This post is all about breaking down, into steps, the task of decluttering a large cluttered area of your home without causing undue disruption. I am going to use the kitchen as my example area, however these steps can be easily adapted to any space. I chose the kitchen simply because, in Western Society, this space usually has lots of divisions of space with lots of individual items in them. So without further adieu let us begin.

Step One ~ Setting up

If you don’t already have a space set up to store the decluttered items prior to complete removal from your home ~ I call this the transition point ~ now is the time take care of this step. Designate an area to move the items to that you wish to declutter. This is where you store them until you are able to get out to deliver them to the thrift shop, donation bin, sell them or pass them on to a friend or relative. You may want to set up individual tubs in order to keep these items separate depending on there intended final destination.

Step Two ~ Division of space

Choose one small space in your area to work on at a time.  Make it a small enough space ~ One drawer, one shelf, one area of the bench top… ~ that can be dealt with quickly and easily.

Step Three ~ Empty and choose

Remove everything from this small space, choosing which items to declutter as you handle each one. Move the decluttered items to your transition point. At this time you may also want to return misplaced items to their appropriate areas. However don’t be tempted to fine tune the space as that is much easier to achieve once the decluttering of the entire area has taken place

Step Four ~ Prep

If necessary, do any cleaning or maintenance necessary to prepare this space for the return of the keeper items. Also clean any keeper items that require it.

Set Five ~ Replace

Replace the keeper items to the space in the most sensible order to suit your needs. Now the greater area is tidy again.

Set Six ~ Repeat

If you have time at this juncture you can move on to the next small section of your area ~ starting at step two and follow through to step five. However if you have other things to do with your day you can walk away comforted by the fact that the area is tidy and you can return to the task when time permits.

Clearly the strategy is to break the large area into small sections that can be completed in a short period of time. Do one section at a time leaving no mess behind you as you move on. Continue section by section at your own pace.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you have knowingly passed over during previous decluttering mission that you still haven’t utilised. I decluttered some cardboard boxes that I saved for mailing but haven’t been used.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Only turn a light on when absolutely necessary.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

I have been visiting family members in the past week. Being there and coming back I realized that my home still feels more cluttered than theirs although it isn’t. How’s that you might ask. Well, it’s the quite simple fact that we live in a much smaller space. Our rooms and cabinet space are limited and require a more minimal lifestyle than a whole house would. Also, I realized that no matter how big a house is, the amount of daily mess you make is about the same. So, of course in my home, dirty dishes seem to take up all the kitchen – add a little floordrobe as well as paperwork in progress and the whole living space is REALLY messy. There’s no clean room to make you feel at ease anymore. In a bigger home all these things can spread out, be hidden behind closed doors and make it possible to have some “cluttery spots” and still other places around the home to host visitors. It is a problem I fight every day. I am not the most tidy person and I tend to not pick up after myself immediately. So, yes, my home is often in a messy state. On the other hand, I feel that I came a long way during my decluttering journey, I have a good grasp of what I own and my long-term-clutter gets less and less instead of more and more as it used to (e.g. paperwork etc.). Although things may not be in best order, it is always possible to find things in a reasonable amount of time. I certainly feel I am living a relatively uncluttered life (not quite there, but getting really close), although my home often is a mess. There are certainly different layers of clutter:

The forgotten clutter

This is the kind of stuff that is just there, but never touched. It may fill your attic or your basement, but it may also be displayed in a glass front cabinet in your living room. It’s the things that are of no immediate use for you and that you probably wouldn’t even realize if someone nicked it. I find this is the kind of clutter a bigger house attracts. Children’s rooms just stay as they are, even when the children moved out years ago etc. etc. In my small home I am forced to question that kind of stuff quite regularly and I got rid of a lot of it over the past years.

