Clearing the Clutter in 8 Steps or Less

If you haven’t already started on that oh-so-infamous, New Year’s resolution to clear out the clutter in your home/office/car/brain/whatever…you’re probably not alone.  Millions of us make the same resolution year after year about how we will FINALLY get rid of all the junk in our lives and start living it instead.  So for all the ones that haven’t made it that far, here are some helpful tips to get you started:

GET PREPARED MENTALLY!

Yep, that’s right.  You have to psyche yourself up for something like this.  It didn’t get that way overnight, and it’s probably not the result of just a time crunch.  We get cluttered because we don’t or won’t deal with the stuff cluttering our lives.  An emotional process usually goes hand-in-hand with clutter, BUT take heart.  It’s not that hard!  It may look overwhelming, but you CAN do it.

1. The first mental step is telling yourself you can do it.
2. The second is to put yourself in the frame of mind that this is simply a quick organization of items based on use.
3. Psyche yourself up mentally to purge, baby, purge.
4. Remember clearing the clutter is a step-by-step process…take it one mental step at a time!
5. DON’T ruminate over how you are going to do it or what will stay or go before you even start!

PICK A DATE!

That’s right.  This is a planned event that deserves as much attention as anything else in your appointment book.  If you can fit in an entire day, that would be super!  But, plan on at least a couple of hours for a small area…and only do one small area at a time!  Don’t try to declutter the entire house in one day…it won’t work.

GET PREPARED!

Before your de-cluttering day arrives, you need to make sure you have the equipment and tools you’ll need to make it as smooth as possible.

• Five boxes labeled “KEEP”, “TRASH”, “DONATE”, “SELL”, “UM-MM”
• 1 roll of tape
• Pad of paper
• 1 marker
• 1 Timer
• Measuring tape (if you plan to sell anything)
• A Camera (again, if you plan to sell anything)
• A friend (optional, but almost always a big bonus)
• Scheduled donation pick-up on or the next day after your de-clutter day or a cleared out trunk in your vehicle to put donations

START CLEARING!

On your planned day, clear that space quickly and with as little thought as possible.  If you use an item on a regular basis, keep it.  If you don’t, sell it or donate it.  If you’re emotionally attached, but don’t really use it, put it in the “Um-mm” box for now.  If it’s broken or unusable, it goes in the trash.

A little note about the “Um-mm” box:  we all have items that for one reason or another we never use, yet are unwilling to easily part with them.  Don’t feel bad about your attachment, but recognize it for what it is and put it in the “Um-mm” box so you can deal with it later.  Too often we dwell on little “um-mm’s” so much that we become paralyzed and cannot deal with the other stuff in our lives.  Set it aside for now and deal with the rest of the clutter.

GO FOR IT!

You’ve purged a lot; you’ve done it quickly and with little thought, and you’ve put aside some items.  You’ve made a lot of progress.  Keep going!

Get out the timer, grab hold of that “Um-mm” box and give yourself two minutes to purge that box.  There is only one rule for determining what stays and what goes…Only those items which you absolutely cannot live without get to leave the box…

If you couldn’t decide, it all stays in the box!

DUMP, DONATE, DO!

It’s time to take out the trash.  Move the donation items and your “Um-mm” box to the porch or trunk of your car.  Get them out of there ASAP!

Do NOT even think of trying to sell anything in the “Um-mm” box.  You and I both know that you’ll probably talk yourself into keeping it.  In a week, give yourself permission to grieve over it and remind yourself that someone somewhere is loving your beloved item as much as you did, and they are actually using it!

If you have a “For Sale” box, put it in another room so you won’t be distracted by it.  If you have a friend, have him/her take the items in another room, take pictures of each while documenting any blemishes or unique characteristics and any applicable measurements.  (Once you’ve taken down all the information, move the box somewhere where you won’t see it on a daily basis, but is accessible when someone is interested in purchasing it….storage units and garages are great for these types of situations!)

ORGANIZE!  ORGANIZE!  ORGANIZE!

Now is the time to sit back and think of how you really use the items you are keeping.

• Are there any items that are in your “keep” box which don’t belong in your cleared space?  Set them aside.
• Do you reach for a certain item with your left hand or right hand?  If you use a keypad with your right hand, but are often interrupted because you have to answer the phone, consider moving the phone to the left side of your area so that you can easily do both.
• What items do you use most frequently?  Consider moving them closer to where you use them.
• Group items together like paper and the printer.

Set up your newly cleared space in a manner more friendly to how you use it.  It will help you keep de-cluttered.

THE PAYOFF!

Your final step is to post, submit or consign your “For Sale” items.

Set aside a time just for that.  Submit the photos and information to your local consignment shop, Craigslist, newspaper or on-line group.  (see my article on selling and donating items on-line for more information.)

Now that you’ve de-cluttered your space (and maybe made a little money too!) and definitely improved someone else’s life…enjoy your new found freedom and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

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