It is time to get organized for the New Year. What better way to start than with these tips to help you cut through the clutter.
Set Limits
We have to draw the line somewhere. Do we really need 12 spatulas. I love a good spatula but somewhere along the line it starts to become clutter. So set a limit. The magic spatula number could be 5. Then I can pick my 5 favorites and give the other 7 away to family, friends, or donate them. This idea works for anything in your house. Toys, books, white t-shirts, you name it. Set a limit and when you purchase something new in the category then you must get rid of an existing one. This tip can also apply to space. The (Mostly) Simple Life suggests having space limits. For example, once the toy box is full no more toys. Or you need to get rid of toys to make room for the new toy. Once all the hangers are filled you have to get rid of a shirt before you can hang a new one. These tip will surely help you cut through some of the clutter in your home.
50 Items To Through Away
Sunny Home Creations has this fabulous list of 50 things to throw away today. That means you could do one thing on the list each week and still take a holiday off. Each item wouldn’t take more than 30min. to go through and toss. Or be ambitious and tackle one item a day. Either way you do it this tip to help you cut through the clutter will do just that.
Set A Timer
If we think of decluttering our WHOLE house at once it is extremely overwhelming. So try this tip and set a timer for 20min (even 10min if 20 feels like too much). Then get to work. Knowing there is an end in sight can help with that overwhelming feeling. I’ve even turned an episode of a show on and worked while I watched. When the episode is over I’m done. Or if I want to keep watching then I keep decluttering. Every effort helps with decluttering so set that timer and get to work.
Go Digital
As much as we all love the art work of our loved ones it can become overwhelming to store it all. So go digital. Take this lovely picture for example. My daughter painted it and it had a place of honor in our home for a time but that time has come and gone. Do we throw away this magnificent piece of artwork? The answer could be yes but if you are nostalgic like me it’s hard to throw their masterpieces away. That is where the digital part comes in. Simply take a picture of the artwork and you will always have it to remember. This may not be the answer for all the papers in your life but it has been my go to way to save my kids artwork from school. It also makes it easy to add the artwork to the photo books I make online and decluttering is accomplished.
We all love our things but too much stuff can become clutter. With these tips to help you cut through the clutter you will be able to keep what you really want and need and find greater peace of mind in a clutter free home.
