Eliminate Clutter in 6 Easy Steps

Lindsey Swan, Professional Organizer, Minnestoa One of the best ways I help my clients is to go to their homes and organize it for them. If you don’t have the ability to bring in a professional organizer, you are not out of luck. Follow me @organizelikelindsey and I’ll teach you all sorts of tips and tricks you can use in your home. 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter they have, but 78% have no idea what to do with it. Do you find it hard to let go of items in your home? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. Most people have a hard time letting go of things we have accumulated. Most the time we think, “if I let it go, then I am being wasteful”, or “I spent money on that, we can’t just get rid of it!”

Have you ever considered the fact that by not using the thing you are holding onto is already being wasteful? Instead of using it, you are storing it. For what? Just in case you might use it some day? Because you spent $30 or even $100 on it? Instead of getting rid of it, we keep it hidden in our closets, drawers, under our beds, garages, and storage rooms. Who wants to take up valuable space for items we aren’t using?! Yet, 80% of the items people keep are never used. What if we cleared out the garage so we could park in it, or only kept the clothes we wore, making room for the rest of our clothes to fit comfortably? What if instead of being worried about what to do with it all we donated those items we aren’t using? What if the item we donated really blessed someone else’s life when they found it? Maybe you are even extra motivated and decided to post it on Facebook marketplace. That’s great! However you decide to get it out, just do it! BE CAREFUL. If you aren’t going to really get around to selling the items you think you are, it’s not worth keeping around to just clutter up your valuable space. Get rid of it. Donate it. I promise it will make you happy.

There’s not much more I love doing than throwing things away. For me it represents a burden lifted off my shoulders. One less item in the house is one less thing for me to pick up - doing that over and over adds up so quickly! If you are feeling the need to start but don’t know where, pick one room. When that room is done move to the next. I feel more motivated to keep going when I see progress being made. If I focus on all the clothes in the house, I may feel like we got rid of clothes, but the rest of the house may be in shambles. If I do one entire room I feel like I can put a big check mark next to it. Then I move onto the next room and feel motivated to keep going because I am liking what I am seeing. Progress is contagious.

Follow these steps to organize any space in your home

Step 1: Remove everything - when starting any space, first and foremost, remove EVERYTHING. When I say everything, I mean everything! If you want to clean the closet, take everything out and put in on the bed. If you want to clean the pantry, take everything out and put in on the counters, the tables, and the floors if you have to.

Step 2: Edit - One by one touch each item and figure out its purpose. Are you keeping it? Do you need it? Or could you let it go? Does it fit you? Is it expired? Could someone else use the item more than you? Or maybe you simply just don’t like it anymore. LET IT GO!

Step 3: Get rid of it - Once you have identified all the stuff you are getting rid of, put it in the car and take it to a donation center as soon as possible. I think most of us know someone (perhaps ourselves) who puts donations in the garage to drop off at a later time. Months later they find themselves rummaging through it because they forgot to donate it in the first place. This gives them an opportunity to second guess their decision. But why? Don’t do that to yourself. If you didn’t need it for months, it’s likely you don’t need it at all. The faster you get it out the of the house, the quicker you too will feel that freeing feeling of letting go.

Step 4: Find everything a home - Now that you have identified the things you want to keep, start putting them away. Keep like items together. In your closet long sleeve shirts should be by other long sleeve shirts. In your kitchen, baking things should be by all the other baking items, etc... Find a home for each and every item. If you are having a hard time still fitting it Step 5: Label - Last but not least: label, label, label. We can spend countless hours organizing the lives of our children, spouses, and ourselves only to revert back to our old ways in short order. When we label our shelves and baskets we are creating a home for that item to go back into. Don’t forget this important step. It’s a game changer for the entire family.

Step 6: Be Patient - As you go through this process be patient with yourself. It doesn’t happen overnight. Like anything else, you’ll get better with practice. Don’t give up. Keep chipping away at it, bit by bit. You’ve got this! And remember, there isn’t always just one right way to do it! Really, it comes down to personal preference. What makes you happy? Prioritize what’s important to you and go from there, and you can’t go wrong. Well, except matching hangers. I think everyone should always have matching hangers. Before After