’m always so relieved by spring. It feels like a great time to take a deep breath and focus on priorities. For some, this means being at opening day for Yankee Stadium. Alas, for many of us, this means finally facing the fact that we have too much stuff.
Maybe you’ve been thinking for months, or even years, that you wish you could actually hang your clothes in your over-stuffed closet, or find room on your bookshelf for those new books you got for your birthday.
But where to start? Fourteen years in business have taught us a few techniques we’d like to share with you.
Break it down
Make a list of each of the areas and categories of things in your home that you’d like to organize. Keep it specific
Schedule time
In your calendar schedule three hours to tackle the first (easiest) item on your list. Schedule this time soon and block off the full three hours.
Break it down
The reason so many decluttering projects fail is because we try to tackle everything at once. Thinking we can complete the whole project with one weekend of elbow grease, we roll up our sleeves, dive in, and…. burn out! Or we look at all our closest and get paralyzed thinking this can never get done.
Just like building Rome, your closets will not be streamlined in one day!
Instead, try this: Make a list of each of the areas and categories of things in your home that you’d like to organize. Keep it specific.
Your list might read like this:
Sweaters
Records
Kitchen pantry
Books in study
Junk drawer in kitchen
Rank the list in order: easiest to hardest
Start with some wins! If you’re on a first-name basis with the local restaurant delivery people, pairing down the kitchen pantry might not be too hard. Start there. Get used to the process. Then, when you finally get to those books you love, you’ll have some practice and it’ll make parting with these beloved items easier.
Schedule a time
Don’t think you’ll spend the whole day doing this. Alternatively, don’t plan to do this here and there when you “have a minute.” In your calendar schedule three hours to tackle the first (easiest) item on your list. Schedule this time soon and block off the full three hours.
Come prepared and stay focused
At the appointed time, do whatever you can to avoid distractions. Don’t worry, Instagram will still be there in 3 hours and the DVR will still record anything you're missing. Have a few supplies on hand: large clear bags for donations, boxes, packing tape, garbage bags, blue painter’s tape, and a marker.
Look at everything
There’s no secret shortcut here. You have to decide about each item. Look at items one-by-one and ask yourself some basic questions, such as: When was the last time I used this? Do I need this? Do I even like this?
The goal here is to keep only the items you really like and use. Everything else should be boxed or bagged. Your boxes and bags can be separated into the following categories; give to family/friends, sell, donate, or discard.
Be firm with yourself, but don’t go overboard. There is no need to get rid of everything. In some areas you will downsize a lot, others just a little.
Wrap up the session and organize the space
At the end of the session, remove the bags and boxes of things you aren’t keeping. This may involve throwing things away or bringing things to a donation center. Or it may mean finding a temporary place in your home to store all of these things so you can handle them at a later date. But make sure you clean up so you can appreciate your newly decluttered area and the work you’ve done!
Reward yourself
This is hard work. These items mean something to you. Parting with them is tough. So take a moment to pat yourself on the back. Pour that glass of wine, eat those chocolate truffles, or veg out with an hour of reality television (or all three!). You’ve earned it. Even if it doesn’t feel like you got all that much done, you’ve put in the time and are making progress. And that deserves to be celebrated.
Repeat steps 3 through 7 for everything on your list. And be sure to remember #7!
