Declutter ForEver...
Well At Least ForNow!
While it would be great to Declutter ForEver, let's start with Decluttering "ForNow." (Yes, I made that word up but it just seemed right :)We live in a world world where many of us accumulate a lot of stuff! If we are not vigilant about getting rid of old things as we bring in new, clutter tends to sneak up on us and overtake our homes.
What Is Clutter?
Clutter is all the things in your home that don't really matter or that aren't being used. Clutter wastes space, time and energy.With so much stuff constantly coming into our homes, it has become increasingly difficult to prevent clutter buildup. Add to that our hurried lifestyles and overloaded schedules and we have a recipe for some serious clutter issues. Now more than ever there is a desperate need for easy maintenance homes. With the current economy challenges, most folks are buying less and bringing fewer things home. This is a positive! We don't need so much stuff! And... it's a great time to tackle the clutter because you have less is coming in to deal with. To DeClutter ForEver is unrealistic for most of us, which is why the Declutter ForNow Techniques work even if they must be repeated periodically.
Do you have a room that looks like the this?
Yes? Then it's time to Declutter ForNow!
Choose A Room and Start Decluttering Today!
Don't worry, I won't make you do a drastic "clean sweep", just some realistic decluttering. And when you finish a Declutter ForNow session, please be sure to share your story below. It's a great way to encourage other visitors and we can all learn from each other's experiences.
Collect Four Large Boxes and Several Small Boxes.
Label the large ones as follows:
Keep: It is useful, needed and/or worth spending time on.
Someplace Else: Anything that belongs in another room.
Give Away: To others, charities, schools, libraries, etc.
Garbage: Well, you know...
Start at the door and work clockwise around the room, picking up each and every item and placing it in the appropriate box.
Very small items can go into the smaller boxes if needed.
The beauty of the 4-Box Declutter ForEver System is that if you have to stop, everything stays sorted in the boxes until you can resume.
Please don't agonize over a decision. Ask yourself if you enjoy taking care of that particular thing enough to keep it and then make the best choice possible.
Continue around the room until you have sorted every item. All Done?
Bag up the Give Away items and put them in your car to be given away on your next trip into town.
Bag up the Garbage and dispose of immediately.
Some folks find it fun to keep a count of the Give Away and Garbage bags (outgoing clutter). The record so far with
It's About Time Organizing Service
is 45 Bags from one home! Now that is a lot of Time created!
** Note: Most of us have clutter issues in one area of our home or another. However, if you or someone you know has a serious clutter problem, please know there is help available. Visit The Plan for more information.
It's best NOT to tackle the Someplace Else Box until you have Decluttered all the rooms you intend to get through. It's SO Easy to get Sidetracked with the Someplace Else Box. Please, please wait until you are completely done decluttering.Now, where was I? Oh yes, perhaps you want to clean or rearrange furniture before putting back what actually goes in this room. Make your changes and then put the Keep items where they will be most useful or enjoyed. Sooner than you know it, your born-again room may start to look a bit like this...
What do you think? Pretty nice, eh? It's enough to make you want to move on to the next room! Do it!Just start the process over in the next targeted room. Put on a little music and before you know it you start to feel a sense of peace come over you.
Finally, it's time to tackle the Someplace Else box. Just sort the items by room and go and put them away. It's easy! You can do it!
Declutter Fast
Setting Organizing Goals
Clutterless Gift Giving
Eliminate Catalogs
Clutter Free Home
Declutter ForEver...Well At Least ForNow!
Great Job! Now reward yourself with some time with a Loved One. Share with them how you created the time to spend with them!
If you'd like to do more than just declutter, such as make a lifestyle change, understand why you have so much stuff or better understand how emotions are affected by clutter, check out Mimi Tanner's e-book, DeClutter Fast: How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately. Mimi wrote this e-book based on her own personal lifelong interest in Decluttering. Mimi teaches you... - Her “ONE-DAY DeClutter Fast Method”
- Emergency Decluttering - (read: unexpected guests?)
- How Does Your Home Affect the Ones You Love?
- How to Declutter When You Don’t Know Where To Start
- The Tough-Love Truth About Order vs. Clutter
It's one of the most sensitively written books I've read on a topic that alot of us struggle with. You can really tell that Mimi uses her journey from "pack rat to organized" to help others who struggle with clutter and related issues.
If you don't have time to read a book, but still have a desire to tackle the clutter in your home, Declutter Your Home by Genevieve Tudor comes in audio format (as well as book format). The audio format is nice because you can download it onto your IPod and listen to it when you are exercising. A great way to multi-task and improve both the health of you and your home environment.
And there you have it, I hope you're motivated to Declutter ForNow and get on the road to Decluttering Forever. And please, do share your story with us below.
Have An Interesting Organizing Story?
Write About It Here!
HomeOrganizeIt.com is all about getting your home more organized so you have more time for what's important.
As a Professional Organizer, I've witnessed first hand the tranformation that can take place in people's lives through decluttering, simplifying and getting organized. Do you have an experience that has changed your life? Perhaps you've seen a friend or loved one journey through "chaos" and come out on the other side.
Here's your chance to tell others about your experience.
Share your organizing stories here and I'm sure those who visit this site will thank you, too!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Uma's Story
My friend Uma told me a very valuable story that I'd like to share with you. When she lost her husband at a very young age she decided to move to a smaller ...
Kerri's Kid's Art! Solution
No more macaroni and glue pictures in my basement rotting away in the moisture!! No more pasted and finger painted art that sticks to everything else ...
A Half Hour a Day keeps the Clutter Away
I'm a WAHM whose been living in some hard family circumstances for about 5 years. During this time and for the previous 10 years we've lived in the same ...
Thanks for sharing and be sure to check out our
Clutterless/Unique Gift Giving
page for ideas on how to keep out the clutter and give Clutterless gifts for any special occasion!
Check Out Oprah's Clutter Challenge
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