FIRST STEPS TO DE-CLUTTERING
"Your home is a garbage processing center where new things are purchased and slowly demoted through various stages of 'trashification' until you're done." Jerry Seinfeld
I had to laugh at Jerry Seinfeld's description of what happens to our "stuff". But when I thought about it, that's kind of what happens to things in OUR home. After a while things get "old" and they move into the "trash" category.
So we have a garage sale... to get rid of the stuff that has gone through the end stage of "trashification". Then after we get rid of our "trash", we go to someone else's garage sale and buy their ...ah, treasures. Oh, did I say that out loud? That's not supposed to be a part of this de-cluttering work. Well, don't forget, one man's trash is another man's treasure! And that is how it happens...
No wonder we all feel the need at some point to SIMPLIFY, DECLUTTER, and CREATE ORDER! But ORDERING OUR LIVES can be FUN AND EASY and in the end can lead to CALM AND COMFORT! So what are you waiting for? Today we're going to do the SIMPLE work on THE PLAN OF DE-CLUTTERING OUR SPACES.
I know there are people out there who don't like chaos in their lives and homes and yet they just can't seem to get it together to get the job of organizing done. So I'm trying to share the simplest and funnest ( that's not really a word but I'm using it ) ideas that ANYONE can do to start de-cluttering in order to SIMPLIFY ( don't you LOVE that word? ) your life.
FIRST STEPS TO DE-CLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING
First of all find a comfy cozy spot to sit in, grab a notebook and pen, and don't forget a cup of tea or coffee. Now relax because this is going to be the easy part.
1)Take a deep breathe, look around you, and BE GRATEFUL for all that you have.
2) Make an INTENTIONAL DECISION to begin enjoying the calm feeling that simplifying brings and that you will begin to enjoy beautiful things without having to bring everything into your home. You might want to write this down in a statement that you can look at to remind yourself.
3) Make an intentional decision to spend less on "things" and more on "experiences". Make a list of experiences that you would enjoy doing with your family or friends. This is not to say that you can't buy "stuff" any more. ( more on that in another post )
4) Make a list of the" categories" of the items that need to be organized (except in the kitchen as we'll deal with that separately.) ie. books, clothing, jewelry, linens, papers, etc.
5) Sit back and VISUALIZE how your home might look with more order and less clutter. Imagine THE CALM you will feel with this new order and simplicity in your home.
6) Map out a time frame as to when you will accomplish this de-cluttering process. You can take as long as you want with this. It's all up to you. You don't want this to stress you out so take a year if you need to. For example, you might want to get all your paper items organized first and plan on taking the month of January to accomplish this. You can work on your clothes in February. If you have more time and can do it quicker, set the time frame accordingly. This is an individual process as some people have more time than others. Just be sure to set a realistic time frame, one that will be comfortable for you to accomplish without stress.
7) Start a file of organizing ideas and photos that you wish to follow to accomplish your de-cluttering and organizing. These ideas will help to motivate you and get you excited about creating order in your home. PINTEREST is a great way to do this without adding more clutter but vision workbooks work well also. You can check out my "Organizing Board and Vintage Organizing Board" on PINTEREST by clicking on the button on the left sidebar.
8) Make a list of ways you choose to discard your excess: Salvation Army, friends, Goodwill, garage sale, throw away.
Now that you have a simple plan in place, your thoughts are focused on de-cluttering, and you have a time frame to follow, you can begin to get more detailed. That will be in another post. Enjoy this process for now.
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| Doesn't this "feel" great? |
I had to laugh at Jerry Seinfeld's description of what happens to our "stuff". But when I thought about it, that's kind of what happens to things in OUR home. After a while things get "old" and they move into the "trash" category.
So we have a garage sale... to get rid of the stuff that has gone through the end stage of "trashification". Then after we get rid of our "trash", we go to someone else's garage sale and buy their ...ah, treasures. Oh, did I say that out loud? That's not supposed to be a part of this de-cluttering work. Well, don't forget, one man's trash is another man's treasure! And that is how it happens...
