How To Declutter - 10 Tips to Control Clutter

by Jan Ferrante

Having a cluttered home can feel like a permanent condition as it is often so hard to get on top of it… and to keep it that way.

I have found a few tricks that really help to keep it all under control.

It is not a magic pill, you always need to stay on top of it.

People with clear spaces will tell you, it doesn't get that way with no effort, although it looks that way.

But it does get easier if you follow a few guidelines.

  1. PUT ASIDE A REGULAR TIME TO DECLUTTER. A time that is focused solely on the planned task.

  2. PLAN YOUR TASK AHEAD OF TIME. If you can map out your declutter task for next week as you finish this week, it will give you time to set up small things through the week to help you and it will keep you motivated to do it as you picture what it is going to look like when it is finished throughout the week.

  3. PICTURE THE OUTCOME. Change your mindset from – “darn, one of these days I will get that pile cleaned up” to “that pile is going to look so good gone!”.

  4. CREATE A SYSTEM for your decluttering task. What will you do with the items you are getting rid of? The items you are keeping? And when?

  5. DON'T MOVE PILES FROM ONE ROOM TO THE NEXT give it away, throw it away or put it away.

  6. DIVIDE AND CONQUER. If you have a big cluttered space to deal with, break it down into sections and tackle one at a time. With each one cleaned up, you will be that much more inspired to do the next and the results will be exponential as each small bit finished makes a bigger dent.

  7. CHOOSE A JOB THAT WILL SEE PERMANENT RESULTS. Doing dishes is not a decluttering task – cleaning the junk pile by the front door is – as long as you keep it that way.

  8. KEEP IT THAT WAY :0) Put a system in place that will allow you to keep your old clutter pile gone.

  9. SET YOUR TIMER and plan your task to be realistically accomplished during your selected time. If you can happily declutter for ½ hour, set your timer and adjust your task accordingly. If you see that you won't be finished, extend your time by setting your timer again if this will not cause you stress or put you back on something else. Or start dealing with your sorted items and put the rest back for next time as you see your allotted time coming to a close.

  10. POWER UP – Have a 5 minute declutter binge every day. Use this time to set yourself up – locate supplies etc or pick at your project, you may find it is finished by the time your declutter day comes along! Or it may not look so daunting.

  11. BONUS TIP – Take your decluttered items where ever they need to go as soon as possible. If they need to go to charity, load them in the car and take them next time you are out. If they are garbage, put them in your garbage shed. If they need to be put away, create a home for them (creating homes or centers for your kept items can count as a declutter day task – it's fun!)

About the Author

Jan Ferrante

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  1. Thanks for the tips, I have been looking for a way to de-clutter my garage and my “work/storage” room. I don’t even go in there anymore because of how much clutter I have in there… I have a mental picture of what I want, but every time there is some free time, I find myself enjoying it with my kids and watching tv.

  2. My family and I move house every two years or so due to my job so we have to minimze what we buy. No sofa, no beds, no major furniture, no large things that require more than two people to move. Even so we still manage to fill a skip with accumulated crap when we move out. It amazes me every time and we are by no means magpies about things.

    Some good advice here but I can’t see myself doing it, especially with kids around who seem to love having knick-knacks around. Shame really. 🙂

  3. Nice tips. I give it a thumbs up on Stumble.

    I especially like the tip about not moving piles of stuff from room to room. You must know me! You even underlined it for me 🙂

    The tip I most related with is to declutter in campaigns. That’s what I do – I spend a few hours every few months and burn through clutter.

    Also, as an idea guy I have lots of pieces of paper with great ideas! I’ve been moving my whole idea life to Google. I now use Google’s calendar, Google bookmarks, Gmail (where I don’t have to ever organize anything) and Google Notebook (where I also just dump into without much organizing).

  4. Being able to separate daily work (dishes) and clutter jobs is my biggest challenge. These are great tips. Planning ahead seems daunting, but once started it saves time in the long run.

  5. Thanks for leaving your ideas and thoughts! I’ve really enjoyed reading them.

    I have a lot of the same troubles myself, that might be why decluttering is so important to me, it’s an ongoing struggle but the single most important thing to keep on top of around here if I’m not to go stark raving mad :0))

    I have a weekly reminder for Saturdays here
    http://queenofkaos.com/at-home-blog/declutter-day/

    You don’t have to do it that day, and you choose the amount of time you want to spend, it’s just a reminder so that you do some once per week.

  6. Once a month or so I get a garbage bag and work room to room filling it: old mail, school notices, broken toys, etc.
    I look in night table drawers, baskets for clutter around the house, linen closet, kids’ closets, refrigerator, pantry, etc.
    Then i’m 1 or 2 bags of junk lighter in my house.

  7. @pyro chuck Decluttering can be quite a revelation. It’s amazing what you can find!

    The real beauty is the time saved looking for things that would have been lost or buried in stuff (like furniture :0))

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