Things that help me declutter:

[Carol in Cal.]

What helps you make yourself declutter?

 

I have the hardest time with this. It's such a low priority for me. I hate going through stuff. I hate straightening up. The fact that when I clear a surface it is immediately covered with someone else's junk makes me want to break windows. It also makes me even less motivated to straighten up, as difficult as that is to imagine.

 

Having said that, it is also difficult for me to let things go. I tend to assign sentimental value to them, and also to feel that I might need them someday.

 

Can you relate to this?

 

Here are some things that have helped me let things go and also prioritize straightening up:

 

1. 'Free' tables: Our Christian homeschoolers' group has a free table at every monthly meeting. A local church has two free 'rummage sales' per year. All leftovers that no one wants go to worthy charities. These have made me feel that I have good places to give away stuff to, and also that if I let something go, I will probably find something just as good later on if I need it. Besides, I probably won't need it.

2. Local homeschooling email lists: If someone has a need, a lot of times someone else fills it. I love filling someone's needs.

3. Waiting until the mood strikes: I can tell when I'm feeling more sentimental, and that is not a good time to sort things. I need to feel somewhat detached and ruthless.

4. Oddly enough, in parallel, doing a little bit everyday: The 27 Fling Boogie from Flylady is what gave me this idea. The nice thing about doing something every day is that every day you get to feel good about it, instead of bad about the overwhelming task ahead of you.

5. Having one really nice space in my life: For the last few years I have had a beautiful office that is just mine. It's big, lovely, bright, and peaceful. I love being there. I know that it would be wonderful to have my entire home be a place like that, too. I didn't used to value this, because it was hard to imagine getting to that point.

6. Asking myself, "Do I want this thing more than I want have clear space where it is right now?": That is so foreign to me, but I read it somewhere, and I'm trying it out, kind of tentatively. I hope someday to graduate to, "If I bring this home, what will I get rid of to make room for it?"

7. Feeling really, really good about keeping some old family stuff. It's not a burden, it's a joy. I don't care whether it makes sense to anyone else or not. I have roots, and I celebrate them. Roots are not clutter.

 

What about you?

Edited June 17, 2010 by Carol in Cal.

[LauraGB]

What helps you make yourself declutter?

 

 

 

I've found that if I am listening to a really great audio book (and everyone is willing to leave me alone to listen to it) I get a lot done. I plug the little ear things in and walk around looking for something to idly occupy myself. I get a lot of cleaning done this way. Being somewhat preoccupied with the story makes it easier to not pay such very close attention to everything I am sorting/decluttering (or otherwise throwing away).

[Ottakee]

Good tips/motivation.

 

Right now I am going through the house, room by room, area by area to get rid of stuff and do a major cleaning.

 

It took 4 days to do the kitchen (working in the time I had) but today we got the living room about 90% done. Just a few minutes in the morning and that will be done.

 

Now I just need to have my kids help MAINTAIN it.

[Aubrey]

1. Lice

2. Puking

3. Moving

[Parrothead]

I'll psych myself up for it. A few times a year the bug to get the house totally clean and decluttered hits. When it does I'll make it wait 5-7 days. By the time the date I've set arrives I'm ready willing and able.

 

During the wait period I'll buy supplies, check into new storage options, make lists.

[Chris in VA]

1. Lice

2. Puking

3. Moving

 

:lol: You truly never fail to crack me up, woman.

 

What works for me is having company over, esp my mom, who lives far and only visits a few times a year. We are having her and my dad AND my mil tomorrow for a few days; they are here for Peter's graduation.

 

I decluttered my bedroom floor (almost done) and a few other spaces around the house.

[rwjx2khsmj]

Stepping on small, painful, plastic toys usually motivates me and my children to declutter.

 

Seriously, some techniques that work for me are:

 

Setting a saving limit. For instance, I have a large tote full of sentimental baby/kids clothes. When I can't fit any more into the tote I know it's time to reevaluate the contents and let some things go.

 

Also, putting things away for a set period of time and then asking myself if I really want those things back. I keep a box in my garage that I fill with the things I'm not sure I'm ready to let go. If after three month/six months/etc. I haven't needed the item I know it's ready to make the trip to someone who will enjoy it.

