Showing posts with label declutter your house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label declutter your house. Show all posts

Sunday, January 15, 2023

List Of Decluttering And Organizing Supplies To Complete Projects Throughout Your House


List of decluttering and organizing supplies to complete projects throughout your house:

  1. Trash bags
  2. Storage containers (plastic bins, baskets, etc.)
  3. Labels and a label maker
  4. Clear shoe boxes
  5. Hangers (plastic or velvet)
  6. Command hooks and adhesive strips
  7. Drawer dividers
  8. A step stool
  9. A vacuum or broom
  10. A cleaning solution (such as all-purpose cleaner or vinegar)
  11. A damp cloth or microfiber towels
  12. A notebook and pen for taking notes and making lists.
  13. Sorting table

Saturday, January 14, 2023

How To Get The Motivation To Declutter Your House


Decluttering your home can be a daunting task, but it can also be very rewarding. Here are a few tips to help you get motivated:

  1. Start small: Don't try to declutter your entire house in one day. Instead, start with a small area, like a closet or a single room. This will help you feel a sense of accomplishment as you make progress.
  2. Set a goal: Having a specific goal in mind can help you stay motivated. For example, you might want to declutter your bedroom so that you can create a more relaxing space, or you might want to declutter your kitchen so that you can find items more easily.
  3. Get rid of items you no longer need: As you declutter, be sure to get rid of items that you no longer need or use. This will not only free up space, but it will also help you feel a sense of accomplishment as you let go of unnecessary possessions.
  4. Involve others: Enlist the help of friends or family members to declutter your home. Not only will this make the task more enjoyable, but it will also allow you to get a fresh perspective on your possessions.
  5. Take breaks: Decluttering can be overwhelming, so be sure to take breaks as needed. This will help you stay focused and motivated.

Remember, the goal of decluttering is to create a more organized and functional space. With a little motivation and perseverance, you can create a home that feels more peaceful and efficient.

Saturday, May 28, 2022

What Are The Benefits of Decluttering and Organizing Your House?

 


I have a question for everyone reading my blog today. What is clutter?

  • Clutter is anything in your home or office that does not serve a purpose or function in your life anymore.
  • Clutter may include items in your home that are broken or nonfunctional.
  • Clutter may be material items in your home that you do not need or love.
  • Clutter could also include unnecessary duplicate items in your home.
  • You may be surprised to realize that having too many storage containers that aren't actually being used in your home may add to your existing clutter problem. That is the main reason it may be suggested that you declutter your home "first." Then, it should be easy to figure out exactly how many storage boxes to buy and specific sizes you may need.
  • Clutter could also consist of accumulated items of trash to be thrown away or removed in an appropriate manner. 

Now that we know what clutter is, why do you think our homes accumulate clutter?

  • Clutter may be caused be delayed decisions.
  • You haven't taken the time to decide on appropriate areas to keep your specific items in your home.
  • Procrastination: maybe you feel overwhelmed about organizing or decluttering your house.
  • You may be experiencing that frustrating "all or nothing" feeling about home organization. For example: you may think to yourself, "I will never have enough time to get my organizing projects done. There is just too much to do. So, why should I even start?"
  • Maybe, you have a very busy family schedule and you haven't been using a good weekly/monthly planner for routine chores/tasks in the home.
  • Possibly, the family doesn't realize your home organization goals and you may get easily distracted with many interruptions throughout the day. It may be very helpful for you to communicate your short-term and long-term organizing goals with your family. You may decide to have family members participate in your plan. This may be especially important in helping to keep your home maintained after you have everything set up the way you like it.
  • You may have felt the lack of energy or motivation to complete organizing projects in the past.
  • Often times, a major lifestyle change may cause a change in the normal flow of organization in your home. Here are a few examples: a birth or a death in the family, new marriage or a divorce, job relocation, or health problems.

How can clutter affect your life in a negative way?