The bottom clutter

This is the really nasty one: unsorted stuff. The things that haunt you. It’s stuff like unsorted paper work, collections that got out of control, junk drawers, craft supplies that are in a mess. It can also be unsorted relationships, problems in your work life or elsewhere, debt etc. It is most certainly the most difficult clutter to get rid of. People can’t see it from the outside (unless it got REALLY bad), but it’s what clutters your mind most. I think this is the most important kind of clutter to deal with. As it is hard to do, it will probably only get less over a long period of time, but it is so rewarding to work on it. I still have my things to sort there, but it’s rather getting less than more and I am glad to say that there is very little actual physical clutter that still falls in this category. In my home, I can find scissors, instructions, matching screws and bank statements quickly.

The surface clutter

This is the mess you make on a daily basis: dirty dishes, coats draped over kitchen chairs, bags put on dressers, mail on the counter, laundry heaps etc. This is also the kind of mess that makes my small home feel cluttered easily because there’s so little space to walk away from it and ignore it. Actually, I don’t think it’s a very bad kind of clutter as it is put away quickly, so I didn’t focus that much on it during my decluttering journey. As I already got rid of lots of duplicates the maximum amount it can add up to decreased. That’s quite simple maths: you can’t have a stack of 7 dirty pans if you only own 2. But still, a stack of 2 dirty pans still looks cluttery, so even though I put certain limits to it the basic problem of this kind of mess cluttering up my home still remains. Of course, being more rigid about it is the best way to go, but I came to think that accepting the fact that it will turn up and be there at least for a certain period of time might be a better way for me to deal with it. I think, I should start to think more about my ways and how to deal with this stuff so it doesn’t look just so cluttery anymore. E.g. it might be a good idea to have a space to put dirty dishes until I wash them, because there will always turn up that odd cup or pot to be washed (we don’t own a dishwasher) and cleaning up right away isn’t always an option. I can still work on cleaning up more often with those things put out of sight and not right on the counter.

What type of clutter is worst for you and what kinds of strategies or ideas do you have for the different types?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter the good china if you rarely use it or better still declutter the everyday set and start using the good stuff all the time. You deserve it after all.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Do you have trouble with procrastination? Is “later” always the perfect time to do something? Are you stressed, missing deadlines, and constantly playing catch-up? Well…..hello! It’s so nice to meet a kindred spirit! Procrastination has always been one of my worst habits. But I recently finished an online course in “Learning How to Learn” (www.coursera.org) that has taught me something new about procrastination.
Brain researchers have discovered that when we dread doing an activity, the thought registers in the same physical area of our brain where pain registers. So naturally, we do the same thing we do when confronted with pain – we attempt to avoid it. However, the minute we refocus or re-frame our thinking by looking at the first step needed to successfully tackle a project — well, then the thought moves out of the area where pain registers and into an area I call the “getting things done” area. More focus – without the pain association! This has been such a tremendous help to me.
Now, instead of looking at years of files that need to be sorted and thinking, “I’ll get to that first thing tomorrow,” I focus on what my beginning step should be to get the job started. In this case, my beginning step included:
• using a filing crate and creating categories for the files I want to keep
• purchasing a shredder
• making a commitment to go through at least 5 files a day.
This has really jump-started my file de-cluttering process. I usually end up purging and sorting more than 5 files, but if not, I still pat myself on the back for the progress I am making.
Another helpful tip is to use a timer. Our brains tend to function better if we alternate 20-25 minutes of focused activity with a 5 minute break. The key is set your timer for both the activity time and the break time, so your breaks don’t end up getting you side tracked. (Can you tell I am speaking from experience?!) If possible, try to walk during some of your breaks, even if it is just walking in place for those few minutes. The process of moving first your right foot, and then your left (or left and then right!), activates the connection between your right and left brain sections. This helps you think more creatively and effectively.
Re-focusing my thinking on the process instead of the end result has helped me so much. I hope it helps someone else, too!
Jackie
P.S. The “Learning How to Learn” course is being offered again by Coursera. It is free and worth checking out. The course began on October 3, but you can jump in at any time during the four week course. Here is the link: https://www.coursera.org/course/learning

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

How much time do you waste in your day then profess to have no time to get your house in order. No time to begin decluttering that stuff that is making it difficult to keep your house in order.

