Three quick tips to help kickstart your declutter journey
It’s too easy to set something down and think, “I’ll deal with it later.” But does that ever really happen? Days turn into weeks and months, and before you know it, there’s another pile in the corner. So many piles, and you’re running out of corners. How long have things been accumulating, undisturbed? Chances are, you don’t need anything in those piles. They’re just there, taking up space as you scroll online, searching for bedroom inspiration. This clutter isn’t just a physical problem; it’s affecting your mental well-being and productivity. To suppress those unwanted, negative feelings, you keep scrolling, promising yourself that when you find the perfect space or make enough money to buy something new, you’ll start cleaning up.
Are you finally sick of all the clutter? Here are a few tricks that have helped me overcome my lack of motivation to get rid of junk and finally start taking ownership of my space. By taking control of your space, you’re taking control of your life.
- Pace yourself.
Don’t overwhelm yourself further. Take it one step at a time in your decluttering journey. Begin with a stack of mail. Sort it by separating bills from junk mail. Discard the junk mail, and yes, open the bills! Remember, they can’t take what you don’t have, as my mom always said. The bills aren’t going anywhere, so open them and toss that empty envelope. Use colorful folders that match your style to organize important documents and a shredder to destroy anything with personal information. If you make filing, tossing, and shredding mail a habit, you’ll notice a significant reduction in clutter before you know it!
- Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE!
If you’re a millennial like me, Captian Planet, public service announcements, and Scholastic’s Highlighlights magazine taught you well. Say it with me, “ Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE.” Girl, please recycle those boxes. I think those environmentally conscious programs did a number on us. We got the Reduce and Reuse down, but I used to feel guilty recycling; yes, recycling of all things. It felt wasteful. I was stuck on the second R-word. I was trapped in a loop of thinking about how to reuse the boxes. Companies have gotten so good at packaging their items that I was reluctant to throw the packaging away. Oh, and don’t let the box be glossy and smooth or have a little weight. It stressed me out thinking about tossing those perfect boxes in the trash. I found myself saying, I can use this someday. I never used it.
Take a deep breath. It’s okay to recycle those nice boxes—it’s OK to recycle all of the boxes! You wanted what was inside the box, after all.
- Get some storage containers.
I’m guilty. In my twenties, I said, “If you need to put it in a box, you don’t need it!” Then, I got my apartment. My apartment needed things, some of which were required more often than others. In my effort to fight overconsumption, I neglected to see the logic of storage and organization purchases.
The junk drawer doesn’t have to be junky. My clear plastic drawer organizers have kept the drawers in my home tidy for quite some time. Cabinets can be spacious with the right kind of baskets and trays. Vacuum sealer bags helped me hold on to keepsake clothing and seasonal comforters.
Take it one step at a time.
It didn’t take a day to become cluttered, and it most likely won’t be decluttered the next day either. Take it one step at a time. Pick a room, pick a pile, and start owning your space.
Here are a few items that helped me declutter my home
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