Declutter And Organizing At The Same Time
While declutter is just to place things where they belong, it is advised that you also plan in organizing, which is to put together in order within a structured whole.
You can plan in advanced to organize declutter efficiently. Follow the next steps to avoid buying more containers that you need and use what you have first.
Make a list of containers that you might have and check first if they are accomplishing its function, meaning that if the container is in the right place, if it is easy to find something in that container, if it is labeled, if it needs dividers for even better organization and make it easier to find little things. Go to websites like Container Store and Organize It, to have ideas of the kind of containers or store boxes that you might need.
It is important to see what are the sizes of those containers, and if they fit well in the closet or rack or whatever space you are organizing. What I mean for this is that you might want to check (before buying) what would be the appropriate size of the container.
Let’s take a look at an example, a closet is always a good example. So, we are organizing a closet, we need to see first how big it is, if it is walk-in closet or reach-in closet. Take measurements first, if you have a little closet, you might want to buy containers that are small, don’t put big size containers on that space, remember also appearance and functionality.
You might want to have drawers inside the closet to store neatly instead of boxes, bags or other means that are not proper and make it cluttered. Right now, they are doing several kinds of drawers to put inside closets from the most fancies, to the most economical like those plastic clear drawers, so there are several kinds for different budgets.
Usually the closets have at least one rack (usually at the top of the rail system), look for storage containers that are stackable, there are in several shapes, like squares, or rectangular flats, also they have little drawers if you just want to remove things quickly without the need of take the container down to check in it. Personally I like the clear containers that you can see through, it helps to minimize time in searching because you have the idea what is in it just by looking at it.
Also is recommended to label it in front of the container, so you can easily know what is in there. Most of the time, we label it with the name of the main things that are in it, when you are organizing, you should put similar objects together or if it serves for the same purpose, or things that are complementary of one another and label accordingly, at the end you will have a better organized closet, in this example.
You should begin then to check what areas, if not all, to begin organizing, begin one at a time and see what kind of containers or storage bins they have in online stores and offline stores, remember sizes, easy to see what it is in there, look for characteristics like if they are stackable, etc. Gather ideas, be creative and organize every room in your home.
Declutter Mindset
When you begin to declutter your home or any room, you should have your mind already set. You should have predisposition to get rid of things. How are we doing this?
First, see in your mind the big picture, look at your cluttered space, do you see how ugly looks like? don’t you think it can be dangerous?, think about that those things can fall on you, or things that are in your way and stop you to walk freely. Think about how difficult is to clean when a room is cluttered. Sometimes you don’t feel like clean that cluttered area and then the matter gets worse, cluttered and dirty, accruing dust and if the place is dump can grow mold. That’s why for all those reasons clutter becomes unhealthy for you and your family.
If this is the case and you have accrued lot of clutter over the years and haven’t done cleaning, see if you or a member or members of your family have allergies, that might be the cause, don’t you think? Or maybe someone in your family has fallen because of a box or even a small piece of something that made him or her slipped on. Now, if you have an older member in your family, I mean in the 70s or more and that person falls, it can be very serious.
Now that you are more aware that clutter is a problem, you should begin to work on decluttering for a healthier living not only for you but for your family too.
Now dream a little bit, and imagine that space without any of that clutter, imagine how beautiful you can arrange that space and think how enjoyable can become that space for you. Now you can freely walk through it without sidestepping through the clutter. You can work on beautify that space with some ornaments or just work on that space to make it functional for you.
One thing that I recommend you is, take a note pad and write down your ideas on how that space could be. Begin to realize that is possible to have your space uncluttered and you can do nice things on that space.
Set your goal, what is your goal?, declutter that space!, schedule your time when you will begin to do it. Write down the date and begin preparing your mind for that day.
On the day of decluttering, you will be looking at different objects. Objects that will be sorted, some of them will have a sentimental value, some of them you will feel guilty if you get rid of them. Here is a list of questions that can help you determine if you will keep it or not, but be sincere and be with predisposition to dispose everything you don’t need to have.
How old is this object?
Is it in poor condition?
Is it broken?
Does it mean something to me? Is that something is strong enough to keep that object?
If it’s something to wear, does it fit?
Do I need it?
Have I used it in the past year?
If you have several sets of something, do I need all the sets?