  • Clutter can take up lots of extra space in a home. Think of how much more additional space you may have available after you get rid of any unnecessary clutter.
  • You may be using a lot of your valuable time to take care of all the material things in your house.
  • You could be spending extra money for duplicate items that you have been purchasing because you haven't been able to find the things that you were looking for in your house.
  • Many people say they lack energy because they are tired of maintaining all the material things they have accumulated over the years.
  • They don't have enough time to take good care of themselves or to enjoy their favorite hobbies and outlets.

What are the positive benefits of home organization and decluttering your house?

  • You will be able to focus on things that you enjoy, such as: exercise, hobbies, good nutrition, etc.
  • You may find that you have more time to spend with family and friends.
  • Hopefully, you won't have the need to purchase unnecessary items because you will have easy access to your items and be able to find everything when you need it. You will learn how to find "the right place for everything in your home."
  • You may really enjoy the big bonus of having more space in your home once you get rid of your clutter.
  • An organized house, free of clutter, may help you save time when you need to do your routine daily/weekly household chores.
  • I find that I focus and concentrate better and feel more productive and less stress with work when my house and office are organized.
  • You may increase your confidence to invite your friends over to your home again.

Baby Steps and Goals for Getting Your Home Organized


I find that most people can increase their productivity by simply organizing their belongings around their house and office. I will mention some tools that may help you when working on your specific goals to organize your life. 

 

It is so helpful to initially formulate a plan. Many of us set goals that are too broad and unrealistic when first embarking on any area of our lives.

 

In order for this plan to go smoothly, you need to have realistic, specific goals that are well-defined and written out. It is essential to set long and short term goals. For example, your long term goal could be getting your home organized in a year's time. Your short term goal could be getting one room in order each month. 

 

After you have your goals in mind, write them down on paper and put that paper in a place where you can view it often. Knowing target goals in your mind is not enough; they need to be in a place where you can view them often, so you are constantly motivated to achieve your specific goals.

 

Finally, you need to determine why you want something.  It's not enough to simply want to get organized in your life. You need to know why you have this motivating desire. Without wanting something whole-heartedly, it will be difficult to achieve it.

 

While the above tips may seem simple, it is surprising how many people set out to achieve a significant life change without knowing what they want to get done. The simplest and yet most motivating force to achieving your goals is knowing where you are going and why you are going in that direction. Follow these tips, and hopefully you may organize your life faster than you ever thought possible.


Getting your home environment more organized may certainly help you to find a happy balance in your everyday life. Things may seem more controllable, less stressed and pleasurable. However, many of us may currently feel so fragmented and overwhelmed because we aren't achieving that sense of balance when our home surroundings are cluttered and disorganized.


We may never seem to have sufficient hours in the day to get everything completed. Taking the time to make creative changes in your life can really mean the difference between simply struggling each day or enjoying your life to the fullest extent.


Learn to take control of your physical environment. The less time you spend running around searching for things, the more time you will have for what is significant to you. 


Prioritize what is in fact needed and important to you. Be decisive about what you keep. You have a finite amount of space. Use the "real estate" for those things you need and treasure.


Eliminate what you don't need. Not everything has to go the way of the dumpster. You may decide to donate to a charity or sell the items and allow yourself the freedom from feeling guilty or wasteful. If you aren't using it, chances are someone else can enjoy the items. 


Remember to contain or store things properly. Consider where you would look for items routinely and what type of like or similar items can be contained or stored together. Make a good habit of scheduling time to maintain your new organized surroundings! 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Designing Your Own Organizing System


By reading my blog you are taking a step closer to getting your home and your life more organized. Have you been feeling the clutter in your life is getting out of control and more chaotic? Do you waste a lot of valuable time searching for items around your house? I know for myself, even with being home so much more throughout last year during the Pandemic, I feel like I don’t have enough time in the day to get things done like I used to in the past. I think a lot of the reason is because I am cooking even more now throughout the whole day, which means more meal preparation and clean up time afterwards. 

It seems like before the Pandemic, I had more of a consistent routine daily/weekly schedule. Do you ever think how much better your daily life would be if your house was really organized? I have read so many wonderful books and articles about organization throughout the past several years. 


