Declutter Strategies

I have been working on decluttering and organizing my home for months. This is a huge project that is not finished quickly, especially if you have been in your house for a long time. We have lived here eight years, and it is amazing the amount of stuff that has accumulated during that time!

My strategy is to do just one closet or cupboard at a time, going bit by bit, a little each day. Gradually I am making progress. Order is coming into my life. I still have a long way to go, but I have some areas that are organized and this makes my life easier in so many ways. I cannot wait until the whole house is decluttered and organized!

While I try to do some decluttering each day, there are some days I just cannot figure out what to tackle next. On these days it is helpful to have some little games and tricks up my sleeve to keep myself motivated as I clear out messes.

Here are some of the declutter strategies that motivate me. Hopefully they will help you too!

I love watching Karissa, the lady in this video, declutter her house. She is so cute and funny! She has three little kids who are often in the background "helping" her declutter things. She usually looks tired and overwhelmed, but through it all she keeps her sense of humor. She's just a delightful and warm person you would love to have as a friend or your next door neighbor.

She has dozens of videos on You Tube about decluttering her house, which has been going on for over a year. She is getting to the point of organizing, decorating and doing some baking with her kids now. She is also going on a diet to lose some extra weight, although I think she looks great.

Watching her videos reminds me that over time I can reach my goal too. It won't happen overnight, but little by little a lot of progress is made.

In these videos, Karissa demonstrates her strategy of taking a bag and filling it. She also gives some decluttering tips for those items you are not sure about.

This book is filled with tips that will help you get your home decluttered quickly.

If filling a shopping bag is just not enough for you, grab a giant black garbage bag. Great for a day when you have cabin fever.

I love watching Malitose79's videos too! These are great motivators for me! She has a lovely home now, but it wasn't always so pretty. This formerly self-professed "slobby" mom now has her own organizing business. Now that is decluttering success!!

This book will give you the tools you need to clear the clutter from your life.

Line up three bags on your arm for garbage, recycle/shred and donate, then find 21 items to go into those bags. Go!

Clear Surfaces Fast

In one of Karissa's videos she got so sick of the clutter in her living room/kitchen combination room that she went around and picked up everything from the surfaces of the entire room. She put everything into one spot, in this case it was a living room chair. Then she went through those items one by one and put them in either a trash, keep or donate pile.

I have been threatening to do this in my kitchen all week, and still haven't done it. It is one way to see progress quickly, and since all the mess is in one spot it is not as overwhelming as if it were spread out.

Pick One Spot to Tackle

Pick out one drawer, one table top, one closet shelf. Empty all of the contents into one spot. Sort into three piles: keep, donate and toss. Organize the spot you decluttered.