De-cluttering Your Home: What to Do First

Whether you’re preparing for a major move or your space is just starting to look a little too chaotic, many people feel overwhelmed when they first realize that it’s time to de-clutter. De-cluttering can be an exhausting, emotional process, and with so many items to find a place for, it’s often challenging to figure out exactly how to get started. Here are a few tips on beginning to de-clutter your home.

Develop a Strategy

Coming up with a strategy is an excellent way to keep yourself focused and on task while you’re de-cluttering. The idea of de-cluttering your entire home can seem intimidating, which is why many people prefer to focus on one room at a time. It can be helpful to take a moment to visualize how you want the room to look when you’re finished, giving yourself a measurable goal to work towards.

Other people choose to focus on a particular issue, rather than a whole room. You could start by going through the pile of papers in your office, your overflowing medicine cabinet, or your messy closets. There are probably one or two unorganized areas of your home that frustrate you every time you look at them, and these can be some of the best places to begin.

Start Small, Go Slow

The most difficult part of starting to de-clutter is deciding exactly where to start. The best idea is not to spend too much time thinking about how to begin, and instead just start with whatever feels most natural. Empty out one overstuffed drawer, or organize a single shelf.  Find homes for a few items that always seem to end up sitting on a counter or table.  Accomplishing a couple of small de-cluttering tasks in the beginning of the process can help motivate you towards achieving larger goals.

Clutter develops gradually over time, and often the best approach to de-cluttering is similarly slow and steady. It’s easy to get overwhelmed during de-cluttering, particularly if you try to do too much all at once. Rather than trying to de-clutter your whole house in a single day, spend just two or three hours organizing your possessions. Setting small reasonable goals can go a long way towards helping you develop better organizational habits over the long-term. It will help you remember each item’s new storage place in your home, making you more likely to put each item back in the same place next time you use it.

Set Aside De-cluttering Time

Plan a few short de-cluttering sessions throughout the week, and clear your schedule for them. The right amount of de-cluttering time is different for everyone: Some people prefer to work in short bursts of 15 minutes every day, while others choose to set aside a few hours once or twice a week.  Keep in mind that de-cluttering tasks may often take longer than you initially expected so don’t get discouraged.

Not only do these small de-cluttering sessions help to prevent you from becoming tired and overwhelmed, but they lay the foundation for more permanent organizational habits. De-cluttering isn’t a single event; it’s a movement towards a more organized lifestyle. The time that you initially set aside for de-cluttering can eventually evolve into time you put towards maintaining your newly de-cluttered space.

Do you live in Toronto or the surrounding GTA and need help de-cluttering your home or office?  Contact us today and learn how we can help bring organization back into your life!