Sometimes it is easy for life to seem to get somewhat out of control, such as with all of the changes in 2020. You may feel overwhelmed with so many daily responsibilities to accomplish, without enough time for you to relax a bit. You may even begin to feel anxious and depressed about the situation. 


Maybe you actually started to spend money on shelving units, bins and containers, hoping to bring order to counteract the chaos. Don’t lose hope or motivation. You can turn your situation around. Start with a small, manageable project that won’t take too much time. Be consistent and keep going with this reasonable project until it is completed. It could be cleaning out and organizing one kitchen cabinet or drawer. Successfully finishing smaller tasks will help to build your confidence to tackle larger projects. 


It is very important to understand that organizing is not all about throwing things out, but about identifying what is important to you, prioritizing and maintaining access to what you routinely need. Clutter control and finding the ideal storage area for your individual items are important keys to good organization. Home organization requires patience and consistent efforts. However, the end results are so rewarding.


By learning helpful organizing skills and techniques, you can begin to restore order and balance in your life. Organizing your home and cleaning may provide comforting, peaceful order to your life. 


When families collect too much stuff, the unnecessary clutter can interfere with the tranquility and calmness of the home environment. Too much clutter can actually cause feelings of despair and frustration. Clutter takes up a lot of precious space in your home that could be used much more efficiently.


One of the first things I learned when I was studying to become a professional organizer was the major importance of assigning everything in your house a specific place or “home” so that you will know exactly where to find that item in the future when you are searching for it. This is a good habit to teach all of your individual family members.


You could start in your foyer/entryway area of your house and place a small basket or dish to hold your keys. A larger basket set on an entryway table could temporarily hold library or school books, so they don’t get lost and remain quick and easy to find. A coat rack could nicely hold your seasonal coat and purse. 


I know you can think of several areas throughout your house for organized storage of various items. In the bedroom you can use drawer dividers for socks and tiny items. I have found useful, multi-purpose ottomans to store many things, such as seasonal throw blankets in my bedroom. They are also handy to store excess books. 


In my own closet, if I find clothing that I haven’t worn for a year or is no longer my size, I decide if I want to sell or donate those items or store them. I use slim color coded hangers to display only the clothing that is currently my size and that I plan to actually wear often.


One thing I routinely do with my kitchen items is to try to donate a small appliance at the time that I purchase an upgraded model. I have a small kitchen with limited counter space. I do a lot of cooking every day, so I try to prioritize things carefully in my kitchen. It takes a decent amount of time, but I need to really maintain order inside my small kitchen cabinets for adequate storage purposes.


I find that my dining room table can easily get cluttered with excess grocery supplies or with mail/bills, etc. It definitely is a fabulous habit to keep your kitchen and dining room table clean and free of all clutter. Hopefully, you may have a spare desk or even a dedicated cart of some kind to keep your mail and bills, along with your writing supplies, calendars, notebook and menu planners. 


I keep at least three boxes in the house labeled the following:


1.) Donate

2.) Sell

3.) Put Away


Then when I straighten out rooms throughout the week, it makes it easier to keep things tidy and organized.


There a few things to consider when you are deciding to donate items, such as:


1.) Have you used the item in the past year?

2.) Do you have duplicate items?

3.) Have you upgraded to a newer model?

4.) Are you holding onto the item just for sentimental value?


Part of organizing is deciding what is important to you and finding an appropriate place for your items, so your home can be maintained in an easy manner. You will reap the benefits of a calm, happy, “clutter-free” home environment. Hopefully, you will have more available quality time to spend enjoying your favorite things and more relaxation. Organizing is not about throwing out a lot of household items or buying lots of storage containers.


Don’t feel guilty for accumulating a lot of stuff over the years. Developing a unique smart organizing system that will work for you and your whole family will certainly help you maintain your household.


To create a lasting, successful organizing solution, make your system fit your personality so you feel comfortable with your home surroundings. Create neat order, clear surfaces, simplify your life by designing your own organizing system unique for you and your family!

Step-By-Step Goals For Organizing Your House

The truth is you can really increase your productivity a great deal by simply organizing your belongings around your home and office. Here are some tools to help you when first starting on your goal to organize your life. It is so important to develop a plan. There is nothing that is more potent to achieving your goals than having a specific plan to start off. 

