Unclutter your Home – Unclutter your Life
Creating a cozy and comfortable home is not always an easy task. We have to take all the things we’ve gathered along the way and decide what is necessary and what is not. The means choosing which items create the kind of home we’re aiming for and which items have become clutter. Clutter can be stressful, so when you unclutter your home, you reduce stress, you free up time and resources and you essentially unclutter your life.
We all have things we hang on to that have either outlived their usefulness or just don’t seem to fit into our current lifestyle. Some we may be ready to part with, but sometimes we just aren’t ready or able to let go of those things. If we’re going to keep them (and it’s ok to keep things that are important to you, no matter the reason), we need to be smart about how we store them.
We need to find simple and useful ways to store and organize those “treasures” until we have. Sometimes it seems easier just to give up and shove it all in a closet or spare bedroom and think about it later, but it’s worth taking the time to organize and store it all properly.
One Step at a Time
You didn’t acquire all of these things in one day, so remember, you’re not going to unclutter your home and get everything organized in just one day. That is a recipe for frustration and failure. First, you need to make a plan and decide what decluttering and organizing means to you. That plan should include your priorities. Once you know that you can start making it happen. You will have to be disciplined to make it work, but it’s ok. You can start over or change your plan as many times as you need to. Just remember, don’t move on to the next step until you’ve completed the one you’re working on now.
Keep It Simple
If you want to unclutter your entire home, and you really need to make more space, think simple. Complicated solutions are more likely to frustrate you (and probably cost you time and money). Don’t start with the worst space. Start with an easy space that doesn’t need a lot of work to give yourself a sense of accomplishment, and give you the energy you need to completely unclutter your life.
Perhaps you want to start with a single drawer, like your kitchen junk drawer, or your bathroom make-up drawer. Remove everything from the drawer and set aside everything that doesn’t need to go back in it. Next, wipe the drawer clean. Anything you decide to put back in your drawer should be simply organized. You can use dividers or small boxes to organize by purpose or color or whatever works for you.
Make Your Walls More Interesting
You can also use your walls to organize. Blank walls don’t do anything to help create a comfortable, cozy atmosphere. But you don’t have to resort to generic and boring artwork either. You can use some of those treasures that you have in wall displays or on shelves. Don’t try to put everything out on display, just pick out a few favorite pieces. If you love them all, you can rotate your displays seasonally. Combine them with framed or canvas-printed family photos or other art that is meaningful to you.
Creating and organizing the visual displays in your home will help with uncluttering your home and also help you accomplish your goal of creating a comfortable home that reflects you and your family.
Where Do You Put the “Leftovers”?
No matter how ruthlessly and thoroughly you unclutter your home, there are always those things that you don’t have a place for, but you aren’t ready to part with. So what do you do with those “leftover” items? You can store them in your basement or garage or the spare closet. Don’t just shove them in, though. Storing them in an organized fashion will help you find them later. I recommend using plastic storage totes and then labeling them so you know what you have and where it is.
A few months ago, my sister gifted me with a Brother P-Touch labeler. At first, I thought it was kind of silly as I can easily write on a paper label and stick it on the bin. And then I tried it. It is so much neater and tidier than my handwritten labels. And the P-Touch labels stick better to the bins.
In the end, when you unclutter your home, organize what’s left and give everything a proper place, I believe you’ll find your home a more peaceful, more inviting and less stressful place to be. I hope these few tips will help you get started on your path to an uncluttered life.
And, if you need additional help or resources for uncluttering your home, message me here to set up an organizing consultation.