Tips and Tricks to Declutter Your Life, Home

Julie Morgenstern, a professional organizer, defines clutter as “anything that is obsolete, time-consuming, and de-energizing.” One easy way to de-clutter is to use a three-container system labeled as trash, sell/donate, and keep. It is also worthwhile to make an inventory list of items that are kept and to store similar items together. Deb Oppel of Decluttered by Deb observes that “Piles are indecision, and usually they are there because you haven’t made a decision about the items.” For do-it-yourselfers, she recommends setting a timer for 15-minutes and collecting items that do not belong in a given room. They should start in one corner of the room and work their way around. When dealing with paper, all pieces of paper should be first gathered in a single pile and then the cleaner should decide what to do with each paper–recycling, shredding, paying, filing, or acting-on, for example. If at the end of 15 minutes the cleaner is still motivated, he or she can continue cleaning, says Oppel, otherwise they can stop. Another good tip is to remove at least three bags of things every day, according to Oppel, which could include things that need to be thrown out, recycled, donated, or returned. The important thing is to move things out on a daily basis, she says. | Read More