The truth about organizing clutter and how to beat overwhelm today.

The following tips and tricks to declutter your home for good are meant to be quick, easy and painless. Today you’re leaving anxiety and overwhelm in the past. Bravo mama, you’re already closer to a clean home you can feel good in! Keep in mind that clean, organized places make it easier to truly relax. (Feels good just thinking about it, huh?)

Look, we can’t blame the junk mail, art projects, lightly worn laundry or the pile of shoes for the chaos. The truth is that we can tweak our core habits allowing us to instantly organize our thoughts as well as clutter.The old you let this mess happen, the new you has leveled up by raising her standards.

Read through this entire article to gain new insights before your big purge. Then come back and knock ’em off one by one if you’d like.

How/where to start decluttering

Only have 5 to 15 minutes to spare? Great, most of these can be done in that amount of time. Implement these tactics as often as you can. Pushing yourself a bit out of your comfort zone everyday as often as possible will lead you to create some clean habits baby!

How often to declutter

Whatever feels good to you! Go nuts and organize the whole house at once (think; spring cleaning) or declutter a little at a time especially if you are overwhelmed with where to start or how to do it.

How to declutter your house quickly

• First things first… Take a quick step back and look at your space though a fresh pair of eyes. Pretend you were hired to help declutter someone else’s home if you need to. You’re not here to necessarily get rid of stuff, but keep the stuff that is adored and cherished. Visualize. What are your intentions for this space? What belongs here and what doesn’t. Sometimes we can go for years without even asking ourselves the basic questions. Perhaps that’s how this clutter accumulated! No more mama, no more.
• A quick whirlwind clean up of your space to get rid of obvious items is a must so that you have more room to think and lay things out if needed.
• Grab a trash/recycling bag, donation bag, and a storage bin or box. The trick here is to use a bag for trash and boxes for the items you wish to hold onto. Storage boxes are uniform and stackable while your brain already thinks of trash when it sees trash bags! I go as far as to use my paper shopping bags for my donations as they are a convenient size.
• Don’t make the mistake of buying organizational bins until you know exactly what you need. Sort through your clutter first so you have a better idea of what you really need.
• If you’re overwhelmed with a space, closet, drawer, closet… It may help to lay things out on a clean bed or floor to gain a better perspective. This should make it more obvious to you which pieces really shine, which pieces mean the most or are the most used.
• Pantry! Oh you meant well but if you’re anything like me… the further back you dig the more expired you get. Toss the junk and jot down items you need to use up and incorporate those into your upcoming meal plans. Maybe you just freed up enough space to move a small appliance off your counter and put behind cupboard doors?
• Schedule a pick up! My local Salvation Army will come out and pick up a load of items for me. LIFE SAVER! I just schedule it online. This helps SO MUCH if you are really clearing some serious clutter or when sorting when packing for a move. Lots of places have drive throughs too. Goodwill, Safe Nest, Savers just to name a few. Check your area.

Stop clutter before it happens

• Where does it live? Whenever you have a few minutes pick a few items you use all the time but don’t really have a “home”… now find them one. Rearrange, make space, add a hook or insert a shelf.
• Make a place for everything. The first place you go to look for something could be a good indication of where it belongs. If it’s not important enough to have it’s own place then perhaps it doesn’t belong in your space.
• A cute tray or basket can cut paper clutter. Mail, receipts, school papers, things that need to be filed can have a neat and tidy place to live until they can be properly sorted into recycling, calendars, etc. This way you know exactly where to look for such items.
• Gorgeous storage. Invest in (or search for) gorgeous storage bins if you need them. Hide inescapable clutter in something that calms your nerves. Stash living room toys in a rustic trunk, throw blanket in a beautiful basket, kitchen counter items on a stylish tray, cooking utensils in an awesome vase. Give everything a home but make it easy for everyone.
• Cosmetics, sunscreen and lotions expire. Use them up before you bring more in and be sure to periodically check the back of your cabinet and toss the old ones out. This makes it MUCH easier to find what you need. You don’t need a variety of holiday scented lotions just because they were cute or on sale (talking to myself here) you most likely won’t use them all and they will be rancid by next holiday season anyway. Besides, you’ll want a fresh scent next year!
• Keep all unmatched socks in a “singles lounge” in your laundry room. Every sock, every time. No more hunting.

How to declutter sentimental items?

• Everything in your space should make you smile or at least make you feel good. If an item makes you feel uneasy ask yourself why. Was it a break up, a passing, guilt of over spending, greed? Reevaluate why you feel that way. If you cannot shift your thinking towards the positive then get rid of the item. It’s as easy as that. If it is a family heirloom, ask your relatives if they would like it before you let it go.
• You may not be able to part with items now and that’s alright! No one is asking you to throw all your possessions away. Just be open to the thought that some items eventually serve their purpose and you don’t need to keep them forever. Some items can be photographed… a LOT of my kid’s art for example.
• Baby clothes or old band t-shirts could be other examples of things you don’t want to toss or donate even though they won’t be used again. My favorite quilt so far is one made with scraps of fabric from clothes I made for my baby girl. Each and every piece of it floods my mind with beautiful, cherished memories! XO

Grab a “helper” if you need one. Let’s get organized!

