How to De-Clutter In Half the Time: A Busy Person’s Clean Up Guide

Let me start this post by saying that I do NOT believe everyone needs to de-clutter.  Some people are so content with their “junk” that they feel lost in an extremely clean or organized space.  If that is you—enjoy the mess and don’t bother reading this article. I don’t suggest trying to organize your life (or do anything else) just because others say it is the right thing to do.

If, on the other hand, you are like the majority of people, a cluttered home may represent a cluttered mind.  Most of us feel pretty annoyed when things around us are in disarray, but we dread the time and energy that we must expend in order to fix it. It’s like—looking at the clutter gives me a headache, but organizing it might give me a bigger headache.  Right?

I’ve read countless articles on de-cluttering and organizing.   The information is usually pretty good, but it doesn’t make the whole process less overwhelming.

If you aren’t naturally very organized, the last thing that you want is some extremely detailed system for storing the mess you’ve accumulated over the years.  And the only thing worse than that is the suggestion that you just throw things away.  That is so much easier said than done when you’re looking at your old trinkets.

Can’t you always find a reason to not throw things away? I’m a genius when it comes to this.  I’ve convinced myself that old clothes will be in style again someday and that I’ll magically become that size again.  I’ve even held on to plastic pieces that didn’t match anything I could think of, kitchenware that’s been replaced for 10 years, lone gloves and socks that have no match, old bedding, and even empty boxes.

So anyway….enough rambling. I want to share a quick and “dirty” solution that works oh so well for me.   This idea is based on Abraham Hicks Clearing Clutter for Clarity process.

Items needed: Boxes (accountant records boxes work great), Index cards or paper, marker, pen, tape recorder, garbage can

• Use your marker to write a number on each of the boxes
• Tell yourself that you don’t have to throw anything away. You will still have access to everything for a while after this process.  This should help you to feel less anxious.
• As you focus your attention on an item, consider the last time you used it. Now ask yourself, “Is this item important to my IMMEDIATE experience?”
• Starting with box 1, place items that are NOT important to your IMMEDIATE experience into the box as you speak into the tape recorder. Ex: “Box 1: bottle of XYZ’s stinky cologne, green house shoes, pictures Aunt Sally left 9 years ago when she came to visit, bank statements from 1980, old mobile phone”
• If you run across things that you feel comfortable throwing into the garbage, quickly trash them before you change your mind.
• Store the boxes neatly in a garage, attic, or other storage area.

At this point you have everything put away, which is a major step in the right direction.  It shouldn’t have taken a very long time because you haven’t done any sorting—you’ve simply gotten rid of the clutter.  Now, you have several options for creating a system that allows you to find these items if you need them.

Whenever you feel like it, transfer the recorded information onto paper or index cards.  One idea is to list the items on alphabetized index cards.  Example: Index card B: Bank statements- box 1, business cards-box 5, Baby bottles- box 1, bagel warmer-box8.

Because I’ve found that I almost never need anything from these boxes, the alphabetized system is more work than it’s worth for me.  My personal preference is to type the recorded information and print it out.  I print a sheet for every single box and tape it to the box.  I keep a separate printed copy in my desk so that I can always refer back to it.

Now here is the final step (or final 2 steps for those who are really attached to the “stuff):

• Consider throwing away or donating the contents of the boxes that have not been opened at all 30-90 days after the de-cluttering process.  If this is too much too soon, consider moving the boxes to a location that is further from you.  There are tons of storage facilities that you can use for this purpose.
• After 30-90 days of not opening a box that’s at the storage location, it is time to reconsider trashing the items.  This should be much easier since the items have been away long enough to decrease your unhealthy attachment to them.  It also helps that these old possessions are inside of a box and you aren’t looking directly at them.
• Repeat step 9 as often as necessary.  Even if it takes you a year or two to part with all of the boxes, congratulate yourself for your progress every step of the way.

What are your thoughts on this process? Do you have ideas for eliminating clutter?

Tagged as: Organization, self improvement technique