New year, new you, right?
So, why is your house STILL littered with the same old junk from last year that you swore you would throw out in 2016 already?
Don’t worry, you are not alone: many homeowners live in clutter simply because they are not sure whether they should keep certain things or throw them out!
Decluttering your house is not as hard as you think and with these simple tips to overcome clutter, you will be able to sort it out and make a fresh start before yet another year has gone past:
Overcome Clutter Tip #1 – “Mom! I can’t find the…”
How many times haven’t we all shouted this one?
Make it easier to find things in your home (and save time) by investing in a pegboard, repacking your closet and de-stuff your kitchen cupboards.
You can also consider using a marker to draw the outlines of tools on your tool rack so that you know where they go.
Overcome Clutter Tip #2 – “Ah, I left it at home!”
If only we could remind ourselves to remember the bills, the flowers, the birthday cards, etc. before we leave home.
Create an organizing system in the front of your house so that you see what you need to take with before you open the door.
Overcome Clutter Tip #3 – “Is my soccer outfit washed?”
The laundry room can be a true danger zone if one’s not organized properly.
Get each member of the family their own basket and label it!
And why? This way they are in charge of what goes inside and you won’t get blamed for ‘losing’ or ‘not washing’ the laundry!
Overcome Clutter Tip #4 – “I do everything in this house!”
Especially in the kitchen, right? Not anymore!
It’s called delegation: set up a separate lunch-making station where kids can pack or make their own lunches when you are busy. Stock it with paper towels, wraps, cutting boards and even coffee and tea supplies.
This way each person can help themselves!
Overcome Clutter Tip #5 – “What is the phone number for…?”
We don’t always have our phone with us, so create a binder near the telephone that contains all the important information of emergency services, schools, and close family and friends!
Some of these good old-fashioned tools still come in handy, no?!
Overcome Clutter Tip #6 – “The cords are going crazy!”
Living in a house with cords snaking around everywhere can be very irritating and they always seem to be scattered around the house.
Get a central charging station where you can hide cords, keep everything together and let it blend in with your furniture.
Overcome Clutter Tip #7 – “I told you to pack your toys away!”
Toys always seem to find their way to places they shouldn’t be.
Teach your kids organization skills from a young age by using bins for each toy.
Label them individually so that the kids know that dolls go inside the pink bin, cars in the red bin, etc.
Overcome Clutter Tip #8 – “Please clean up after yourselves.”
Spoiler: it never happens, especially when they use the bathroom. Right!
Get an individual caddy for every person where they can put all their toiletries and store it neatly in the bathroom. If there isn’t enough space, you can ask them to carry it back and forth to and from their rooms.
Perhaps this tip might be somewhat of a push (pardon the pun), but might be worth trying out!
Overcome Clutter Tip #9 – “There is no place to relax.”
What?
Your home should have a tranquil place for you to relax and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be your bedroom:
- Remove anything from there that might seem like work like the laundry basket.
- Organize your closet, as we all know those doors don’t remain shut all the time.
- Get rid of clothing you don’t need anymore and sort through your pile of books. Choose one to keep next to you and store the rest in a bookshelf.
Overcome Clutter Tip #10 – “There is no time to organize!”
Actually, yes, there is!
Call it a two-step overcome clutter program:
- Reduce clutter as soon as it starts piling up – it sounds very simple because it is!
This should take you about 10 minutes per day. - Then avoid perfection at all costs. Of course, you won’t have an alphabetized folder ready and waiting. Sometimes ‘good enough’ is all you need to remain sane!
Let’s hope this time next year, you’ll read this article again, smile to yourself and be glad you decided to take action on some of these tips on how to overcome clutter!
And you’ll realize in no time that decluttering your house isn’t actually as hard as you initially thought it would be!
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