Clutter: How To Tackle It Once And For All

One question that I’ve been asked MANY times is how to deal with clutter. So many of you say that you have so much “stuff” that you can’t seem to part with, mostly because you have spent good money on it and feel guilty throwing it away.
$Text: \"Your stuff is indeed that - just stuff!\"$

Let me give you all some advice. Your “stuff” is indeed just that – “stuff”. When we were preparing to sell our house we had to unload a lot of items. I really realized how many things we had accumulated over the 4 years that Brian and I had lived together. Saying this, decluttering really is a very emotional process. It’s not just about getting rid of stuff, it’s about making difficult decisions related to important things in our lives. If it were easy, you’d be done by now and you wouldn’t feel such angst over the whole process, right?

BUT there is something strangely cathartic and freeing about getting rid of unused items. Don’t feel guilty about it. Sell them at a yard sale (the Facebook yard sale groups are awesome!) or donate them to charity. Your house will thank you and you will feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

$Text: \"There\'s no secret to decluttering. You just have to purge.\"$

There’s really no secret to decluttering your home. You just have to purge. Once you adapt the right mindset it is a game changer. However, getting to this frame of mind can of course be difficult. You just have to commit to letting things go. It’s really that simple.

$Text: \"Organized clutter is still clutter. Stop rearranging and just get rid of it.\"$

I have a few simple rules that I follow that allow me to keep the clutter (mostly) at bay:

It must have a CURRENT purpose or be something you love. Marie Kondo, in the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, tells us that everything you own has an intended purpose in your life. Once that purpose is fulfilled, you may not need that item any more. Just because an item was a gift does not mean you still have a purpose for it. If an item no longer has a purpose in your home, get rid of it!

When you decide to get rid of something, get it out of your house QUICKLY. If you put it in a box to donate and it winds up sitting in your garage for 6 months, you haven’t really decluttered–you have just moved the clutter. As soon as you have bagged your items, list them on a Facebook group, on Craigslist or make the phone call to the donation center. Many charities allow you to leave your donated items on your front step and they will pick them up for you. How easy it that? Plus you can deduct it as a charitable donation on your taxes :-)

Don’t confuse organizing with decluttering. Your clutter can be organized but organization will be so much easier if you get rid of what you don’t need (i.e. declutter!). Otherwise, you’re just reorganizing and rearranging and not really changing your clutter situation.

Finally, when you’re out and about and tempted to buy something. Stop and ask yourself – do I really love this? Do I really need this? Do I have a real need/purpose for this? If the answer is no, put it down and walk away!

P.S. Are you really serious about decluttering and organization? Not just in terms of your physical “stuff” but paper clutter too? Then you’re going to love the Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle. This exclusive bundle is offered at a 95% discount for 6 days only. Learn more about what’s included here.