Simple, easy habits of keeping a tidy home

We want a clean, tidy home so now it’s time we act like it by changing a few quick, core habits.

• Touch it only once. If you’re going to put it down then just put it away. Done. No clutter. If you happen to live in a 2 story home then maybe designate a shelf, tray or basket by the stairs as a place to store items temporarily. If you pass by to go upstairs, grab the items and put them away. “Full hands in. Full hands out.”
• Clean as you cook. Get your tap water nice and hot and rinse those pans out before they get crusty. Drying and putting away (at least the larger items) takes only seconds and instantly clears up space and clutter. Wiping off the counter tops is another instant win. Ah… your meal even tastes better just knowing there’s no mess waiting for you afterward! Am I right?
• Your fridge? Plan ahead and keep it clutter free too. I’m serious. We don’t need one of everything in there at once. By meal prepping and keeping weekly themes we can keep the fridge a functional space as well. I don’t need the back to fill up with rotten, forgotten, wasted items.
• If you start a chore or project finish it. Take a few minutes, catch up on your Marco Polos or voicemails while you fold that laundry and put it away while it’s still warm. (that’s a thing?!) Just get it done and move on.
• Learn to love the 2 minute clean up. Knock out those little tasks every chance you get to keep them from piling up! Waiting for the microwave… make sure the counters are wiped and clear of clutter. Waiting for the kids to get their shoes on… sort the mail or take a nap (joking about the nap of course!) LOL
• Set yourself up for success with a simple nightly routine. A quick nightly routine makes for morning magic! No one needs to wake up to a dirty house. Get your family on board. Even if you just take 5 minutes to tidy up the living room and wipe down the kitchen your morning coffee will be that much more relaxing. Enjoy your day sunshine!
• Keep a closet full of “OH YEAH!” When you’re getting dressed and you feel repelled by an item of clothing “ugh. This never really fit right” or “I haven’t worn this in years, maybe someday…” Toss it in the donation bin! Get it gone. Are you currently loosing baby weight hoping to fit into all of your old favorites? First, good job mama. You’ve got this! Second, move that stuff into a “when I’m skinny again” box and move those items out of your way. Maybe you can leave that box where you can see it to help keep you motivated. Do items need mending? Mend them immediately (yes today) or toss them out, your closet is not a halfway house. Remember, you should have a closet of “oh yeah!” not “ugh, no.”
• So organized you could find it in the dark. Seriously. Items you use everyday should be so organized that you could find them in the dark. Keys, wallets, shoes, bags, chargers… don’t spend all your mental energy before you’re even out the door! And that’s just the start. Emergency items like flashlights and fire extinguishers deserve organization too. Cut all the clutter so you can find your stuff when you need it!

Think ahead to cut household clutter like a pro

• Be kind to yourself and purchase matching rugs/matts, sheets, even towels for the whole household. Keep your look cohesive and keep your loads of laundry to a minimum. Sound boring? How boring does less household chores sound? Pick out a few accent pieces (throws, pillows, potted plants…) in pops of color to make it easy to update your look. Now spend those extra minutes of free time propping your feet up on one of those cute throw pillows and admire your job well done.
• Level up. Purchase quality, double-duty items that really serve a purpose. Jeans that really flatter, dishes that fit any occasion in style, make up that lasts… quit buying cheap items just so that you feel like you have more options. It costs more in the long run, takes up space, creates frustrating clutter. That was the old us. Bravo on leveling up sister!
• Have a donation bin of some sort. As soon as you realize you have something to donate it already has an alternate home. No more living in limbo. Some folks like to keep a bag in the trunk of their car, I prefer a bin in my garage so that other family members can easily add to it and it’s easy for me to toss it in the car and drop it off while I run errands.
• Style that laundry room. Hate the look of bright plastic laundry detergents and sprays cluttering up your tiny spaces? Transfer soaps into easy to reach, clear containers. Pretreatments into clear pour spouts or spray bottles. Easier to see when you’re running low and keeps the eye sores to a minimum.
• Have a place to dry your “air dry” items even if it’s by installing a tension-style shower rod to hang items from. These help keep clutter off your surfaces and can easily be taken down if you find you don’t use it all the time.

With all of these quick and easy-to-implement steps you are well on your way to a clean, decluttered and well organized home! That my friend, is something worth celebrating. Enjoy the new you and the new year ahead. XO!

One final thought:

“Done” is better than not. Only 70% perfect is better than not done at all! Don’t beat yourself up over this. Get it done and move on with your life.