Hello, my name is Diane and my life is full of clutter. They say the first step to recovery is to state you have a problem, so there, I said it. I have recently become overwhelmed with the amount of “stuff” I have in my house and in my life. So I have decided to do something about it. I am embarking on a mission to declutter my life.
How to Declutter Your Life
Decluttering is not easy because most of us develop an attachment to our things. Maybe you saved to buy a pair of boots that now have worn heels and scuff marks. The boots may be five years old and in a corner of the closet, but you just can't part with them because of the sacrifice you made to buy them! Other belongings that may be difficult to part with can include sentimental items and photos.
But one thing I have noticed is that clutter tends to attract more clutter. Think about the desk that becomes so full of books and papers that the work surface is no longer visible. The clutter probably began with one folder and couple of books, but somehow it continued to grow.
I’ve tried decluttering before, but I felt overwhelmed. I tried to take on too much at one time. I’ve been reading up on the subject and the general consensus it is that I was doing it all wrong. I was trying to declutter one room at a time. Instead of taking the room-by-room approach, a better option is to declutter by category.
Decluttering By Category
Decluttering by category is the process of selecting a category of items and getting rid of them. For example, if you have stacks of books and papers in every room, begin by getting rid of the papers that you no longer need, then work on the books. Using this strategy helps you to take small steps while making big gains toward getting rid of clutter.
The decluttering by category method works for any items that need purging from your home or office. Working on one category at a time will give you a sense of accomplishment because your will finish what you started. Once you finish one decluttering task, you are more likely to be excited about moving to the next category. Pretty soon you'll have your space neat in no time.
Decluttering My Life
Here is a list of 40 categories and areas that I want to declutter:
1. Clothes
2. Bags
3. Shoes
4. Accessories
5. Sock drawer
6. Underwear drawer
7. Paperwork
8. File cabinet
9. Office supplies
10. Craft supplies
11. Toiletries
12. Pillows
13. Towels
14. Sheets
15. Cleaning supplies
16. CD’s
17. DVD’s
18. Toys
19. Magazines
20. Books
21. Makeup
22. Christmas decorations
23. Jewelry
24. Keepsakes
25. Bathroom cabinet
26. Nightstand
27. iPhone
28. Food pantry
29. Spices
30. Photos
31. Shoes in the entryway
32. Purse
33. Under the sink
34. Email inbox
35. Kitchen cabinets
36. Cables
37. Junk drawer
38. Facebook
39. Video games
40. Bedroom closet
Bookmark this page and follow along to see how I do with my personal decluttering challenge. If you have tried and failed using other methods, try decluttering by category and see how it goes! You may just develop a love for getting rid of the stuff you no longer need!