Decluttering -5 Tips & Tricks To Get You Started
by Martha Tobin, Room2Breathe
Decluttering is a daunting task at the best of times and your feelings of overwhelm may be holding you back from beginning. Here are 5 tips and tricks to get you started:
(1). Start with one room at a time and focus on one section of that room.
I recommend starting with the surfaces and removing all items from these surfaces (ie. desk or counter top).
(2). If you find items that belong in other rooms, just put them in a box labelled ‘other rooms’ and continue to stay in and on track with the room you are working on.
(3). For each item on these surfaces, determine if you still use it. For items no longer used, put them in a box labelled ‘to give’, ‘to sell’ or ‘trash’.
(4). For those items that you are keeping, ask yourself about their frequency of use. Prime real estate in that room is for items used hourly and daily (so placed within arms reach) while weekly and monthly items can be within standing or walking distance respectively.
(5). Once the surfaces of the room are decluttered, then pick another section of that room (i.e. drawers or cupboards) and repeat the above process.
By tackling decluttering one room at a time, you will not only see progress but that progress will keep you motivated to declutter other rooms.