A lot of people set far too broad goals when first embarking on any area of their life. In order for your plan to succeed, you need to have realistic, precise goals that are well-defined and written out. It is a good habit to set long-term and short-term goals. For instance, your long-term goal could be getting your whole home completely organized in a year's time. Your short-term goal could be getting one room in order within a month. 

After you have your goals in mind, write them down on paper and put that paper in a place you can view it often. Maybe you may want to use a planner notebook or a digital app. Knowing a target in your head is not enough; it needs to be in a place where you can view it often and constantly motivate you to achieve your goals. 

Finally, you need to determine the reason why you want something. It may not be enough to simply want to get organized. You need to know why you have this desire. Without wanting something whole-heartedly, it will be harder to achieve it. 

While the above tips may seem simple, it is incredible how many people set out to achieve a target without knowing what they want to get done. The simplest and yet strongest force to achieving your goals is knowing where you are going and why you are going in that direction. Follow these tips to help you get organized and enjoy the process!

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Prioritize Your Declutter Project - One Area at a Time

If you have not decluttered recently nor maintained since your last purge, it can be quite a task to get things back under control. Thankfully, there are many ways to go about this while keeping your sanity. By organizing and decluttering one section of your home at a time, you can tidy up in a manageable way. Here is how to do it.

Prioritize Areas

First, sit down with a notebook and divide your home into rooms. Include non-rooms such as hallways and the entryway. Decide which room will be your first priority, then your second, then your third, etc.

If your children always have friends over, your living room might be first priority. If you feel like you can handle anything that comes your way as long as you have a clutter-free place to relax every night, then your bedroom might take first place instead.

Choose Area Size According to Available Time

Decide how much time each day you can devote to the task of decluttering. If you have entire days to spare, you might be able to take on a room per day. If you are like most people and have several responsibilities to juggle, then it might be more reasonable to tackle small areas within a room.

Break Down Each Area into Sections

After you have decided how much space you are likely to be able to clean each day, break each room down into areas such as closet, desk, floor, etc. Make the sections small enough that you can complete your task in one day. Whether it gets accomplished in twenty minutes or four hours, you will feel satisfied that you have finished the task you assigned to yourself.

Enlist Some Help from Family and Friends

Ask an especially organized family member to help you, or arrange for a decluttering swap with a good friend. Involve them in the planning process, and of course when it comes to the actual physical labor as well. Make it fun, and order pizza for everyone afterward. Most friends are happy to help out when asked, and you can always return the favor in the future.

Be Realistic and Flexible

We can set goals, but sometimes life gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach your goal one day, or if you have to reschedule due to life events. Even if it takes longer than planned, your decluttering will eventually come to an end if you stay consistent and stick to it. If you miss one day, simply get back to it the next.

Set a reminder in your smartphone, or find another way to get into the decluttering groove without forgetting about it. Be flexible about your schedule if for some reason you should need one room to be decluttered sooner than originally planned, even if it means putting off another room. As long as you are doing something almost every day, you are headed in the right direction.

Decluttering takes organization. Prioritizing your task means that you will be able to get everything done in a timely fashion. Use these ideas and get on your way to an organized decluttering spree today.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Prioritize Your Declutter Project - One Area at a Time

If you have not decluttered recently nor maintained since your last purge, it can be quite a task to get things back under control. Thankfully, there are many ways to go about this while keeping your sanity. By organizing and decluttering one section of your home at a time, you can tidy up in a manageable way. Here is how to do it.

Prioritize Areas

First, sit down with a notebook and divide your home into rooms. Include non-rooms such as hallways and the entryway. Decide which room will be your first priority, then your second, then your third, etc.

If your children always have friends over, your living room might be first priority. If you feel like you can handle anything that comes your way as long as you have a clutter-free place to relax every night, then your bedroom might take first place instead.

Choose Area Size According to Available Time

Decide how much time each day you can devote to the task of decluttering. If you have entire days to spare, you might be able to take on a room per day. If you are like most people and have several responsibilities to juggle, then it might be more reasonable to tackle small areas within a room.

Break Down Each Area into Sections

After you have decided how much space you are likely to be able to clean each day, break each room down into areas such as closet, desk, floor, etc. Make the sections small enough that you can complete your task in one day. Whether it gets accomplished in twenty minutes or four hours, you will feel satisfied that you have finished the task you assigned to yourself.

Enlist Some Help from Family and Friends

Ask an especially organized family member to help you, or arrange for a decluttering swap with a good friend. Involve them in the planning process, and of course when it comes to the actual physical labor as well. Make it fun, and order pizza for everyone afterward. Most friends are happy to help out when asked, and you can always return the favor in the future.

Be Realistic and Flexible

We can set goals, but sometimes life gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach your goal one day, or if you have to reschedule due to life events. Even if it takes longer than planned, your decluttering will eventually come to an end if you stay consistent and stick to it. If you miss one day, simply get back to it the next.

Set a reminder in your smartphone, or find another way to get into the decluttering groove without forgetting about it. Be flexible about your schedule if for some reason you should need one room to be decluttered sooner than originally planned, even if it means putting off another room. As long as you are doing something almost every day, you are headed in the right direction.

Decluttering takes organization. Prioritizing your task means that you will be able to get everything done in a timely fashion. Use these ideas and get on your way to an organized decluttering spree today.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Why Decluttering Saves You Money

Clutter. It’s terrible for the soul, and terrible for all other life aspects as well. Clutter not only drags you down mentally, but it is also a huge waste of your financial resources. How exactly does clutter waste money, and how does getting rid of it help you save financially?

You Find Items You Forgot You Had

When you declutter, it can be like going shopping. As you clean, you will likely come across many objects that you forgot you had. You may need more pens and find close to one hundred. You just never know what you are going to find when you declutter. The rescued items can be organized from this point on, and used as needed.

You Don’t Have to Buy New Items Because You Lost the Old One

We’ve all been there. You have an item you need and you are sure you bought it already. You know that you have it somewhere, but you have so much clutter lying around that you may never find the item. You inevitably end up buying a new one, only to find the original several months down the road.

With piles and piles of seemingly random things being stored in your home, it can be near impossible to find what you are looking for when you need it the most. Decluttering can make your home more organized so that you never have to waste time looking for things you bought and misplaced, or buy a duplicate item.

It Encourages You to Buy Less

When you have spent a large amount of time decluttering your home, you realize what a time-waster it is to have too many items. It can be the most effective way of convincing yourself to buy less. You will save a large amount of money if you take the simple step of curbing your spending patterns. Buy less, and your life will instantly go in a positive direction.

You Can Downsize

The amount of real estate that clutter takes up is amazing. When you declutter, it makes you feel good and you will want to keep going. When you have gotten to a point where you are closer to being a minimalist, you will find that you truly do not need a lot of space to enjoy the home you live in. You may even find yourself seriously considering downsizing your home in order to save money and prepare for the future.

You Can Create Income Selling Old Items

Decluttering leaves you with not only a lot of junk, but also with many perfectly good items that you simply do not need. By selling these old items, you are not just saving money, but making some. This can be an added incentive to your decluttering efforts. Whether it be through a garage sale, word of mouth or an online ad, sell your old items and make some extra cash.

Decluttering is good for the mind, body and soul. It is also good for the wallet. If you are hoping to save money and be more responsible with what you have, take these thoughts into consideration. Decluttering can and does save you money, and in a big way.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Positive Benefits of Home Organization and Decluttering Your House


I would like to begin by telling you a little information about myself. I am a Registered Nurse and I also earned by diploma in medical transcription.

I have several years of nursing experience and I even had the wonderful opportunity to write and teach a few online medical assisting courses on the junior college academic level.

However, I have always had a great passion for organizing my house. I studied many resources about home organization. There is so much helpful information to learn. I decided to continue to pursue my interest in this field. I studied online and now I am a trained Professional Organizer. I successfully completed a Professional Organizing program and I enjoyed my training very much. 

Now that you are a little more familiar with my training, we will get onto our topic of decluttering the house. I would like to emphasize that I do not believe there is just "one" successful method to organize and declutter your home. 

I think it is extremely important for you to educate yourself about home organization and decluttering the house and decide on specific "organizing systems" that will work well for your individual lifestyle and family. Always remember that good organizational habits can be learned.

I have a question for everyone reading my blog today. What is clutter?
  • Clutter is anything in your home or office that does not serve a purpose or function in your life anymore.
  • Clutter may include items in your home that are broken or nonfunctional.
  • Clutter may be material items in your home that you do not need or love.
  • Clutter could also include unnecessary duplicate items in your home.
  • You may be surprised to realize that having too many storage containers that aren't actually being used in your home may add to your existing clutter problem. That is the main reason it may be suggested that you declutter your home "first." Then it should be easy to figure out exactly how many storage boxes to buy and specific sizes you may need.
  • Clutter could also consist of accumulated items of trash to be thrown away or removed in an appropriate manner. 
Now that we know what clutter is, why do you think our homes accumulate clutter?
  • Clutter may be caused be delayed decisions.
  • You haven't taken the time to decide on appropriate areas to keep your specific items in your home.
  • Procrastination: maybe you feel overwhelmed about organizing or decluttering your house.
  • You may be experiencing that frustrating "all or nothing" feeling about home organization. For example: you may think to yourself, "I will never have enough time to get my organizing projects done. There is just too much to do. So, why should I even start?"
  • Maybe you have a very busy family schedule and you haven't been using a good weekly/monthly planner for routine chores/tasks in the home.
  • Possibly the family doesn't realize your home organization goals and you may get easily distracted with many interruptions throughout the day. It may be very helpful for you to communicate your short-term and long-term organizing goals with your family. You may decide to have family members participate in your plan. This may be especially important in helping to keep your home maintained after you have everything set up the way you like it.
  • You may have felt the lack of energy or motivation to complete organizing projects in the past.
  • Often times, a major lifestyle change may cause a change in the normal flow of organization in your home. Here are a few examples: a birth or a death in the family, new marriage or a divorce, job relocation or health problems.
How can clutter affect your life in a negative way?
  • Clutter can take up lots of extra space in a home. Think of how much more additional space you may have available after you get rid of any unnecessary clutter.
  • You may be using a lot of your valuable time to take care of all the material things in your house.
  • You could be spending extra money for duplicate items that you have been purchasing because you haven't been able to find the things that you were looking for in your house.
  • Many people say they lack energy because they are tired of maintaining all the material things they have accumulated over the years.
  • They don't have enough time to take good care of themselves or to enjoy their favorite hobbies and outlets.
What are the positive benefits of home organization and decluttering your house?
  • You will be able to focus on things that you enjoy such as: exercise, hobbies, good nutrition, etc.
  • You may find that you have more time to spend with family and friends.
  • Hopefully, you won't have the need to purchase unnecessary items because you will have easy access to your items and be able to find everything when you need it. You will learn how to find "the right place for everything in your home."
  • You may really enjoy the big bonus of having more space in your home once you get rid of your clutter.
  • An organized house, free of clutter, may help you save time when you need to do your routine daily/weekly household chores.
  • I find that I focus and concentrate better and feel more productive and less stress with work when my house and office are organized.
  • You may increase your confidence to invite your friends over to your home again.
This is a wonderful video titled:

"How to Organize Your Home: Organizational Expert Alejandra Costello's House Tour"



Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Positive Benefits of Home Organization and Decluttering Your House

You will be able to focus on things that you enjoy, such as: exercise, hobbies, good nutrition, etc.

You may find that you have more time to spend with family and friends.

Hopefully, you won't have the need to purchase unnecessary items because you will have easy access to your items and be able to find everything when you need it. You will learn how to find "the right place for everything in your home."

You may really enjoy the big bonus of having more space in your home once you get rid of your clutter.

An organized house, free of clutter, may help you save time when you need to do your routine daily/weekly household chores.

I find that I focus and concentrate better and feel more productive and less stress with work when my house and office are organized.

You may increase your confidence to invite your friends over to your home again.