No wonder we all feel the need at some point to SIMPLIFY, DECLUTTER, and CREATE ORDER! But ORDERING OUR LIVES can be FUN AND EASY and in the end can lead to CALM AND COMFORT! So what are you waiting for? Today we're going to do the SIMPLE work on THE PLAN OF DE-CLUTTERING OUR SPACES.
I know there are people out there who don't like chaos in their lives and homes and yet they just can't seem to get it together to get the job of organizing done. So I'm trying to share the simplest and funnest ( that's not really a word but I'm using it ) ideas that ANYONE can do to start de-cluttering in order to SIMPLIFY ( don't you LOVE that word? ) your life.
FIRST STEPS TO DE-CLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING
 |
| A comfy cozy spot. |
1)Take a deep breathe, look around you, and BE GRATEFUL for all that you have.
2) Make an INTENTIONAL DECISION to begin enjoying the calm feeling that simplifying brings and that you will begin to enjoy beautiful things without having to bring everything into your home. You might want to write this down in a statement that you can look at to remind yourself.
3) Make an intentional decision to spend less on "things" and more on "experiences". Make a list of experiences that you would enjoy doing with your family or friends. This is not to say that you can't buy "stuff" any more. ( more on that in another post )
4) Make a list of the" categories" of the items that need to be organized (except in the kitchen as we'll deal with that separately.) ie. books, clothing, jewelry, linens, papers, etc.
5) Sit back and VISUALIZE how your home might look with more order and less clutter. Imagine THE CALM you will feel with this new order and simplicity in your home.
6) Map out a time frame as to when you will accomplish this de-cluttering process. You can take as long as you want with this. It's all up to you. You don't want this to stress you out so take a year if you need to. For example, you might want to get all your paper items organized first and plan on taking the month of January to accomplish this. You can work on your clothes in February. If you have more time and can do it quicker, set the time frame accordingly. This is an individual process as some people have more time than others. Just be sure to set a realistic time frame, one that will be comfortable for you to accomplish without stress.
7) Start a file of organizing ideas and photos that you wish to follow to accomplish your de-cluttering and organizing. These ideas will help to motivate you and get you excited about creating order in your home. PINTEREST is a great way to do this without adding more clutter but vision workbooks work well also. You can check out my "Organizing Board and Vintage Organizing Board" on PINTEREST by clicking on the button on the left sidebar.
8) Make a list of ways you choose to discard your excess: Salvation Army, friends, Goodwill, garage sale, throw away.
Now that you have a simple plan in place, your thoughts are focused on de-cluttering, and you have a time frame to follow, you can begin to get more detailed. That will be in another post. Enjoy this process for now.
I love Seinfeld's comment too. It's so true!
ReplyDeleteI'm a reforming packrat whose car could never drive by a garage sale without stopping. Much to my (very neat) husband's chagrin, I love sorting through other people's "junque" and then bringing it home to our house. LOL
But I'm getting much better. :) Great tips!
--Susan
Susan,
ReplyDeleteMy husband is the REAL packrat in our family. It probably helps to be married to "opposites". Thanks for stopping by!
I like the idea of spending less on things and more on experiences! I have lots...but I like to find vintage things so I still have to declutter all the time! Great tips!
ReplyDeleteI just moved to a new apartment three weeks ago, and still have not completely unpacked. There is a lot of "organization" that needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteBut #1 and #2 are such good tips, and I added to your #2 in the fact to actually appreciate the work that I had just done and taking in the calm feeling of it, rather than thinking ahead to the tons of other boxes that still needed to be moved.
So thanks!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHappy to have helped in your unpacking! Hope you enjoy your new apartment! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Sandy, thanks for visiting my little blog over here in deepest darkest Wales England. Its so nice to 'meet' new likeminded girls..do hope we can be good friends.
ReplyDeleteLove the blog ... so cheery!
Vicky x
Vicky,
ReplyDeleteHappy to find you here. Check out my OTHER blog for vintage finds!