We are all entitled to downtime. I am not going to argue that fact. The question is has your downtime taken over. And do you actually feel better or worse for it. I know that when I have been sitting idle for too long not doing anything useful I start getting agitated and feel the need to get up and make myself useful. I think it is a guilt feeling from being slothful. Once again I am not talking about rest time I am talking about wasted time when enough rest has already been had.

As this weeks mini missions show it isn’t hard to find a little time every now and again to fit in a little delcuttering or perhaps you could even use the time to do some much needed quick tasks around your house. In the time it takes to boil the kettle and brew the tea I can manage to empty the dishwasher. During add times on television I can put away the folded washing. The washing itself can be folding while watching television, as can ironing, sorting papers, doing a decluttering of your jewellery box or make-up kit. You can even pull out a drawer, bring it into the living room and declutter while watching your favourite show. You can clean the rubbish out of your handbag while waiting for an appointment. There is sure to be a rubbish bin close by to throw the trash into. And with a little imagination you can find many periods where time can be better used.

This morning I was feeling listless so I did the ironing. I felt much better for it. This evening while my husband was watching a movie, I wasn’t that interested in, I did some reorganising and a little decluttering in my craft room. I must admit I am a little “different” because I actually enjoy organising and decluttering so I wouldn’t consider this task a chore, but you get the idea. I enjoy the challenge, thinking outside the box and, of course, the end result. And of course I enjoy my actual downtime when I take it, happy in the knowledge that I am keeping up with my household chores.

Lets go back to that ironing I mentioned. I don’t know anyone who enjoys ironing. I don’t have a lot of it and can easily ignore it in the laundry cupboard for weeks before clothing items are needed or my husband runs out of hankies. (Yes I iron the hankies, not linen, underwear, jeans or t-shirts though so please don’t judge.) When I say ignore, I mean the items that do require ironing won’t run down for a while. But one thing I hate worse than ironing is feeling like I have neglected a task until desperation sets in. Especially when I know that I have had plenty of opportunity to get on with the task sooner. It makes me feel lazy and inefficient which permeates my downtime.

I know from experience that many people feel a similar way about their lack of effort to declutter. They know they need to do it, that they want it done but can’t bring themselves to make the effort. And often their downtime is marred by that fact that they know this task is being neglected because the evidence of this is staring them right in the face. Goading them and nagging when they should be relaxed and tranquil. Hours and hours are wasted feeling far less than tranquil in the effort to avoid something that would take much less time to solve.

So don’t waste those spare minutes here and there where you can achieve more than you would expect. I have been following my own advice about this to the letter over for the last week and I have achieve things that have been waiting around for me to do for weeks if not months. Nothing that important but nevertheless things that have quietly been nagging me to get them done. Not only can I go on my vacation content with my achievements but when I get home I will be able to ease on into routine with

Today’s Mini Mission

While brushing your teeth open your peruse your toiletries and/or make-up in your bathroom and declutter something that you no longer use or is out of date.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

This is a subject I have discussed here at 365 Less Things more than once. It was brought to my attention again while decluttering with my friend. Also boundaries was mentioned by Vicki K on Tuesday in a comment regarding the boundaries she has set for her cookbooks. You might remember the much reduced boundary I had set and achieved with my craft supplies some time ago. Not to mention my overall boundary of fitting into a two bedroom apartment, also achieved.

While decluttering with my friend we not only set boundaries but we also eliminated the extent of some. This took place all over her home as car loads of stuff were sent to the thrift shop. When it became apparent that items of furniture could be eliminated due to the amount of decluttering that had taken place, I explained the concept of setting boundaries for her stuff.

I explained that now we have chosen what furniture can stay a commitment had to be made that the category of items store in this furniture was not allowed to escape these boundaries from this point forward. If these items of furniture were full and something came in then something of equal or greater size must leave in order to make room for it.