 

Freecycle is a great way to bless others with things I don't want or need.

[Mommyof4ks]

Company is a big motivator for me! If someone is coming to stay, then we declutter and straighten like mad. I also go through everything during the summer so that we start fresh and organized in the fall and again around Christmas.

[Truscifi]

We declutter quarterly. If it hasn't been used in the last 6 months or year (depends on the item, if it is seasonal or not) it goes. Period.

 

I should probably add that I'm not very sentimental. Also I grew up in a cluttered house and I think I had a reaction against it.

[Supertechmom]

walking into my home and feeling peace and relief to be there. Not Dear God there's so much to do. (some days are like that though) Walking into the bedroom that has no clutter to distract from the beauty of the room.

 

the feeling of peace and welcome is wonderful. When it's gone, I miss it.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

When I had to move into one room during grad school and had to leave my whole apartment worth of stuff in my mother's garage for two years, I realized that I really didn't need much STUFF to live. Anything that doesn't serve a purpose in my house (the purpose can be amusement, decor, etc.) has to go.

[StephanieZ]

Watching that "Hoarders" show on A&E. There are a few episodes on aetv.com . . . they REALLY motivate me!

[Stacia]

I"m inspired by reading the blogs Zen Habits and Unclutterer & the book It's All Too Much. All 3 keep me inspired & decluttering.

[Claire in NM]

Nothing like a house full of stuff to get one motivated to declutter.

 

Claire in NM

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

We declutter quarterly. If it hasn't been used in the last 6 months or year (depends on the item, if it is seasonal or not) it goes. Period.

 

I should probably add that I'm not very sentimental. Also I grew up in a cluttered house and I think I had a reaction against it.

 

 

I couldnt have said the bolded part any better. We declutter monthly (sometimes more) I can not stand clutter. I can not live with clutter. My dd are in the process of a major declutter of their room now (see my post about my son and the newborn guinea pig if your wondering why at 930pm:banghead::cursing:

[WTMCassandra]

Being crabby is the best motivator.

 

I often think of it like the FotF radio-dramatized The Secret Garden. When Mary is woken in the night by Colin having a tantrum in the middle of the night, she is angry and asks the servants what is going on. They conclude that she is "in just the right mood to deal with him" and she goes in and sets him straight.

 

Decluttering is like that. If I am crabby, then I am in just the mood to deal with decluttering, to make those hard decisions.

 

Other things help too, like knowing there is a yard sale coming up, or having major company over, but being crabby is the best. ;) Use your crabbiness when it happens; make it work for you. :D

[SonshineLearner]

Watching about 5 minutes of the hoarding show.... and... while I'm cleaning.. I talk on the phone to my mom.

 

This week, I've cleaned my 15 year olds room, my 12 year olds room... my room... (almost) and most of the playroom. I'm trying to be motivated... (this week... actually means... the last 7 days or so)

 

:)

[Peela]

We love to bargain hunt, garage sale, swap meet. Dh (ok, and I) are always finding a great bargain: a piece of clothing (he bought me a real Bedouin hand made, beautifully beaded vest made of goat hide- still even smells of goat! a while back. He just knew I would love it!); books (many, many books); ornaments; machines, furniture etc. Every week there is usually something. Last week it was a beautiful wooden chest with 2 drawers in it that fits perfectly in my bedroom and my winter sweaters are now in it. Our house has very interesting stuff in it, but as you can imagine there would be no room whatsover for US if I didnt regularly declutter and learn to let go of things. So that is my motivation- to make space for more STUFF to enter and enrich our lives. Who ever knew we would need 3 compost bins? But I use them! We bought a beautiful authentic Persian rug for $25 the other day- didnt know it was the real thing till we got it home and someone told us and showed us. So, out goes the stained rug it replaces.

 

I actually get a kick out of decluttering- it is self motivating for me. A major motivator is having my own room very clean and clear of clutter. Also, I love clear surfaces, especially our 2 dining room tables and our coffee table. Anything on them too long and not being used...beware, it might disappear.