It’s January, that time of year when positive energy is flowing from the excitement of a new year and new beginnings. We often find ourselves making promises and resolutions this time of year. Starting off strong can be easy to do, but maintaining progress on our goals can prove challenging.
In this series on Decluttering Your Home, Room by Room, we will take a look at why decluttering is so important both mentally and physically. Using checklists, we will split up the home into sections and work, starting small to make a big impact.
Before you get started, it might be helpful to ask yourself what your goals are for decluttering. Is this a deep dive into each room to get rid of old, unwanted things, or is this just taking a look around and picking up? Are you looking to donate unused items, store them away for later use, or just reorganize? Deciding whether or not this is a home transformation, or a home cleanup will help you to create a plan and stay focused.
Another important thing to think about before you get started is the “why” of it all. Why do you want to do this? Common reasons people want to declutter are:
Stress - Too many things around the home can cause a feeling of overwhelm and stress. Many people want to simplify their homes to feel more at ease.
Ease of Everyday Tasks - Cleaning up is easier if there aren’t piles to move.
Ease of Finding What you Need - This one is simple, when everything has a place, things are easier to find.
Happiness - Don’t we all want a space where we can spend less time frantically picking up, organizing, and shoving things into corners when guests come over? A space where we can unwind at the end of a long day without the guilt of a lingering mess? If an organized space makes you happy, then taking time spent decluttering is time well spent.
Before you begin decluttering, you might want to make sure you have bags and bins ready to sort your items. A bin for garbage and recycling, a bin for things you want to put away in a different area of your home, a bin for things you want to keep where they are, and a bin for things to donate. You should also have cleaning supplies on hand.
As we dive into January, let’s ease into a decluttering mindset, starting with our goals, and prepping our homes for the actions we will begin to take each week. Set your intentions for your home declutter, and realize materials you may want to have handy as you begin. Click on our printable checklist to get started.