Declutter Without the Overwhelm: 3 Easy Steps

With the holiday season over and people coming back from vacation comes a new focus for a brand new year. 2015 is an opportunity for a clean slate, which means getting organized and productive, which is no easy feat with many factors competing for our time. We’re busy with home and work obligations, trying to stay focused on task but have social media distractions, then we look up from our iPhones or tablets and notice the junk mail piling up on the table or remember to get rid of old sweaters because we got new ones for Christmas. Then we think of all the stuff we have to do around the house and get so overwhelmed. But you don’t have to be.

Here are three ways to start decluttering:

1. Start with one small space or contained area. Like whenever I come home from a trip, I find unpacking to be a challenge. But, really I just get started – whatever my eye sees is what I start with. One bag. Eye it, take it to the room where the contents belong and just start unpacking. Once I’m done with one bag, I move on to another one and another one until all the unpacking is done.

Here are places you could start:

• 1 handbag or diaper bag
• 1 junk drawer
• 1 shelf
• 1 space on your kitchen countertop
• 1 place in your car – like the glove compartment or cargo area
• 1 toolbox
• 1 small cubby’s worth of toys
• 1 pantry shelf

2. Take it a step further.
You’ll notice that once you actually SEE the progress, it’s easier to go on to the bigger areas, like a closet or chest of drawers. You can see what hasn’t been worn for a year and either toss, donate or sell on eBay or a consignment store. You might be energized to clutter clear a whole room and notice how much energy you have because you don’t have all that clutter weighing you down.

You can move on to paper an electronics. Junk mail. Toss in recycling. Done. Email inboxes. You can unsubscribe from what you don’t read.

3. Have a “Let it go” mindset.
If you’ve watched the movie Frozen where Princess Elsa sings “Let it go” you can try internalizing this song if you’re hesitant about getting rid of something. When in real doubt though, put the item in a box and revisit it in six months. If you need it before then keep it, if not, toss or donate. By getting rid of what you don’t need, you can surely make space for good things to come and have a great new year!

These tips will save you time when you declutter your home.

Want a fun way to clear your clutter?

Join the self-paced, 4-Week Zen Space Challenge at the signup box at lorirochino.com.