In the previous address, not only were the boundaries full, they were themselves clutter and they were greatly overflowing. Now they have not only been reduced but I believe it is my friends intention to eliminate even more stuff so that the spaces within these boundaries are less cluttered.

I have many boundaries within my home. My closet must hold all my hanging clothes. My chest of drawers must contain all my husbands and my folder clothes. The small bathroom cabinets must house all our toiletries, medication, first aid items, styling tools and toilet paper. Only three shelves in the linen closet are allotted for store lines while the other hold other useful household items, our collection of photos and our paperwork file. The kitchen must contain all food related tools, serving pieces, cutlery, crockery, food etc with a shelf set aside for my frequently used craft tools. And the list goes on.

There is no room for overflow so these boundaries need to be adhered to.

One of the issues encountered when overstepping boundaries is money wasted on duplicate items due to the difficulty finding them amongst the overflow. This was something I definitely encountered in my friends home. In the kitchen, the linen closet, in the bedroom and particularly in the craft room. One example ~ I found three cans of spray adhesive among the craft supplies while setting up the new space. These things aren’t exactly small, so that fact that they could get lost amount the clutter was very telling. Packets and vials of glitter were another example as were pencils, staplers, hole punches, erasers, adhesive tape and glue sticks, just to name a few. Many of these items were donated while some of the more perishable items had done just that, perished. This was a very valuable lesson to my friend I think

As I set up the craft room I labelled much of the storage so all of these items could be easily located in the future and just as easily replace where they belong.

Do you set boundaries in your home or do you still have items overflowing to other spaces.

Today’s Mini Mission

Sort through your everyday household tools and declutter any duplicates. This means the array of tools you keep handy such as screwdrivers,  measuring tapes, sockets, spanners, pliers, hammers etc. Some may just need to be returned to the garage or shed while others are truly excess.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t accept free promotional products that you have no use for. Accepting these just encourages the continuation of this practice while the environment would be healthier without the manufacture of cheap throwaway or needless items like these usually are.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Are you one of those people who has a shelf full of cookbooks with the good intention of being experimental in the kitchen but tend to stick to the same tried and true recipes? Or perhaps you are someone who steps that up just a notch by trying a new recipe only once in a while. Then this post is for you.

In fact even if you are adventurous in the kitchen then this post may also be for you. Especially if you’d rather spread out your cooks gear than waste space on cookbooks that you don’t really need.

Or perhaps you are a want-to-be cook who buys foodie magazines and clips recipes that you never get around to using. And when you do remember a clipping, that you want to try, you can’t find it among the masses.

The solution is simple for those of you who own either a laptop computer, a tablet such as an iPad or a smart phone. Instead of hoarding shelves full of cookbooks that house only a few recipes that you like, try using the internet as your endless supply of recipes at the touch of a few buttons. Whatever you want you can just Google search either by recipe or by ingredients on hand. You can create a board on Pinterest of those recipes you want to try, bookmark them, or only look up a recipe when you need it and then only save it if it turns our well for you.

When you are ready to use a recipe all you have to do is place your mobile device on the countertop and have at it.

Now lets say you only have a dest top computer. This is a little harder to manage, however you can still save yourself all that shelf room by only printing the recipes you are going to use. Of course you can save paper and ink by only printing the ingredients and instructions on the back of already used paper. I suggest this because paper and ink cost money but then so do cookbooks and magazines. You can them limit your amount of wasted space by only keeping the printed recipes that you are likely to use again.

I decluttered all but my home printed family recipe file a long time ago and I have never regretted it. Sometime I print and add another often used recipe to it. I could even declutter this file and access the recipes via my laptop if I so wished.

