How Can I Reduce Clutter Before Thanksgiving and Christmas?



Posted: Friday, November 07, 2008

by
Lynn's Home Decor

Are you overwhelmed with too much stuff? If you are, you are not alone! Having too many possessions may be more suffocating than liberating. But, what can you do about this before the holidays? Start working on getting organized now and enjoy the revitalizing feeling of clearing and organizing your space.

Begin with a Walk Through the House

If you are having difficulty getting started with decluttering, grab a trash bag, walk through each room of the house and throw away everything that is destined for the trash. Doing this will get rid of some of the clutter and give you an opportunity to observe what areas of your house really need attention.

Pay close attention to flat surfaces. Just getting a few items off of countertops, tables, dressers and beds will make you feel better and set the groundwork for an in depth decluttering of your home.

Make a List of Clutter Areas

Make a list of clutter areas noting whether they are small areas or huge piles. Decide which areas cause you the most stress and highlight them or mark them with a star. Start with these areas working from small areas to the larger areas. Decluttering even a small area will give you the motivation to continue working on a larger area at another time.

Gather Your Organizing Tools

Gather together a few boxes or trash bags to start the decluttering process. You will want a junk box for throw a ways; a recycle box for items that will be given away or sold; a catch all box for items that belong some place else in the house; and an undecided box which is for items that you just can't make a decision about at that time.

Decluttering Time Has Arrived

It is now time to start the space clearing process. Start on time and don't put off the unavoidable for another minute. Look at the process as part of a workday and be your own tough, focused boss.

The Clutter Test

As you are organizing clutter, ask yourself if the item raises your energy when you look at it or think about it. Is the item something that you absolutely love? Is the item something that is truly useful?

Answering yes to these questions will tell you that you need to keep the item. If you answer no to these questions, ask yourself what this item is doing in your life.

To help keep your home organized, download a free copy of the ebook "How to Organize Your Home". Download it free here: Getting Organized

Lynn Cressy is an Organizing Coach and owns a home decor web site. She also writes articles on home decorating and organizing your home and your life. http://www.lynnshomedecor.com

This Article has been viewed 77 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Nenita Wells
 2 years 81 days ago.
302 fans.
Hi Lynn. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this ideas. It is very helpful to me. Best regards, ~Nenita~
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.