Tag Archive: reduce clutter information

Reduce Clutter Information

Reducing clutter in you home is easy if you have the information that you need to know, in order to get your things organized. Most people do not even think that they have any clutter.

But what exactly is clutter?

Can you define it? Most of us would be hard pressed to define the word. But, we know it when we see it! Actually, though, the definition is easy and fairly straightforward. Clutter is any item which you own, but you don’t use or you don’t take care of.

Now, think about this. If you own and use an item, you’re probably going to take care of it — at least to some degree. But if you have some article you don’t use, you’re more likely not to take as good care of it.

For example, there’s the souvenir plate from Disney World that Auntie Vera gave you. Do you really love that plate as much as you say? Then why is it stashed up in the attic with your yearbook from high school? That souvenir plate has just passed “the clutter test.”

We find reasons — or sometimes we create — reasons why we just can’t start the decluttering process today. And even if we do start the process, we find many more excuses for not throwing items away.

Trust me, on my quest to make our personal spaces less crowded with items we neither need nor use, I think I’ve heard just about every excuse for not throwing individual objects in the trash. From wanting to sell them at a yard sale to donating them to a place that can sell them.

I know how hard it truly can be to part with some material possessions. And we now know why it’s not the easiest thing in the world. It can be very overwhelming. Especially when the memories, attached to the items, are of people that are no longer with us. Believe me, I get it! I’ve been there myself.

But at the end of the day, when you look around after you’ve tried to declutter and you still see a bunch of unused “stuff”, what have you really accomplished?

Nothing more and nothing less than merely going through the motions. Now you can tell everyone “I’ve tried.” Well, perhaps you assessed the situation and determined that it was hopeless. Or you surveyed a room or two only to find it a little too emotionally draining.

But as long as you’re carrying around even one of these excuses, you really haven’t “tried” at all. You’ve just successfully — for another day — avoided the entire process.

Hopefully you will use the tips and tricks (provided in my other articles and eBook) that have helped me through this process and begin to finally reduce all of the clutter that you have been accumulating in your home.

Declutter and Organize Your Entire House

The fact of the matter is, your home did not become disorganized in just one day so it is not going to only take one day to declutter and organize your house. You may consider setting aside a specific amount of time every day to tackle this problem. Start out by getting three boxes; put labels on them indicating items to “give away”, “throw away” and “put away”. The “throw away” box should be lined with a garbage bag, making it easier to throw out the trash.

Begin by doing one room of your home at a time. Keep in mind that the goal is to organize therefore you will want to do your cleaning in an organized way. Start at the entrance of the room and continue to work your way clockwise around the room. Be sure that you do not skip any part of the room. It may be difficult to determine what items are important to keep and which ones are ready for the trash or for the give away box.

You should ask yourself several questions when determining what you will do with a specific item. Begin by asking yourself how you feel about each item. Do you love it? Does the item have sentimental value? Does it make you feel sad or guilty? You should not feel guilty about getting rid of something that was given to you, if it is just cluttering up your home. Another thing to ask yourself is if the item has been used in the past year. Ask yourself if it is broken, in bad condition or if you have another one that might be better. These are all good reasons you may want to get rid of a particular item. As soon as your “give away” box is full, you can either take it to your local thrift store or you might consider listing the items for sale on eBay or craigslist.

You may not have realized how many items were out of place in your home until your see your “put way” box after you begin to declutter a room. Once this box is full then stop your decluttering and put these items away now. Do not put it in a closet, the basement or the attic and think that you will get to it later. You know that you will never get around to doing later. Do it right, now then you can move on to the next task.

While working your way around the room you are decluttering, do not skip things like furniture, shelves or drawers. This is the best time to organize the room, as well. For example, if one piece of furniture is a desk, then go through and organize the draws. Be sure that you have a specific place available for items such as pens, envelopes, stamps, mail, and important papers. Make sure that you also sort through the papers to see if you could get rid of anything that is older then a year or possibly create a alternate space in the home where you can keep important financial information for several years.

Decluttering your home is not as overwhelming as you think it is. Just make sure to take your time and be consistent. Do a little every single day until each room is done. Keep a cloth with you also so that you can clean as you go. When all your decluttering is completed, then you can go through the room again to display your special items and set up every room of your home just the way you like.