So give it some thought. Could you make better use of that kitchen shelf to spread out your other kitchen items, making them easier to access.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter the messiest most cluttered drawer in your home. if you have one that is. If not perhaps you have some other small, messy, cluttered space you could attend to.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Only print out document that are absolutely necessary thus saving paper and ink.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Sanna’s success with her 20 thing a day challenge got me thinking about how short term challenges can be very inspiring for letting go of things. So today I have come up with some short term simple challenges that anyone can do. Hopefully they will inspire some of you to do a little extra decluttering.

If any of the following challenges appeal to you give them your best shot and let us know how well you did when your challenge is complete.

1. Each day for one week choose a drawer or shelf to declutter. You might be surprised how much easier it is to find what you need in small areas once they are decluttered. Such seemingly small changes can greatly simplify your daily routines.
2. For one week find ten things to declutter each day.
3. Within a week find 100 things to declutter throughout your home.
4. Choose a collection of things you feel you would like to reduce, making them easier to fit into a certain space. Remember how I did this with my craft supplies. However that was a huge challenge that took some time. You could choose a small collection of stuff such as kitchen utensils, clothing, kids toys, your socks, linen, makeup… Choose the space you want to contain it in and declutter any less loved items to make this possible.
5. If you are a book lover, perhaps your bookcase is overflowing. Declutter enough books so that everything fits in your bookcase with enough room for five new books. From then on perhaps you could be determined to maintain this level, by using the one in one out method of maintenance decluttering.
6. If you have a lot of clutter, choose one room to deal with. Challenge yourself to clear one cubic metre or yard of this room each day or week (depending on the level of clutter) until it is clear.
7. If you are a good way along with your decluttering goal have a short turbo charged period of decluttering by finding fifty items in the week to declutter.
8. If you feel you are happy with your level of unclutteredness (spell check doesn’t like that one) then choose a room each day to double check all the nooks and crannies for items you have missed or have since become clutter. Do this once a week until your whole house has been checked for clutter.
9. Scan your home for consumables that are being ignored in preference for others. Put these front and centre and begin a use-it-up challenge on them. It is so satisfying every time you use them, knowing that they will soon be gone and not wasted. And the liberated space is a great thing.
10. Start a trial separation challenge. Choose at least ten items that you are on the fence about decluttering. Hid them away somewhere and only retrieve an item if you are truly in need of it. Make an attempt to improvise before retrieving any item from the hiding place. At the end of two months declutter any item that you haven’t retrieved.

Good luck to those who choose a challenge to undertake and happy decluttering!

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter any gardening items that don’t seem to be getting used. Perhaps even pull out some weeds that are making your home look tatty.

Eco Tip for the Day

Modern dishwashers have filters so don’t waste water rinsing of your dished before putting them in the dishwasher. Just scrape of any scraps into the bin prior to stacking them in.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Doodle

A friend messaged me this week, with pictures of numerous bags of stuff on their way to a local charity shop, but bewailing the fact her home stills looks over full of stuff. Where am I going wrong she asked?

After congratulating her on what she had achieved so far – any clutter going is great and builds up your de-clutter muscle, I came up with a few suggestions:

I recommended now  focusing on one room. Choose the room that bothers you the most. Within the room, choose one cupboard or shelf and systematically go through every single item on/in it: handle each one and ask yourself:

• do I love it,
• how does this enhance my life now
• would I buy it now if I didn’t own it already.

Being systematic will help join up the dots in one small area that you can then enlarge so you see results quicker, rather than removing stuff perhaps from random areas all over the house. (But keep randomly removing stuff from all over the house as a daily habit too… the 365 mantra of one thing a day really does make a difference over time and reinforces the mental attitude towards looking for things you no longer need to leave the house in a non stressful way).

It’s also a good idea to take some ‘before’ photos, that you can compare to ‘after’ that reinforces the reality that your clutter level is changing, even if you still have a long way  to go.

Something I do with clients, if we are dealing with a set of shelves or a cupboard, is rather than removing one thing at a time, is to remove everything. Give the shelf/cupboard  a wipe down and then choose what goes back on it: it can be very powerful, that act of choosing.

