While the idea of cleaning and organizing your home might be appealing, actually getting yourself to take action is another story entirely. In reality, doing a big declutter and shifting to a more minimalist lifestyle can be incredibly daunting, which is why so many of us procrastinate taking the first step.
Breaking it down into manageable steps is a helpful way to approach this kind of life change. With baby steps, you can get the ball rolling and make a positive change in your home and life. Here are the main steps you need to take, which you can feel free to break down further if you need to:
Assess and Sort
First of all, you need to take a long, hard look at what you own and sort through it all. This is the essential first step that will get you started on this journey.
Take it room by room and sort everything into three distinct piles: things you need, things you want to get rid of, and things you’re unsure about.
Things you want to keep are important items that you need, love, and use often. Things you’re unsure of are tough to deal with, and it might be a good idea to use a temporary solution like Centron Self Storage to store these items. Finally, items you want to get rid of can either be sold, donated, or discarded.
Be Honest with Yourself
When you’re going through your sorting process, it’s important to be honest with yourself and, at times, a little brutal. We often cling to items that are sentimental to us or that we think we might use one day in the future, ultimately building up unnecessary clutter.
Clothing you haven’t worn in months or even years and random craft pieces that you think you might use one day can’t be justifiably kept in your home when you want to make the most of your space. Really think about what you need and remind yourself of the benefits of a clutter-free home.
Reorganize Your Space
Once you’ve done the heavy lifting of sorting through all your belongings and getting rid of the things you no longer want or need, it’s time to find a new home for everything you’ve decided to keep.
This will be much easier with less clutter to organize in the first place, and many people find it fun and therapeutic to create a neat and orderly space. Try to use a system with organizational bins that make your belongings easy to store and find and keep them looking tidy.
Create a Cleaning Routine
Finally, with all that hard work done, you’ll want to ensure it doesn’t all fall into disarray again within a few short weeks.
To keep your space looking neat, orderly, and clutter-free, come up with a cleaning and organization routine that allows you to stay on top of things before they get out of hand. Going through your belongings, reorganizing, and decluttering regularly will help you avoid needing to do major clean-up sessions every few months or years.
