Take a look around is your house in disarray? Many of you reading this post may be at home working and with your children home distance learning you may be struggling to keep an organized and decluttered home. No worries, today I will be providing you with 4 Essential Decluttering Strategies that will help you get your home in order.
If your home looks anything like mine at the end of the day, you probably have toys scattered all in the living room and down the hallway. The island in the kitchen may be cluttered with mail.
There’s more than likely clothes scattered on the floor surrounding or under your kid’s bed or maybe… even under yours (be sure to check after you finish reading and subscribing to this blog post).
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. When you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting BlogLifeWithErica.com so I can continue to provide you with free content. Find out more.
Why You Need to Apply These 4 Essential Decluttering Strategies to Get Your Home Organized
First, you must understand the importance of decluttering your living spaces. It is important to declutter in order to reduce anxiety and stress.
Clutter is the #1 cause of anxiety and stress. Simply, decluttering your home can boost your overall mental and physical health.
If you are ready to restore organization in your home, and rid your living space of clutter… you have come to the right place.
Let’s jump right into 4 Essential Decluttering Strategies that will change your life!
4 Essential Decluttering Strategies
1. Set Your Goal
Decluttering is a massive project and it is best tackled if you have a set goal established. I want you to take a moment and visualize the destination.
Let’s start by mapping out your decluttering goals. Are you seeking to declutter room by room or the entire house? I highly recommend setting a goal to tidy all at once and by category as opposed to location.
2. Tidy By Category- Opposed to Location
Tidying by location will only result in moving items from one room to the next. Setting a goal to tidy by category will help sort problem areas, where we tend to collect the most clutter.
Problem Areas Include:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
Tips: Tackle each category one at a time.
Please understand that success comes from tidying all at once. Yes, you can make tidying a part of your daily routine. However, can you imagine how much more organized you can make your space if you tidied all at once and then maintained it?
Let this be your goal!
I promise that seeing results will motivate you to follow through with decluttering until you reach your goal.
3. Tidy in Order
I learned from the very best, Marie Kondo that the only way to successfully declutter is to create a sorting system and tidy in order. Tidy your space completely. Tidying in order involves discarding and deciding which items you would like to keep (items that spark joy).
By tidying in order you will have a clearer vision with no distractions. Failure to tidy in order will more than likely cause distractions. Do not allow this to slow your decluttering process.
RELATED: Who is Marie Kondo? – About KonMari
4. Create a Sorting System
When you create a sorting system, there are no in-betweens. You have 1 of 3 choices to make: to keep, to toss, or to donate.
You are going to be so tempted to start a pile off to the side that you will try to convince yourself and others that you will come back to the item to make a decision after you are finished cleaning. However, this holds up the decluttering process and it’s only an excuse to hold on to items that you probably don’t even need. Remember, strategy #3 – tidy in order.
I prefer Marie Kondo’s system which requires you to create 3 bins.
- Items that spark Joy [keep]
- Items that do not spark joy [toss]
- Donations
RELATED: How to Minimize | Simple Easy Starts the KonMari Way
TIP: When it comes to sorting through clothes ask yourself:
When was the last time I wore it? Does it fit? Is it damaged?
If you have not worn a piece of clothing within the last 6 months to 1 year, you are probably never planning to wear it again. If clothing does not fit now- toss it. There’s no waiting until you lose a few pounds or gain a few. Toss that piece of clothing that you are saving for another day. If the clothing item is damaged- toss it! If you haven’t fixed it by now- you will never fix it.
This strategy can also be applied to miscellaneous items: books, games, dvd’s, etc.
Every item must be purposeful and useful.
Now It’s Your Turn
Now that you have these 4 Essential Decluttering Strategies you will be on your way to having a tidy home in no time! I am sure of it! As a wife and mom, with 2 littles running around I know how much of a struggle it is to keep things in order.
I can’t express enough how decluttering has helped me regain control and organization. Specifically, applying learned techniques from the KonMari Method has helped me to live a more minimalist lifestyle, free of anxiety and stress.
Minimalism is about more than just living with less. It is about becoming an intentional person and ridding yourself of items that do not spark joy. It was a game-changer for me when I stumbled across Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
If you are interested in learning more about the KonMari method of tidying, you can purchase Marie Kondo’s book here:
I would also recommend for you to check out her series on Netflix, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo (2019). I promise you will not be disappointed.
If you found this article helpful please share it with others. Comment below your experience and progress after applying these strategies.