Decluttering and Switching Focus Towards a Better Life

Kim and I always love to have guest posts so that you get a variety of opinions and thoughts! I was excited for this post because I am all about staying organized! Now with having two kids, I am needing to stay as organized as possible for my own sanity and for the sanity of the family! I have a little addiction to finding ways to stay organized and decluttering seems to be just one of the many things you can do to keep yourself organized. I sure have felt that way since the move- it is nice to go through everything and get rid of things you don’t need!! This post gives you some great ideas on decluttering so it isn’t so overwhelming! Today we are featuring Jakob Barry who writes for Networx.com. He covers various home improvement topics including house cleaning and basement remodeling.

At one point or another you’ve probably sat down in your home looking around in disbelief over all the accumulated stuff. It’s a strange predicament because a lot of things in life creep up without warning but how in the world did everything get there? It certainly didn’t walk in by itself!

Although many of us acquire things with the intention of using them we don’t always succeed in following through because of the busyness and distractions of life.

That’s when things start to pile up becoming burdensome taking away time and energy from our most important responsibility: family. They also begin collecting dust, may attract bugs or rodents, and generate other unhealthy situations in the home.

So what’s the remedy? How do we dig out of the hole? The answer is a little bit at a time.

Stage 1
The first place to start is in the high traffic areas like the kitchen, bathroom, home office and living room where more order and fewer non-essentials will make living lighter.

• The kitchen: Grab a box and go through the cupboards checking everything for expiration dates and products you no longer use. Even if you did a full kitchen remodeling just a few years ago you’d be surprised what has amassed behind the cabinet doors. Stocking up is still allowed but in reasonable parameters. The point is to break the mentality of ‘maybe someday I’ll use it’ and just get rid of it.

• The bathroom: Using the same mindset as in the kitchen take the bathroom by storm. Old toothbrushes, rags, and other junk under the sink should be kept to a minimum and dispose of products you no longer use.

• Home office/living room: Declutter and thin out what’s on display removing unnecessary tchotchkes, books, and other items from shelves which just don’t have a purpose anymore.

Stage 2
 Attic, basement & garage: How many times have you stowed away boxes, bags of clothing, or other junk in one of these places and forgot about them? That’s because in most cases it was a temporary fix for decluttering another room of things you have little connection to. It’s precisely for this lack of emotional regard that cleaning out the attic, basement or garage should go easily, though may be a bit messy.

Nevertheless, when decisions aren’t coming easily juxtapose the items with others you truly care about. Doing so can sometimes allow for a completely different perspective.

Stage 3
The Bedroom: Because this is where some of our most personal belongings are stored it’s probably one of the toughest places to tackle clutter, which often disguises itself in memories and nostalgia.

I always say honesty is the best policy and even if this is a difficult task consolidation is the next best thing, as it allows you to get rid of a few things without having to go through it all. Eventually time plays a healer and as we get older our attachments wane so if downsizing some of your past is too much right now try back later. At least the rest of the home will be in tip-top shape!

Stage 4
The final stage is probably even harder than stage 3, as it’s a level you have to keep repeating over and over. That because it’s about preventing a recurrence of the situation you just rectified. The key to staying strong and on top of things is being swift in letting things go and strict with what may potentially enter the home.

In the end you’ll feel much better about yourself, your home, and most of all secure in knowing that your family will be living a lighter existence!

We have posted ideas on how we stay organized on the blog. We would love to hear from you on ways you stay organized and things you do for your life that saves your sanity!!