To start with, don’t try to organize before downsizing your belongings. Decluttering that way doesn’t work.
Every attempt to organize the mountains of stuff you don’t need or use will never solve your clutter problem.
Organized clutter is very sneaky and powerful. Sooner or later, it will make its way out of your organized system, causing again the same mess and stress in your home.
Start by decluttering the amount of stuff you have first before you even begin organizing. Don’t spend your money buying bins, boxes or baskets until you have ruthlessly decluttered.
Get rid of all broken, soiled and rusty items. Nobody will use them or need them. Let go of the things you don’t need, use or love. Once you declutter your home, keeping it functional and clean will be a breeze.
Deliver your donations
Take donations away from your home. When you finish sorting your belongings, you might get excited about donating a few boxes to the local thrift store, then you get sidetracked and they are still there, a week or month later.
When items you’re getting rid of hang around the house too long, it’s too easy for you to start second-guessing your decluttering decisions.
The sensible solution: When you’re decluttering, don’t let things you’re getting rid of sit around for weeks or months. Make a plan to get them out of the house as quickly as possible. Letting go of piles of stuff will allow you to experience freedom and clarity in the organized space.
Keeping stuff for somebody else
This is one of the biggest time and money wasters while you’re decluttering. As time goes on, you realize that nobody wants those items but you still have a hard time parting with them.
Your beliefs are the most common excuse for keeping an excessive amount of stuff. It’s a gift, saving for my grandkids, it will be worth a lot of money one day.
The sensible solution: Before you start saving things for your family, ask them if they need or want it. Another problem homeowners have is allowing their family and friends to use their homes as public storage. If you agree to help them out, it should not be any longer than three months.
Selling things to buy more
Sometimes you declutter and get rid of your stuff but find your home cluttered again a few months later. So, what could be the problem here?
You never fully resolved the need for constant buying. You can’t resist the sales, gifts or freebies. It could be that you don’t feel comfortable living the life of a minimalist.
The sensible solution: Simplifying your home and life is a two-part process. The first part is getting rid of anything you don’t use, need or love. The second part is to avoid shopping for the things you don’t need. A big part of embracing a simpler home and life is changing your shopping habits.
Simplify your life to amplify your happiness.
Life coach Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in the qathet region and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.
