Five Simple Steps to Decluttering Your Home {Free Printable Planner}
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Is your house cluttered?
Clutter is a beast that creeps in slowly and takes over your house before you realize it. Once the clutter has taken over, decluttering your home can be an overwhelming task. For a visual person like me, clutter can be crippling.
After nearly a year of just keeping my head above water with the housework, I felt like there was clutter everywhere I turned. I could not even imagine where to begin to get my house back under control. After scouring the the best source of knowledge for all things homemaking, Pinterest, I devised a plan of attack that would work for me
Taming the clutter beast is best accomplished in small, accomplishable, or “bite sized” tasks.
These small tasks should take no longer than 15 minutes. I find that I can squeeze out 15 minutes on most any day. It may not seem that this small amount of time will impact the mountain of clutter you are facing, but it is better than nothing. Here are five steps to help you make the most of your decluttering time.
Step 1 – Identify Trouble Spots and Spaces
With paper and pen or planner in hand, do a walk through of your house. Stop in every room and take a hard look. Are there spots such as shelves, drawers, or corners that need to be decluttered? Does the entire room need to be decluttered? If so, make a note.
Step 2 – Categorize by Time
Take a look at your list. Separate your shorter tasks (those that can be completed in 15 minutes or less) from those that will take considerably longer.
There will be some trouble spots that will take longer than others to declutter no matter how you break them down. I like to group those into two categories; “1 hour or less” tasks and “all day event” tasks. These longer jobs require some special planning.
Step 3 – Break Down Larger Tasks
Next, take a look at your list of tasks that take longer than 15 minutes. Can any of those be broken down into smaller tasks? If so, list those in the smaller tasks. You might choose to do all of the smaller pieces of one larger task in the same week.
Step 4 – Planning
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. We have all heard that quote, possibly because it is true. I have found that with everything I want to accomplish, I must plan for it.
- Decide which 15 minute tasks you will accomplish each week.
- Assign those tasks to specific days.
- Look at your monthly calendar and determine dates for larger tasks.
This printable Decluttering Planner will help you keep things visual. Hang it on your mirror, on the fridge or some place visible. You might even consider hanging the planner in a location where it will be visible for your family if you want to enlist their help.
Step 5 – Get it Done
The final step is simply sticking to the plan. Get it done. If life happens and you miss a task on one day, assign it to another. If you only accomplish one task each day or even half a task, that is still better than nothing. Once you conquer the clutter, implement strategies to keep the clutter under control.
Get Your Copy of the Planner Now
I hope this helps. Happy decluttering!
