Build Decluttering into Your Life
Decluttering is a prime subject of conversation on talk shows, in books, and across social media. What are the best benefits of decluttering? We know by now that tidying up our living space feels great. But what other benefits does it offer? And are there enough of them to make decluttering worth the effort?
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In addition, our creativity will blossom as our physical space cleans up.
You Always Know What to Wear
If everything in your closet is something you know you love and it fits, putting together an outfit takes much less time. The added benefit? You know you’re always going to look fabulous.
You Can Quickly Identify Items to Put on Your Shopping List
Shopping becomes much more straightforward when you know what you have. At a glance, you can see what you are missing, whether from your wardrobe or household goods. That means you already know what you’re looking for before you leave the house and will wind up making a lot fewer impulse buys that you’ll later regret.
You Get Pickier About What You Buy
In taking the time to decide what matters within your household, you get used to asking those same questions when considering purchasing new items.
Questions like:
- Will I love this in a couple of months?
- Will I use it often?
- Am I willing to give up something else to make room for this?
- Do I truly need it?
- Will it bring me happiness when I see or use it?
Taking Care of Treasured Things Makes Them Last Longer
When you keep only things you love, you will find you’re treating those items with more respect. Possessions managed well tend to wear better and will last much longer than belongings handled carelessly.
Clean-Up Takes No Time at All – Stay Sane Declutter
With fewer items cluttering up your life, making a room tidy requires much less time and effort. You will also find it easier to put things away and have a clearer idea of where things belong. Building decluttering into your life has such great benefits!
Decision-Making is Easier – Stay Sane Declutter Daily
You’ve already decided which movies and books to keep based on what is important to you and what is worth saving. That means that making decisions about what to read or watch becomes easier. You already know whatever you still have is a winner.
Is it any wonder decluttering is good for us? Remember, a home that consists only of the essentials and those things you love is a peaceful home and one you can enjoy when you’re there.
5 Simple Ways to Build Decluttering into Your Life
Decluttering isn’t something you do once, and then you’re done with it forever. If such were the case, no one would ever feel overburdened by the stuff since most of us have decluttered our homes at some point.
The key to decluttering is realizing it needs to be a mindset, a set of habits you develop that not only cleans the extra stuff out of your life but keeps the clutter out as you move forward.
Keep reading to find out five simple ways you can build decluttering into your life:
Where’s That Donation Box?
A lot of the time, people tend not to get rid of things because they have nowhere to go with it. Creating a donation box and leaving it somewhere accessible, like the floor of your closet, means getting rid of things is as easy as pitching the object into the box. When the box is full, put it in your car immediately so you can drop it off at a donation center when you’re out on your usual errands.
Do It Now! Build Decluttering into Your Life
If you find something you no longer want, get rid of it immediately while you’re thinking about it. Toss it out or put it in the donation box, so you aren’t tempted to keep it later. Why put off what’s only going to take a moment to do?
Try a Timer
Make a deal with yourself. Rather than spending an entire weekend trying to work through your closet, every day, set a timer for ten minutes and see what kind of dent you can make into the project. Making tidying up a regular part of your day will turn it into a habit designed to keep clutter out of your life for good.
Make Sure Everything Has a Home
If you don’t have a place to put something, how can you ever put it away? Find a home for every object you want to keep. Can’t find one? Evict something else you don’t need to make room.
Stay sane by building decluttering into your life!
Know When to Re-organize, and When Not To
The biggest mistake people make is in thinking they can organize things as they declutter. The problem comes when you start wasting time organizing things that you’re not even sure if you’re going to keep. Get rid of things first and then spend your time on the organizational side of things to optimize your time.
Decluttering can become a way of life. Good habits start with doing the same things over and over. By spending a little time daily tidying in small ways, you’ll soon build a mindset of change impacting your home in positive ways for years to come.
Top 5 Tidying Tips for Everyone to Stay Sane and Declutter Daily
With so much excitement about decluttering lately, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and not to know where to begin. Rather than quitting before you start, how about trying these simple tips to help you tidy up your stuff, and by extension, your life.
