Chicago Home and Lifestyles – New Year-less stuff

So many of us have decluttering as one of our main goals for the New Year. But it can be a daunting task. We want to start out and just get it all done now! You dive in headfirst and then get frustrated quickly. The problem is you don’t have a plan. You must decide your objectives and then make a schedule and a plan of action. 

First thing is to start small. Want to go through your closet? Get yourself 3 decent sized boxes. Designate one as discard, the next as keep, and the last as donate. Next give yourself a time limit. Start with 30 minutes. Anyone can work for 30 minutes, and you’ll be surprised at how much you can do in that short time. Start at one end and work your way through. Be ruthless, no more than 15 seconds to decide where something goes. If you haven’t worn it in a year, gone! This works for clothes in dressers as well. After your 30-minute timer goes off you are done for now. Keep going if you feel like it. Time another 15 minutes. 

The small start works great in the kitchen too. One drawer or a single cabinet at a time does not seem like such a large task. Use the same rule here. Haven’t used a utensil or a pot in a year? Discard or donate! Discriminate when donating. Nobody wants a scratched-up frying pan or chipped dishes. Only donate good usable items. The refrigerator is another big task. One day go through condiments and other things that live in the fridge. Check dates. Next time, pull out everything in the door. Wash all parts in dish soap, rinse and dry before putting back. Next time, the rest of the inside. Do the freezer next, rotating everything and discarding anything older than 6 months. 

Big places like basements and garages can be done the same way. Break down into small areas. Again, give yourself a time limit so you don’t get overwhelmed. These tasks can take several months to complete, that’s ok. It took years to accumulate this stuff so it’s going to take some time to get rid of it. Remember, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago