Clutter is a common occurrence in many homes, but do you want your home looking like most people’s garages? Do you want to see every surface littered with junk? If the answer is no, consider the following six ways to clear clutter:
1. Ask yourself: What spaces in your home need to be cleared of clutter? The best way to attack clutter is with a plan. So, take the time to walk through your home and determine what areas are cluttered. Then, make a list of each space. If you do this, you have a map to where to start, and where to go next, and you can clear clutter down the list until it is complete.
2. Dedicate time to clearing clutter: You can dedicate any time you want to clearing clutter, but if you do not dedicate a time, it will never happen. So, tell yourself that every day while Oprah is on you will clean out a drawer, or de-clutter a room, or every time you are on the phone, or once a week for two hours on Saturday, or once a month on the first Saturday, or whatever time works best for you. The point is, if you dedicate a time to doing it, you will be far more likely to follow through with it.
3. Recycle, donate, sell: When clearing clutter make three bins, one for recycling, this is great for broken items, plastics, paper, etc. Make another bin for donations. This might be clothes you have outgrown, electronics that are a bit outdated, working items that you no longer want or use, etc. Last, make a basket for sell. This is a basket that you fill with items that you can sell on eBay, or Craigslist, or wherever. Usually you can find a local classifieds for selling stuff, and you can sell almost anything. Having bins to help you determine what to do with stuff will help you clear clutter faster and easier.
4. Make it a family effort: If you want to clear clutter and keep it cleared, get everyone involved. Have every person in your family go through their closets, and then assign one space that needs clutter cleared to each person in the family. If they are responsible for clearing clutter they will be less likely to create it in the future.
5. Set limits on how long you keep stuff without using it: When clearing clutter it is easy to fall into memories, and hang on to stuff you don’t need because of keepsakes, memento, or what if’s. So, set a time frame before you start sorting, and be honest with yourself. If you have not used it in (the time you specify such as 6 months), then you are getting rid of it.
6. Be realistic when clearing clutter: A lot of people hold on to things with the intention of selling them, fixing them, or using them later. This just means moving clutter from one place to another. Be realistic, if you haven’t fixed it yet, how likely are you to do so? Exactly, get rid of it.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to