Decluttering or uncluttering can be difficult when you are too much attached to your things, you should understand that if those things were useful in the past and now you live in a present that you realize don’t need them anymore, then you should put those items away forever.
Let me tell you that if you donate those things, you will be feeling good because your items would serve for other people who need them. You will feel good because you are helping people and that is always a good thing for your spirit.
You will also feel good if you sell those items and get some money to buy something that you really need. Remember “something that you need”, don’t begin to buy things just to clutter up again, please.
With this mentality, now it is time to take Action! All the things you propose to yourself in doing it, will be done if you take action, don’t procrastinate, don’t let that idea to go away, don’t let it cool down!, if you don’t take action, you pretty much are done, don’t be a looser, face the problem and resolve it.
How should you declutter?
You have decided to cut the clutter from a room, or basement, or maybe the entire home.
In this article you will learn how you should declutter.
Plan ahead, if you set the day that you will do operation declutter, the first thing to do, is take a look of what needs to be done, evaluate each room if you are doing the whole house. Take a notepad and write where the clutter concentrates more in each room. If it is only one is easier but the fundamental steps would be the same.
In this planning, you should look for three baskets, you will need them to sort things out, so if you don’t have them, buy them. Look well, you might have them somewhere cluttered.
Label them, one is “garbage”, the other “charity” and the other one can be “storage” or “to sell”.
Once you have written where the concentration of clutter is, see if those things can fit and be stored where they need to be placed. If it does not fit, you might want to take notes that you would need additional storage, but don’t buy them yet. You will get rid off several things and might not need the additional space but it is good to know in advance.
The day of declutter operation is coming and you are ready or maybe not so ready!
First of all, you should have predisposition to do it. I say this because when you see clutter, sometimes is overwhelmed and then you don’t feel like you want to do it, then you procrastinate and never get it done and the clutter is accruing more and more, because clutter attracts more clutter.
If you decided to declutter but don’t have the predisposition to do it, then talk to someone close to you and ask him or her to follow up with you and motivate you, or even better, ask for help. You know a sadness divided by two people is less than if you feel it alone.
This is usually necessary when the house is full of clutter everywhere. I know the feeling, I’ve been there, sometimes you just cry and do nothing, sometimes it is so much that you give up. Even if you feel like that, try to overcome it, try to make the work more pleasant. It works for me to listen music, …happy music when I am doing this, sometimes the music makes me dance but you know, you have a better attitude to do the work. So, ask yourself what makes you feel happy and use it indirectly to do the work. Maybe just turning the lights on and have the place bright might work. Just be somehow motivated.
Look at your notes that you have written previously. If you began in one room, check what you wrote for that room, where are the big concentrations of clutter. Tackle the bigger one.
With your baskets begin to sort things out. See item by item and begin to ask yourself if the item is worth to be kept or not. If not and it’s in bad condition, goes directly to the garbage basket, you should line this basket with a trash bag, so when it is full, go directly to the trash.
If it is something that you don’t want anymore but its condition is not so good for selling, then goes to “charity” or if you just want to give it to charity. Remember one man’s trash is another’s treasure.
If it is something you want to keep, first ask yourself what is the place where should be.
Everything has its own imaginary place, it might be something that belongs to a garage instead of being in your room or kitchen, you get the idea. Put it right away, don’t delay on it. Now, if you want to keep it, but you really don’t have place to store it, put it in the “storage” bin for later use. I said later use, because more than probably you will need to declutter the space where it should go, the drawer, bin, container, or wherever should go.
Now, if you decided to sell items, put them in the bin assigned and when is full, take it to your assigned place where you will have the items for sell.
When there is no much clutter, it is just putting things away where they belong and you will finish with some items on the baskets but if you are decluttering a serious accumulation of clutter, then the baskets will help you a lot.
This is just a few things to consider when you are doing the declutter operation. Remember we have talking about decluttering only, we haven’t talked about organizing yet.
You can read more details to do this shore in my ebook that is featured on the right of this page.
What’s the definition of Declutter?
When I made this website, I tried to find the “declutter” definition and really I couldn’t find it in any dictionary of English language, but people uses it and even I made this website with the name of “Declutter Advice“. The same for unclutter, this word would a synonym of declutter.
I have found on a Free Dictionary Online by Farlex the meaning of declutter but it is not a word on English dictionaries. In this free dictionary they define declutter as “to simplify or get rid of mess, disorder, complications, etc”. I think it is close enough.