Make the Most of Your Drawers
By knowing how to fold your clothes correctly, you’ll be able to see what you own at a glance, without needing a massive walk-in closet. Try the Marie Kondo method of folding your clothes first into a long strip and then make it smaller by folding it in half and from there into thirds. By tucking the tiny bundle of clothing upright in your drawer, you can find things quickly and store a lot more in a small space.
Know What You Own Declutter Daily
Work first with just one type of clutter by dumping everything of one kind together in one place. Seeing things together makes it very clear what you have and don’t have. That way, you discover where you have a surplus of the same item, making it easy to get rid of the excess.
A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
By designating a spot for everything you own, you know just where to put it when you tidy up. If you can’t find a place for it, you have to ask yourself if it’s something you genuinely need. If so, ask yourself if another item needs to go to make room for it.
But Where’s the Joy? Build Decluttering into Your Life
If you’re not sure about keeping something, ask yourself how you feel about the item. Things with negative connotations need to go. Only keep what makes you happy when you see it or use it.
Start on What’s Easy Stay Sane Declutter Daily
When trying to decide about things, begin with the most comfortable category. Clothes are generally the simplest as your decisions have natural parameters:
- Does it fit?
- Is it still in style?
- Do I like wearing this?
Next, go to books and movies, getting rid of things you’re not likely to want or enjoy again. From there, tackle objects in the kitchen and other rooms and evaluate as to how useful items are. Leave the sentimental items for last, as by this point, you’ll have gotten this decluttering thing down pretty well.
The key to tidying up is getting rid of the extraneous objects around you. After all, you can’t clean clutter! From here, it’s a simple matter of putting away those things you still love and enjoy.
5 Items You Should Throw Out Right Now
Every home has clutter, whether you’re conscious of it or not. Some things are so small or insignificant that they get overlooked when you’re on your tidying up spree. These are the things that are the most insidious, seeming to multiply when you turn your back. Read on to find out several items you should throw out right now, without even stopping to think about it.
Expired items
Whether you’re talking about old antibiotics you didn’t finish or the spices in the back of the kitchen cupboard, expired items are everywhere and can harm you if you use them.
- Food items: Check your pantry for old spices, dry goods, canned goods, or any packaged food. When done, take a minute to go through your refrigerator and ditch the expired condiments like ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, or salad dressing.
- Spices: Don’t forget to sort through your seasoning packets as well as the boxes and bottles of seasoning.
- Medication: Prescription medication can be especially harmful, but over the counter things expire as well. Contact your pharmacy for instructions on how to dispose of items correctly for the safety of pets and small children in your care.
- Make-up: A lot of bacteria lives in old make-up. So even if it’s something that hasn’t expired, if you’ve used it for several months, it might be time to toss it.
Writing instruments
Toss out non-functional pens, dried out markers, broken mechanical pencils, or those well-chewed pencils populating your desk drawers.
Socks
Whether they’re missing a match or have a hole in the toe or heel, it’s time to let them go. No, you’re not going to fix them, and its mate is probably long gone (No. No one knows where it went).
Grocery Bags
While reusing plastic grocery bags is a great idea, just how many do you need? Keep a reasonable number for reuse and recycle the rest.
Old Reading Material
Cull the magazines and release any books you’ve finished reading and are not likely to read again. A lot of places love donations of these items, such as shelters, jails, and nursing homes. Share the love of a good book with others rather than keeping your space cluttered.
But when it comes down to it, you only have so much space. And if you have more stuff than you have space for, then your house is cluttered and you’re feeling the effects.
“And honestly, you don’t want all the space you have filled with stuff, either. You want to have some breathing room. And it starts with just keeping what you need. By paying attention to the little things around us, it’s easy to find a lot of clutter that you might sweep under the radar. A quick toss of these items will free up more space than you think and leaves your world much tidier.”
Spiked Parenting
Build Decluttering into Your Life
Stay sane, declutter daily. Slow and steady, Kaizen style. You will bring joy and shalom into your home. Have fun with it!
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