Decluttering & Organization
Decluttering and organizing your home can seem like this massive overwhelming task, but I truly believe it’s a crucial step toward creating a living space that feels serene, functional, and enjoyable. If my home is full of clutter or if things are not in their home, it really messes with my head space; it brings me down. With a clear plan and a bit of patience, you can transform your home into a clutter-free zone. Honestly, writing out my plan every Saturday evening for the following morning helps me get started and makes the entire Reset-Day feel much less intimidating. Here’s how you can get started:
Start Small and Set Goals
Step 1: Plan!
Begin your decluttering by tackling one room or even one small area at a time. This approach helps prevent feelings of overwhelm and keeps the process manageable. The entire house does not have to get done in a single day - or even the first week! For example, start with the area you spend the most time in: kitchen, living room, your bedroom? If that’s too much start with a drawer, a shelf, or a corner of the room. Set specific goals, such as clearing out old clothes or organizing the pantry, or decluttering old/expired makeup, and work through them systematically. Celebrate your small victories to maintain motivation! You just organized your closet and dresser drawers? Congrats! Pour a glass of wine!
Sort and Categorize
As you go through your belongings, you should sort them into categories: keep, donate, sell, recycle, and trash. This method helps you quickly decide what stays and what goes. Be honest with yourself about what you truly need or cherish. Items that no longer serve a purpose or, as Marie Kondo says, bring joy, should be removed from your space. Remember, decluttering is about making room for the things that matter most.
Storage Solutions
Once you've decluttered, it's time to organize. Invest in storage solutions that suit your space and style. Baskets, bins, drawer dividers, and shelving units can all be incredibly helpful in keeping your belongings organized and accessible. Labeling drawers, containers, bins, etc. can also make it easier to maintain order in the long run. Almost everything in my home and workspace is labeled. It makes life so much easier for you and your family - if they don’t know where something goes - now it’s labeled and they have no excuses for asking or leaving it out!
Tailor your storage to fit the items you have, ensuring that everything has a designated place. Cutlery organization and clothing drawer organizers are my favorite things at the moment! They are incredibly helpful and keep things in place.
Specifics!
Some specific things I like to do to keep my home organized and clutter-free include document filing, sentimental storage, and holiday storage.
File Your Documents
This makes it quick and easy to find and grab these papers when needed!
Keeping all your important documents in one easy to navigate box will make your life a lot easier! I can’t stress this enough. So often people are unsure of where their high school diplomas, or vaccination records, or warranty papers are located. If you take the time to separate and organize your documents into Medical, Education, Home, Auto, Tax, and others that might be relevant to you such as Pets, Kids, etc., keeping up with your papers will be incredibly easy moving forward! I would separate each individual’s papers in the Medical and Education files to keep everyone’s records separate and to make things neater. For example:
Husbands Medical Records & Information is one File, Wife’s Medical Records & Information is another File. Same with Education Documents (diplomas, transcripts, etc.).
All documents pertaining to your home or apartment should be filed in a single File (deed, rental agreement, home improvements that have been made, quotes, insurance, etc.).
Make a File specifically for all automobiles in your household.
Make a File for all information, medical records, etc. regarding your pets.
I recommend dedicating an entire box to your tax returns as they can some times take up more space. I have a tax box and seperate each tax year into a file and keep all my documents there.
Sentimental & Holiday Storage
Whether it’s for a certain time of year or for when nostalgia hits, having an organized space for these items can help keep things decluttered and will make them more enjoyable.
Again, this is pretty self explanatory and I’m sure most of us have some sort of system for these items. I have a large boxed dedicated to things I want to keep that remind me of good and fun times in my life. It’s my sentimental box, very special and holds lots of wonderful memories.
I also have a few boxes (I love decorating for the holidays) dedicated for my Autumn and Winter decorations! All Christmas decorations are in Christmas boxes while Autumn and Halloween decorations are seperated (Halloween has a special box) into a couple different boxes for easy access to the decor I want when I want it!
Doing these little things makes it so much easier and less hectic when it comes time to decorate.
Maintain and Revisit
Decluttering and organizing is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Make it a habit to regularly assess your space and belongings. Set aside time each month to revisit areas that tend to accumulate clutter, like your closet, bathroom counters, or kitchen. Staying on top of clutter will help prevent it from becoming overwhelming again. I always make time to go through the house once a week to do my deep clean and during this time I make sure to follow through with my decluttering plan and keep things organized. It’s a lot the first time around, but if you maintain it, it becomes a small part of everyday life and makes you feel so much better and lighter!
By following these steps, you can create a more organized and clutter-free home, reducing stress and making your living environment more enjoyable. Remember, the goal isn’t perfection; it’s about creating a space that feels right for you. Happy space = Happy headspace! 🌿🫧
