New Years resolutions often center around weight loss, health, fitness and anti-aging. But why stop there? Here are some quick and easy tips to declutter and feel more in control this year starting with your home.
12-12-12 Challenge: This could be the perfect way to start off the New Year and it’s a relatively simple exercise! Go through any space you use to store things (home, car, office space, storage unit, etc.) and find 12 items to throw away, 12items to donate, and 12 items to return to their home. A quick way to identify 36 items you don’t need filling your space. (Note: do NOT just pile these items by the door, you must toss them, donate them and return them instead of putting it off. If you don’t act fast things have a way of slowly creeping back to their spots and stealing your space again!)
Donation Bag: Designate a box or bag as a donation space. Having an already assigned space for donations makes it easier to part with items you don’t use, want or need.
Get Something, Give Something: The influx of new and exciting purchases means additional items in your home, but not usually in increase in space to store them. Next time you come home with a new sweater, book, baking dish or tool review the similar items you already own and consider replacing the old with the new. Not only does this trade off stop you from cluttering up your space, but by donating the older items you could be benefitting someone who needs them.
Off Season Clutter: From pool toys in the basement to sunscreen in the bathroom cabinet to flip-flops in the closet off-season clutter can be found all over the house. Rounding all of these seasonal items up and storing them in one space makes them easy to find and clears out room for things that are more seasonally appropriate or (gasp) you could leave the space free and clear of any clutter! (This is an all season solution and goes for winter items as well mittens, scarves, sleds, ice scrapers, etc.)
Clean Often – It can be as simple as setting a five-minute timer (or even a one-minute timer) and clearing out a room, but however you decide to do it, tidy up habitually. It is a lot harder to keep clutter in spaces you are regularly cleaning and keeping orderly.