As any language, words can be included in a dictionary by conventions, I think some day the world “declutter” will be there because of its common use.
The word “clutter” is in all dictionaries, the most closest meaning for this website purposes, which is to talk about decluttering tips, is the following: ”To fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness”.
What a good explanation of what clutter is! So, declutter is the opposite action, it is to arrange things and make it orderly. It means to order things, to put things in place where they belong. But then, what does organize mean? Do they have the same meaning?
Let’s analyze what organize means in this context. It means, “To put together into an orderly, functional, structured whole”.
So when we organize, what we are doing is to put things in place (decluttering) in a structure with an efficient and functional way (organizing).
I would say then, we should declutter the rooms of our homes in an organized way, the smart way. So the definition of organization supplements very well the concept of declutter definition.
When I read about decluttering, it is always mixed with organization because it is a complement of it, that’s why people uses declutter and organize almost indistinctly.
Another word that supplements the declutter definition is “clean”. It seems that when you declutter an area, it looks more clean but it does not mean that the area is cleaned.
Clean is the action of get rid of dirt, soil, dust, etc. So it is advised that you clean the area when you declutter, it will be healthier for you and your family. Do you see how cleaning also supplements the decluttering action?
Now, there is another definition that sometimes I see when I look for clutter and is ”hoarding”, let see what this word really means. In any dictionary you will find that hoarding means “to keep (as one’s thoughts to oneself)”.
There are different levels of hoarding, but an overall a hoarder is more extreme in accruing clutter thinking that his or her things are more valuable in money or not so valuable in money terms but emotionally important.
Most of hoarders people have a psychological problem that need to be addressed. If you are in this category, you need some psychologist to help you out, don’t procrastinate in contact him or her. You will be doing a favor to yourself.
I hope you find this article informational and have a better idea of what declutter is.
Where to Find Help to Declutter Your Home
Probably you have attempted for years having your home decluttered, however you are not an organized person, you couldn’t get a method that actually works best for you and you have not figured out your own organizational preferences.
Take it easy, there is certainly help out there. A bit of aid is readily accessible, for example, if you are looking only to organize a closet, searching for a company is no hassle, just look online and you will find them. But if your needs tend to be more substantial, it is advisable to turn to something that is a bit more personal.
Working with a professional organizer could be the best action for you. However, you need to make sure you find the right one. Therefore, where can you begin looking for? That question is easier than you might think. Definitely, there is no considerably advertising for a qualified organizer anywhere you are going, it requires a bit of research from your part.
You might be fortunate seeking in your local newspaper professional listing or perhaps the phone book under “Organizing Products and Services” and locate one. You can find them online too, go to the Professional Organizer Directory from the National Association of Professional Organizers. You can find an organizer expert near your area and you may refine your search by organizing specialty. You will get access to a listing of names and contact information for professional organizers that meet your criteria.
Before you decide on any individual, be sure you speak to several professional organizers as well as meet them personally. Inquire if they offer a free estimate. You might want to learn if they are part of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).This does not necessarily guarantee their quality of work however it shows that they have a strong commitment to continue education about this industry and also have a great code of ethics.
Once you talk with them, ask questions like: how long they have been as a professional organizer? What are their particular areas of expertise? Exactly what results are you able to anticipate through the service they will offer to you? This is very important: make sure that you get and follow up on their references. Individuals they worked for will tell you if they were happy with their services.
The individual you will employed, is a person you are going to be inviting into your own home and she or he will be putting a respectable amount of commitment onto it. You will also need to be ready to answer their questions about you and your organizational needs. You ought to be truthful with them.
If you are the type of person who comes from work probably exhausted and tosses mail into a pile everyday as well as tends not to look at it for several days, let them know. This is why you hired them to help you out, so do not be uncomfortable to tell the truth about how unorganized you really are. You may be pleasantly surprised how they can put in place an easy system which will work for you.
To have a perception of the costs, most professional organizers will charge somewhere between $50 and $200 an hour, however there are some who prefer value based pricing and will charge by the project. Truthfully, if you imagine yourself by having an organized home, the cost is well worth it. I visualize it as an investment decision for yourself because you will have pleasure living in your own home, a home you will love, enjoy and relax after having a long day of work.
