Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Tips for Decluttering from Professional Organizers
Organizing always comes up in the springtime. We often think of spring cleaning as a way to wake up after the long winter. What better time to get decluttered and organized? It’s also a good financial move too. How many times have you lost a bill under a pile of papers on your desk? Or replaced an item that you stumble upon later? When you declutter it saves time, it saves money and it saves stress. Here are 3 tips from pros to get started:
Start small. Professionals recommend this as a first step as we can become overwhelmed with an entire house of clutter. Taking “small bites” over a long period of time is much better than delaying forever and trying to tackle it on a weekend. Pick something small, a low stakes place like a linen closet, under the bathroom or kitchen sink, the pantry or a junk drawer. These are places where it’s easier to make decisions. Then you can prioritize. Which places are making you the craziest now? Find your point of pain and clear that area first.
Discard with a purpose. Take stock of the area you are looking at. For instance: your bedroom closet. It’s for storing clothes and accessories to prepare for your day. Anything else in there doesn’t fit. You may be storing a box of knick knacks, or a pile of tote bags that need to find a new home. Also, any piece of clothing or footwear not worn in a year needs to be gone. Donate it or throw it out. Ask yourself, do I keep this because I love it or does it serve a vital purpose in my everyday life? If you’re feeling guilty or it’s not something relevant to your life you can let it go. Embrace where you are now.
Create a system to keep on track. Now that you are all organized you don’t want to slide back into your old ways. Think about your spaces as finite containers. You can’t make the walls or your closets bigger. If you add something you have to take something out. Give your clutter a place to go. Keep a basket for incoming mail and set aside 2 times a week to go through it. Go paperless as much as possible. Set aside a space in your home and place a small bin there. If you see an item you think you don’t really need anymore, put it in there. When the bin is full take it to Goodwill and donate it! The items stay there for a bit and then it’s easier to just let them go.
Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago
