![]() There are hooks in their room for coats and backpacks- because they’ll hang things on hooks, but not on hangers. The dishes are in a place that is easy for them to get to, and they can set the table and not get in my way while I’m cooking. That means we have one bin for pens, pencils, and markers. Make the organizing easy for all household membersĪll the organizing systems have to be easy for them, or they won’t do it. If you’re digging out the lawnmower and yard tools every week, then make a space for them near the door, so it’s easy for you to retrieve and put away again. If you always take your shoes on and off at the entry, then find a shoe organizer that fits in your entry area and holds the amount you typically store there. If you always get water out of the refrigerator, use the cupboard near the fridge to hold your water glasses. In the kitchen, pay attention to which counter you do all your baking at, and then arrange your baking, mixing, and measuring supplies near there, so it’s easy for you to access. Store items near where you use them most.Īs Elizabeth Enright Phillips said in her book Minimalism Room by Room: take a moment to pause in each room and imagine the traffic pattern- where would all the footprints be in that room? What are people doing, and what things are they using?Īnd create your organized zones based on that pattern. Follow the flow of the room and how you use your home When there aren’t many items to organize, organizing is easy, and it’s easy to stay organized. Having a drawer divider for the essential things and the desk drawer is now useful easy to know where things are, and easy to put things away again. Now, picture only the essentials in that drawer- a couple of pens, markers, tape, and scissors. Picture a desk drawer- a big drawer full of pens, pencils, markers, tape, paper, notes, scissors- so much random junk. 3 Steps to Take When Decluttering Sentimental ItemsĪfter you’ve gotten rid of the non-essentials, then organize the rest.Decluttering the Boy’s Room – With Video!.The Questions to Ask When You’re Decluttering.It means the closet stays organized- because it’s not hard to hang up one coat per family member. It means the living room is easy to keep clean because there isn’t anything stored in it. It means the kitchen is easy to clean because there is nothing on the counters. The extreme is only having enough for one person for one day, but getting down the number of items you need to live comfortably for a week- simplifies everything. The people that only own two plates? They’ve realized that washing a plate after every meal is easier than washing ten plates every other day. Minimalism is about getting our possessions down to an amount that is stupid-easy to maintain. People always tell me, “I’ve been decluttering for a long time, but it never makes any difference.” Want to win the decluttering game? Get rid of the most. If your dream is to volunteer your time to at-risk youth, all the excess in your home feels draining when you walk in, instead of being a calm retreat to come home to. In that case, all the fancy dinnerware and cutesy decorations are creating more upkeep- when really, you need to be able to focus on maintaining the garden and preserving food. Suppose your dream is to own a homestead. It doesn’t matter how great the item is if your dream is to be a travel blogger, all the items you own are preventing you from doing that full-time. And everything you own should assist you in living that life. Here’s the deal: you have a life you want to live. Yes, I’m sure I need to get rid of the 23 vases- I never use them, and it doesn’t matter that we got them all as wedding gifts 27 years ago- I don’t use them, they need to go!īut what about the things that we acquired because we really LIKE the item? Of course, we like it! We own things for all sorts of reasons.Īnd when we realize that we are keeping things out of guilt or shame- those items are easier to be sure about. There is more to life than just taking care of THINGS. Because the amount of stuff in it- it was an impossible task. Years later, I finally figured out I had to DE-OWN all the stuff. Rearranging all the stuff was simply that- rearranging.Īnd when I thought about having a tidy space, I pictured myself shuffling clutter All. Instead of getting rid of things, when I cleaned or organized a room, I would be “creatively rearranging” all the items.īut my house was always a disaster- unless it was a day or two past the shuffling episode. ![]() It doesn’t help our home stay clean and organized if we simply shuffle our clutter from one area to another. I remember reading a quote by Joshua Becker- don’t just declutter, de-own.
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