Decluttering can feel like a breath of fresh air—a chance to reset and a fresh start. But once the clutter is gone, how do you maintain that sense of calm and order? You get organized & stay organized!
If you have been disorganized staying organized is about change and many resist change. So the number one thing to consider is embracing change!
Understanding the Purpose of Decluttering
Decluttering isn't just about tossing out old things. The decluttering process is a deliberate, mindful process to clear out the unnecessary and set the stage for a more organized existence. This method creates a clean slate that enables a more organized lifestyle.
The Emotional Benefits of Decluttering
Imagine your mind as a cluttered room. When you declutter, you're not just organizing things in your living spaces but also clearing mental space. Decluttering can lead to less stress and increased mental clarity, much like the calming effect of a deep breath.
A clean environment can elevate your mood and give you control over your surroundings.
It's easy to confuse rearranging items with true organization. Clutter involves unnecessary, excess items that don't serve a purpose, while the organization is about having a place for everything and everything being in its place.
The good news is you can have an organized home once you decide to:
Make a commitment
Be open to change
The Consequences of Ineffective Organization
Decluttering without proper organization plans can leave you in a never-ending loop of tidying. It's like trying to catch water with a sieve—efforts can seem pointless if they're not directed properly.
Recognizing the Cycle of Clutter
After a major decluttering session, it's easy to fall back into old habits and patterns. This cycle often happens when items accumulate without designated places or when you procrastinate decisions about what to keep.
Identifying Triggers for Clutter Return
Identifying what triggers clutter will help you prevent its return. Is it shopping sprees? A busy lifestyle? Understanding these triggers is key to stopping clutter before it starts.
Photo byGetty Images
Strategies to Organize After Decluttering
Once decluttering is done, it's time to build a simple organizational system that keeps things streamlined and fits your lifestyle. You need to get rid of as many household items as possible before starting to organize, otherwise you will only be shuffling clutter around.
Keep what you need and let go of the rest!
Establish Daily Habits
Daily habits are essential for maintaining order. Make tidying a part of your daily life, much like brushing your teeth. This consistency prevents small messes from becoming overwhelming.
Read these articles to learn more about the power of habits.
For every new item you bring into your home, make a conscious effort to remove one. This prevents clutter from accumulating again and keeps your space balanced. There is a good reason we get cluttered easily- we bring in new things and do not discard older items.
Daily Reset
Spend 5-10 minutes each evening tidying up. This might include putting things back in their designated spots, wiping down surfaces, or organizing any items left out during the day. A daily reset keeps small messes from turning into piles of clutter.
Mindful Shopping
Start decluttering before you hit the buy it now button! Before making any purchase, ask yourself if the item is necessary and if you truly have space for it. This mindfulness helps prevent impulse buys and ensures everything you own has a purpose and place.
Also before you purchase the item make sure you have a designated spot to store it. This is where the One-In, One-Out Rule comes in particularly handy.
Creating Designated Spaces
Go into the different areas of your home, your personal spaces, and common areas, and start to sort items. First, remove everything that does not belong in that space. There is no better time than the present to return all the things to their proper places. Just get them to the rooms they belong in for now.
Assign a home for every item in every area of your home and ensure everyone in your household knows where things belong. This simple step can drastically reduce the time spent searching for misplaced items.
My mom used to go crazy when we would use 'her' scissors and not return them to their proper place. I understand why now.
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Surfaces
An easy way to start the decluttering process is to decide to clean off all the flat surfaces such as the kitchen countertop, bedside table, living room tables, dining room table, and bathroom vanity tops. Any room will look so much better absent the piles of stuff on every flat surface.
If there are drawers built into these flat surfaces declutter these too. If you don't know if the loose batteries are fresh - get rid of them. Old remotes? Toss! Pens, pencils, broken eyeglasses, and scraps of paper get rid of it all. We are starting fresh!
Utilizing Storage Solutions
Maximize your space by using effective storage solutions like baskets, shelving, and clear containers. Use labels for easy identification, making it simple to maintain order.
Maintaining Your Organized Space
Your organizing process must include a maintenance plan and this will require ongoing effort and commitment. daily routine.
Understand that staying organized is a journey, not a destination. It’s okay to have setbacks; what matters is how you respond to them. In any particular room, you need to have organizational systems set up or like me try to live a minimalist lifestyle.
Minimalism gets a bad rap. My home is wicked comfortable. I have everything I need and then some, I certainly have all the creature comforts of home.
A minimalist lifestyle simply means to live with intention, which means know what you love and surround yourself with it and not clutter which is piles of stuff that add nothing to your lifestyle.
Reward Progress
Celebrate your victories, no matter how small. A simple victory can be planning your decluttering project. Whether it's organizing a single drawer or maintaining a clutter-free home for a month, take time to acknowledge your achievements.
A great way to start decluttering may be gathering all your storage bins and one bin at a time go through each and discard as much as possible.
Regular Check-Ins
Schedule regular reviews of your systems to ensure they still work for you. Adjust as necessary, and don't be afraid to change things that aren't serving you well.
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Adjusting to Change
Flexibility is vital. Life changes, and so will your needs. Adapt your organization systems to fit your evolving lifestyle with ease.
Change is scary to many folks. A lot of time it can be as easy as making new simple rules, and instigating some healthy new habits to coincide with your home maintenance plan. The less stuff you have around the easier cleaning and maintaining your space will be.
The amount of time you spend discarding as much as you can will pay you back big time. In almost 30 years of living here, I have never had to dedicate time to declutter or clean my entire house which is multi-level. No, I definitely do not have a staff, on the contrary. I maintain the indoors and outdoors myself.
Keep Up With Cleaning
It is because I have ingrained habits built into my daily routine that do the cleaning job for me as I go along living my life. Phone calls and cooking time are my best friends, this is when I spot-clean an area. 5 minutes is about all the time it takes me to clean out the fridge because I do this regularly.
Spot-cleaning the floors when water is boiling is a cinch too because I do this regularly. I clean the bathroom daily so again there is never a build up of dirt or stuff. I don't even think of these things I do because the habits are so deeply ingrained. It just gets done.
If you want to live a simpler life or have more time to do the things you love to do start planning to get organized & stay organized!
Photo byMarj Bates
Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutter-er and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. “Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.
For more Declutter Buzz & Freebies check out our safe and private Decluttering community on our Facebook page. We are a safe and private space of like minded folks tackling this all encompassing clutter thing once and for all. No shame allowed and always a few laughs!
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My plan to stay organized now that I have gone through my house & donated 75% of unnecessary contents, is to 🛑 🛑 🛑 buying things that I don't need.. I need nothing in my life at this point materially. Saying " no" to myself from now on . Feels so good ! 😊💯
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