The item in your hand either goes back on the shelf as a deliberate choice (of ‘I love this’ or ‘I need it and use it regularly’), or  if it doesn’t go back on the shelf it need to go elsewhere – either to live in a different part of the house, putting ‘like with like’ or it needs to leave the house.

And keep remembering, everything that leaves the house, IS making a difference.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a seasonal item that you haven’t used yet this season.

Eco Tip for the Day

Practice fuel efficient driving. Here are some tips from the Australian Government  http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/transport/fuelguide/tips.html

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

The best way I know of to avoid decluttering regrets is to not let go until you are truly ready. This advice may seem counterproductive to reducing ones belongings, but trust me it isn’t. That is because there is usually something else that you are prepared to part with instead. Making hasty decisions can be the cause of those later regrets. And regrets in turn can put you off decluttering, so they are best avoided.

Just like I said in yesterday’s post, there are things you don’t question keeping, there are things you don’t question letting go and the things in between are the ones to pass over for now until you are ready. Sure ask the question every time you encounter them but if the answer is to, as Lena commented in an email yesterday, not to decide then a decision is actually made.

Lena’s words “…not deciding is deciding. If I decide to “decide later”, I made the decision to keep it for longer.

To stay on track in the meantime set your short term goal, for example a thing a day, and stick to that. Find something you are happy to part with now and decide to decide on the other things later.

That sounds like a lot of double Dutch but I am sure you know what I mean. I am still parting with items that I passed over again and again. Now I am ready to let them go but a lot of stuff has left my house in the meantime and I have no regrets about any of them.

However if you keep bringing things in and can’t let go of anything, no matter how much advice you read, then it is time to seek professional help.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five small makeup items that you don’t really like.

Eco Tip for the Day

Buy secondhand rather than new where possible. This tip is usually easier on your wallet as well. That is the beauty of taking care of the environment. Many of the actions you can take will also save you money.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

“…the answer is invariably in the question.”  This is part of a quote from a wise man. That man is Billy Connolly and the quote is from the same book I mentioned yesterday. So, how does this relate to decluttering? Well I am about to give my thoughts on that.

In the Guides section of my blog you will find my Declutter Decision Making Guide. It is packed with questions to ask of yourself when deciding whether you should declutter an item. However this quote from Billy Connolly got me thinking ~ (Wise words from worldly people often have me applying their wisdom to the subject of decluttering). My thought was this, that the answer is indeed in the question, that is, if you are even bothering to ask the question you already have the answer.

Let me give you an example. Lets say that my utensils drawer is over full and I decide some things have to go. Do I take out my spatula and ask “Do I use this often enough to justify keeping it?”. No I don’t, I know without question that I use it all the time and have no intension to declutter it. However as I scan the drawer I can see several items that do raise this very question. Inevitably the answer is in asking the question in the first place and the answer is no.

The same result can be found found when asking…

• Do I love this enough to spend time dusting it every week?
• Is the sentimental attachment to this item strong enough…?
• Have I used this in the last three months?
• Am I ever likely to make something from this fabric?

… and the list could go on. If you are asking the question then the answer, at best, is borderline, but in a quest for simplicity, space and downsizing the answer is usually no.

A good circumstance to apply this theory is when you have too much/many of something. Say you want to downsize a collection, reduce hobby supplies, limit the space your books are to fit into…

First set aside all the items there is absolutely no question of you decluttering. Then separate the remainder into two piles. Pile one for the maybes that you feel the need to ask the question of. And one for the can-goes for the items there really isn’t any need of asking the question. Then you can make your choices of the remaining selection depending on what space you have left to fit them into.

So next time you find yourself asking the question, do I need, treasure, care to maintain or love this thing, and the answer is probably at least “not really”. Then allow your space goal to assist you to the final answer to keep it or let it go.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five small long time unused items in your mending kit.

Eco Tip for the Day

Schedule at least an hour of family time each night. That way you will all be in the one room using one light source instead of scattered all of the house using electricity like it’s going out of fashion.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow