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4 Steps to Declutter Anything

Many of my friends are clutter bugs. They put off getting rid of things because they don’t know how to declutter.

I was once there myself. Decluttering isn’t hard, as long as you follow a few steps and don’t get sidetracked.

Gather Your Materials

You are going to need some basic tools for decluttering. They don’t have to be fancy, just grab something that will work.

• Boxes. You will need three boxes. Label them (I prefer masking tape and a marker): Give Away, Ambivalent, Keep
• Trash bag. You will need these for the items to discard.
• A rag for cleaning We’re going to clean up the container and the things you will be keeping before you put it back.

Pick One Area To Declutter

The secret to not getting overwhelmed with decluttering is to pick a small area. You will not be able to declutter a whole room at once. Pick a shelf, a drawer, or a surface to declutter. If you get done quickly you can always go on to the next one. It may be necessary to move the drawer or the contents of the shelf or area to another area of the house that has already been decluttered so you don’t get distracted or overwhelmed.

Sort

You’re now ready to start. Pick up the top item in the pile, and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I love this?
2. Do I use this?

• If you love it and use it, clean it off and put it in the keep pile.
• If you love it but don’t use it, ask yourself if you can part with it to someone else. If you can’t, clean it off and put it in the keep pile. Otherwise put it in the ambivalent box.
• If you don’t love it but use it, ask yourself if you can do without it, or if you could borrow it if you should need it again. If you know you can, put it in the give away box. If you think you can do without it, put it in the ambivalent box. If you can’t do without it, clean it off and put it in the keep pile.
• If you don’t love it and don’t use it, put it in the give away pile. This includes all those well-intentioned gifts you were given but will never use.

Repeat until you are through your pile.

Cleanup

There’s a little more work to do. We must get everything where it is going.

1. Go through the give away box. If you would not buy this item at a thrift store, or if it is damaged in every way, put it in the trash. Be merciless. Don’t make thrift stores get rid of your garbage.
2. Take the trash to outside garbage right now.
3. Put the give away box in your car trunk right now.
4. Put a label on the ambivalent box saying: discard on and calculate a day six months out. Write that date on your calendar. Put the box somewhere where you won’t see it every day.
5. Put away the items you are keeping. If the item goes somewhere else, put it there now.

Summary

Decluttering isn’t physically difficult if you take it in small enough chunks. It may be hard to part with some items, but if they are bad for your psyche, you need to get them out of your living space. Give those items away joyfully, knowing that they will go where they are appreciated and used.

Technorati : cleaning, clutter, declutter, simplicity

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