Christmas is over. The New Year is here. And the “stuff” is now everywhere. New toys, old toys. New science kits, old science kits. Boxes of new crafty items, boxes of old crafty items. You get the idea. STUFF EVERYWHERE.
I generally take some time BEFORE Christmas to pare down on the stuff, but just didn’t get around to it this year.
Decluttering overwhelms me.
Sometimes to the point where I… Just. Can’t. Move.
It’s perfectionism. I know I won’t be able to get all the decluttering done in the time I want to or to the extent I want to. Or I think I’ll get rid of something and regret doing so or that I won’t get rid of something that I should. And so, I just do nothing…..
Unfortunately, that extra stuff also overwhelms me. (I’m easily overwhelmed, can you tell?!) I also find that when there’s too much stuff around the kids play with less of it. And when I get rid of the clutter they are free to play with what’s there. They are overwhelmed by the clutter too but don’t verbalize it.
I have found that the best antidote to this state of ‘overwhelm’ is ACTION. And when I get stuck in this rut of feeling frozen and don’t know where to start I use my tried and true trick…..
The 15 Minute Timer
I may not be able to organize my house in the next day, or week, or let’s be honest…month (c’mon I have busy kids!) But I CAN set my timer for 15 minutes and do what I can.
Anybody can do 15 minutes of decluttering. You don’t have to work fast, just do SOMETHING. And it’s not like you’re committing to a day, or even an hour of de-cluttering. It’s ONLY 15 minutes!
Often that 15 minutes will turn into hours of de-cluttering for me. But even if it doesn’t I will still have STARTED and broken out of my “frozen with overwhelm” funk.
Now to what I consider the hard part, the decision-making part, of decluttering.
DECISIONS: To Keep or NOT to Keep
I find this “decision” part of decluttering AGONIZING, and I really think this is what keeps me from doing it more often. For each item I have to make a decision: Should it stay or go?
I created this chart to help with this process:
Having moved twice in the last 7 years has wisened me up a bit on knowing what to keep and what to donate. During our last move, when I was packing up boxes, I realized I had been holding onto a few things for WAY too long. So THE QUESTION I ask myself when deciding what to keep is: If I were to move tomorrow, would this item make the cut? If YES, then great, it can stay put. If not, then you have options…
The FIVE Categories I Use When Decluttering My House
I find it more empowering, and that I get more done when I have multiple categories when decluttering.
These are the FIVE categories I use:
- DONATE
- TRASH/RECYCLE
- SELL
- KEEP
- KEEP (box up and put in attic or basement)
Regarding Category 5: This option isn’t the best, but if you struggle with indecision (ahem, points to self) or have a child that is STRESSED OUT at the idea of donating something, it’s a good intermediate step! When we have boxed stuff up and put it away in the basement or attic, the items are generally not missed. This has been a lifesaver for us in helping our creative child’s room not turn into a place of complete mayhem! It just took us forever to figure out. So let me save you some pain if you have a creative, sensitive child who can’t bear to say goodbye to anything. Try category number 5!
Final Thoughts on Clutter
I find that if my surroundings are cluttered, my brain is more likely to be as well. And when my surroundings are less cluttered my brain is less so too. And when you’re a mom, especially if you’re a homeschool mom, you need all the extra brain space you can get! 😉
I hope you find these tips helpful in getting off to a more organized year!
