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Over time, almost every person’s living space is prone to accumulating clutter and becoming less than tidy. Unfortunately, in our busy day-to-day lives, organization, and cleaning can sometimes fall by the wayside, and once we decide to make time for it again, we may feel like we have a huge job to complete. Despite the sometimes overwhelming nature of this task, the fact of the matter is that decluttering your space can make a huge difference in your general satisfaction with your home and the way you operate on a daily basis. You may even need to do it before a move, but you might not know where to start to clear your home out.
How to Declutter Your Home
No matter the reason you’re choosing to declutter your space, you’re usually better for it. When you choose to declutter, you allow yourself to sift through the items you’ve accumulated over time and begin to separate them into categories — donate, sell, trash, and keep. You might still be wondering, “What’s the best way for me to go about this process? How can I successfully declutter my home, and where should I even begin?” Not to worry — we have all the answers you need to turn your home decluttering into a success!
How to Plan to Declutter Your Home
Decluttering, especially if you’re looking to declutter your entire home, can be a large, time-consuming project — there’s no two ways about it. However, that doesn’t mean you need to assign yourself a strict timeline to adhere to. In fact, cramming in long days of decluttering is typically a pretty unnecessary move, as it only makes the job more difficult to effectively complete.
Instead, opt for short stints of time to work on your decluttering process. Even a few minutes can be helpful. When you first dive into the task, set a timer for 10 or 20 minutes, and devote that time to working in one area of your home. This is a great way to prevent yourself from being overwhelmed by the project and ease your way into it. Plus, you can usually declutter much more effectively when you’re able to take your time.
Make a Strategy
In the same vein as starting small, you should also complete your work methodically. You don’t want to scatter your work all over the house, as it can be difficult to see any noticeable results. This can be extremely discouraging as you work through a declutter and may decrease your motivation.
Instead, segment your focus into small chunks, such as one room or even one area of the room (for instance, the kitchen cabinets). When you do this, you can much more quickly see tangible results, rather than having various partially finished parts of your house without any substantial decluttering completed. Working in this fashion is a much better use of your time.
The 90/90 Rule for Decluttering
We all have items that we don’t really want or need anymore. They stopped getting any use long ago, or perhaps they never got any use in the first place.
No matter what the case may be, you don’t want to keep anything around that’s going unused for long stretches of time. Sometimes, it can be difficult for people to let go of those items; they may feel like they’ll eventually get used, or maybe they simply don’t think it’s really been that long since the last time they’ve used it.
To keep yourself honest with these items, try the 90/90 rule. This rule asks you to assess whether an item has been used in the last 90 days or if it’ll be used in the next 90 days. You can adjust the time frame to whatever works for you, but the concept still stands. If the answer to both of those questions is no, it’s time to let go of that item, as it may not be worth the space it’s taking up in your house.
Ask for Help!
When you’re struggling to determine which of your items you no longer want or need, one of the best choices you can make is to enlist the help of someone outside your home. With the assistance of a trusted loved one, you can gain an objective perspective of items that you may otherwise keep due to sentimental value.
The viewpoint of another person can go a long way in helping you to be more realistic about what items actually serve a purpose for you on a regular basis. It can be daunting to handle the task alone, but the help of a friend or family member can go a long way in easing the burden of a difficult decluttering.
Access Replaceable Items
Although you obviously shouldn’t get rid of items just for the sake of getting rid of them, especially if you actually do have a valid use for them, it’s important to remember that a lot of the things you’re currently clinging onto are easily replaceable.
If you’re hesitating on getting rid of an item because you might need it in the future, that’s a completely understandable response, but it’s great to implement the thought process of assessing whether or not you can easily obtain the item again if needed.
Many decluttering experts suggest the 20/20 rule, which suggests that you can get rid of items if you could get them again in less than 20 minutes and for less than $20. You can tweak this rule for your own needs, but it’s a great way to gauge what items are truly replaceable in the grand scheme of things.
Give New Life to Old Items
One of the most important things to remember throughout the decluttering process is that selling or donating your items allows them to gain a second wind! Other people may put your items to much better use and more frequently, so allow that to ease your mind as you complete this task. Donating to a local secondhand shop or hosting a yard sale is a great way to allow other people to breathe new life into your once-forgotten items.
How to Find the Right Movers After Decluttering
With these tips and tricks, decluttering doesn’t have to feel like a disaster. Instead, you can make the process simple and manageable with the right methods. Are you currently decluttering ahead of a move? Or are you perhaps looking for some extra storage after you declutter?
Turn to RLD Relocation & Logistics for your moving and storage needs. Our team of professionals can help you turn the process into a breeze. Interested in discovering more about what we can do for you? Request a free, in-home estimate today!
