It's January - have you started de-cluttering yet? After I take down the holiday decorations my organizing instinct automatically kicks in and I want to tackle the whole house. My tendency is to come up with big, ambitious plans but then only follow through on a some of them. Then somehow by March my fervent desire to clean starts to wane.
Here's what I've come to realize: If you really want to beat clutter, you really need to go at it all year round. Little by little. Room by room. And it helps to plan. Here are a few tips for getting a grip on your household stuff this year:
Dream - Do a brain dump of all the organizing/de-cluttering projects that you would like to do this year. Sometimes it helps to see it all on paper.
Prioritize - Spend some time thinking about why you want to de-clutter each space on your list. An order of priority will probably become clear. For me, cleaning up the basement rose to the top because we need to move out of our 3rd floor in a few weeks for our remodel project and we'll need the basement for temporary storage.
Plan - Whether you do a little de-cluttering every day or have a big weekend clutter-busting party, it makes sense to go one room at a time. Set up a schedule if you need to - maybe 15 minutes a day, one smaller project a day or one room a month. I recommend tackling the most annoying mess first and then moving on from there. It always makes me feel good to make progress!
Be Prepared - Before you start to tackle a room, gather up a bunch of bags and boxes so you can create piles: One for the thrift store, one for consignment, one for recycling, one for trash. Hopefully the trash bag will be really small. :) If you're not sure where to recycle something check Earth911.com. And don't forget about Craigslist and Freecycle!
Accept - Give up on perfection. It's not likely that your home will look like it belongs in Real Simple or Martha Stewart magazine. But it will look a heck of a lot better than when you started!
Reflect - Give yourself a pat on the back when you are finished with a project. Even just getting through one file drawer can feel like a major accomplishment! Appreciate and enjoy your newly de-cluttered space!
One last thing...and it's a biggie. One of the best ways to reduce clutter is to bring less stuff into your home in the first place. That's a big goal I'm working on for 2011.
How about you? How do you go about tackling clutter in your home? Any great eco-friendly organizing tips to share?
The gals of the Green Moms Carnival are talking about cleaning up the clutter this month! Come visit the carnival at Strocel.com anytime January 17th or later. You'll find lots of tips for how to de-clutter and organize your home the eco-friendly way.
This post is also linked up to the Spring Cleaning Challenge on Live Renewed and The Greenbacks Gal.
{image from Katy Beck's photostream via Flickr}
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Great post! Clutter is such a hindrance to positive mood and productivity. You can take advantage of even eco-solutions to clutter thanks to these businesses: http://naturalchoice.net/sec1/organizer.htm
Posted by: Natural Choice Directory | January 13, 2011 at 01:21 PM
I always feel like I have more stuff not less when I declutter. Sometimes I DO have more because I bought doubles of something I didn't realize I had because of an unorganized shelf - oops.
Posted by: condoblues@gmail.com | January 14, 2011 at 08:08 AM
I SO need to declutter. It's amazing how it clears my mind and invigorates me (when I actually manage to declutter for real, anyway). Thanks for the plan and inspiration!
Posted by: Kimberly Hosey (Arizona Writer) | January 15, 2011 at 11:09 AM
A good post MM! I always believe in the saying that a person who does not clear clutter in his own home/room is a person with a lot of unresolved problems (that he may be ignoring). Often such a person will try to do favours for others (even if unethical favours) at the expense of others.
Posted by: kelly | January 16, 2011 at 11:06 PM
I am like you. I start off strong and then my efforts wane. I love doing the room by room idea, and best yet, don't bring in the stuff to begin with! Can't wait to hear about your remodel. You know I love all that building stuff...
Posted by: Anna@GreenTalk | January 17, 2011 at 07:09 AM
Not bringing stuff into the house is key. I have started telling folks, "I am going paperless. I don't take paper," whether I'm at a store or on the street and someone is handing something out. It's made a big difference.
Posted by: Diane MacEachern | January 17, 2011 at 12:28 PM