Beginning Declutter Strategies

It’s hard to know where to start organize when you are overwhelmed. This is definitely an area that is not taught in school. Many of us do not have parents that modeled this behavior for us either. So how do we begin?

1. Pick one area or room. It’s ambitious to say the whole house is disorganized and that is what you want to conquer. The best way to ensure success is to pick one room or space at a time. I would suggest this space is now your “why”. Why do you want to declutter and get organized? This could be a kitchen counter or the entire kitchen. The choice is yours. 
2. Take a “before” picture. It will feel uncomfortable or even embarrassing. At the end of the session, it’s good to see how much you accomplished.
3. Remove obvious trash from the area. This makes things look much better! Sounds simple but it can have a big impact on a room. 
4. Empty the area if you have the space to temporarily store the items removed. This can get pretty overwhelming quickly if you get too ambitious. I like to say, “it will get worse before it gets better.” This has been true for every single organizing project I’ve done, including my own. ( If you don’t have the room, it’s fine because most people don’t. Then you will start just inside the door if there is a lot of clutter and work yourself around the room.) You may start with a particular surface if that is your intended target. For example, a particular dresser or the top of the dresser vs the entire bedroom. 
5. As you pull the items out of the space, you will quickly make a decision about the items: KEEP, TOSS OR DONATE. Do not dwell on these decisions. There is freedom in letting go. If there is something you really are struggling with in making a decision about, put it aside and keep working.
6. As you work through the space, think of what your vision of decluttered is. This helps you determine when to stop. (Make sure this is YOUR vision and not someone else’s)
7. Get others to help if this is not your space. The exception being very young children. In going through this process as a parent, you are modeling the behavior you want to teach your child to have. As a spouse, this can be challenging so finding common ground is the best way to go.
8. Take a picture when you are finished. 
9. Celebrate your effort.
10. Once this space is decluttered,  purchase accessories ( bins, hooks, shelves, etc) that will make the space a little more functional while keeping clutter at bay.

Congratulations, you are now on the path to living organized! You are now free to move on to the next space.  If you were unable to get through this process, you may need to hire a Professional Organizer to help you. We are great at helping people where they are.