Fall may not be a season synonymous with decluttering, but what better time to take stock of your possessions and let go of the things you don’t want or need any more. The cooler temperatures have energized me to start mercilessly decluttering, and hopefully I can get done in time to still have a garage sale this season!
I talk a lot about decluttering on this blog because I truly believe that the more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you. But I find that a lot of people are frozen on where to begin and how to properly execute their decluttering plans. Today I am going to break decluttering down room by room, and give you some prompts to help get you going in the right direction. This isn’t a plan you have to follow to a t, just a jumping point to get you started.
Declutter Room By Room
One of my favorite methods of decluttering is the Konmari method, which is outlined by Marie Kondo in her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She suggests going by category and gathering every item in that category from every location in the house. I find the idea of gathering every book, or piece of clothing, or paperwork from every single room of the house overwhelming. And I think a lot of others do as well. So I suggest going room by room.
Two clothes baskets are the perfect tools for decluttering a room. One for trash, and one for donate. If an entire room is overwhelming, start with a section of the room. Declutter a bookshelf, or a closet. Completely finish the room or area before you move onto anything else.
Deal With The Clutter Immediately
Once you have separated out the things you want to trash and get rid of, do so as soon as possible! My basement is full of things I have decided to get rid of over the past year, but never did. And guess where that led? Now I have a huge mess, and a huge job of going through all that stuff a second time. I have started taking things out to my garage as I declutter and pricing and arranging them for my garage sale. Its weeks away, but that stuff is ready to go! Make a trip to Goodwill right away, or plan a yard sale as soon as possible. Don’t let the clutter linger a minute longer than you have to.
Would You Purchase Those Things Again?
Someone recently shared an amazing decluttering tip with me. Declutter like you are shopping in your house. Would you buy that item if you were in a store? If the answer is no, odds are it needs to go. This has drastically cut down on the “should I get rid of this?” debate with me and accelerated my decluttering. The whole point of going through your possessions is only keeping what you really love, and what adds value to your life. How sad to think of all the time and money we exchange on inanimate objects we don’t even really like!
Make A List
The best way to stay on track is to make a list. Its also really satisfying to check things off that list and start seeing some progress! Make a list of the areas and items you want to go through, and check them off as you complete them. If you aren’t a big list-maker, I have included a free printable below to get you started. Click on the image to download and print your own copy.
I hope this gets you off to a great start with your fall decluttering! What is your biggest roadblock to getting started? Share it with me in the comments below.
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