The idea of living a simplified life sounds attractive to many of us. We have thought about the benefits of owning fewer things (less to clean, less to organize, less stress, more money and more energy). We are often ready to declutter, but we get tripped up with where to be begin.
Because of that, many of us begin to feel overwhelmed with the idea of decluttering our homes. However, the decluttering journey doesn’t need to be as painful as it appears. Here are some creative ways to get started.
Fill one trash bag
One of my favorite decluttering techniques is to grab a large kitchen trash bag and see how quickly I can fill it with items I don’t need. Once the bag is filled, take it to a drop off point for Goodwill or a similar entity. Commit to repeating the project again each week for the next four weeks.
Decide to give away one item a day
Commit to sticking with it for 30 days. After 30 days, it should become more of a habit, and you should be able to extend the activity.
Try the four-box method
As you set out to declutter a room, bring four boxes: 1) trash, 2) give away, 3) keep, or 4) relocate. Each item in the room should be placed into one of the four categories. Don’t cheat and pass over anything. Depending on the room, these projects can take as little as an hour or as long as a week. However, if you stay true to the technique, you will find that you will declutter your life one room at a time.
Try the closet hanger experiment
To identify wardrobe pieces to clear out, hang all your clothes with the hangers in the reverse direction. After you wear an item, wash and return it to the closet with the hanger facing the correct direction. After six months, you’ll have a clear picture of which clothes you can easily discard. If it hasn’t reversed, it just isn’t that important.
Take the 12-12-12 challenge
This simple task consists of locating 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be returned to their proper home can be a really fun and exciting way to quickly organize 36 things in your house. Of course, commit to taking it again when you are done.
No matter what you choose to help you get started, the goal is to take your first step with excitement behind it. There is an amazing world of freedom hiding behind that clutter. How you remove it is up to you.