The basic principle of decluttering is to get rid of things. But how do you decide WHICH things?
First, gather everything of a certain category. Let’s use shoes as an example. Gather the shoes from the entryway, the bedrooms, the basement storage. Hunt them all down. It’s so much easier to know what you can spare, when you can see it all at once. This is the key to decluttering.
Next, take a good look. You will likely be able to spot the ones you don’t like as much as the other ones (and can donate), or those that are worn out (and should be discarded). If you find two pairs that are similar, choose the one you like best! This is the spirit of decluttering.
While you are editing down your collection, you may find some which you don’t need right now, but you will need at a later date. For example, when children are growing into the next size every few months. You may keep these, but your daily life will be more pleasant if they are not in your way every day. So, another aspect of decluttering is finding a place to store these lesser-used items until it’s time to look through them again. I recommend marking your calendar to remind you to pull them out—including a note about where you stashed them! This will ensure successful decluttering.
Once the editing is done, consider where to store the remaining shoes that are actively in use. The storage solution that you choose will depend on various factors, but the ideal is not to have more shoes than will fit in the storage solution you have chosen. This is the challenging, fun part of decluttering!
Enjoy arranging them all nicely! Now that you have put in the work and got those good decluttered vibes going, you will find that you take more care to put the shoes away every time you are done using them. This is the magic of decluttering.
This basic technique can work with just about any category—clothing, books, paperwork, pantry supplies, kitchen gadgets, and even mementos. That’s DIY decluttering in a nutshell.
If it’s all too much, or it feels far more complicated than the steps above, or you simply don’t have enough time, contact me! I will be happy to come and make it all happen so you can continue to focus on doing the things that YOU do best.
