It’s that time of year
Personally, my New Year’s Resolution is to slowly and over time, begin to declutter and organize my home. I think it’s a great place to start. When you begin to remove non-essential, non-sentimental items, you are creating space for the arrival of new elements. The only problem is, in the past I always rushed and was overwhelmed with the process. So, this time I made rules for myself, and perhaps they will help you too.
take your time
Don’t stress yourself out. We all have very busy lives. Work, children, pets, etc. Don’t hurry at all, but do start the process to declutter. Pick one very small section of your home. Maybe just your desk, or one of your kitchen cupboards. Take a before photo, so you can reward yourself later down the road, with an after photo. Even if the process takes an entire year, pat yourself on the back.
divide your area into sections
You don’t need boxes, just designate your small declutter area into three sections. 1. Keep pile 2. Throw away pile 3. Donate or give pile. Anything you keep, give it a home, whether it’s an important document, utensil, or chair.
Starting within the office
I happen to be starting in my office, one file at a time. Suze Orman has a wonderful list of what and how long you should keep documents here. I will be referring to her list often, as I slowly make my way through each and every paper. You can scan any documents you’re not sure whether to keep or throw. Make sure you also save them on an external hard drive, just in case. You can keep the most important documents in a safe or a small file. And then get to shredding all the junk you don’t need.
keep focused on one session per week
Pick one very tiny section of your home per week on which to focus. Try to make it a quiet time of your day. You don’t need any distractions while decluttering. And, it bears repeating. Take it as slowly as you need to. Before you know it, you will be loving your new, decluttered, organized home. You’ll feel lighter, breathe easier, work easier, and won’t waste time looking for things. Then, you can start working on bad habits, worn out ideas and toxic relationships that no longer serve you.
Hope this article helped you out a bit, and until next time, have an incredible day!
