Clutter Control - Steps to Get Rid of Clutter

Getting rid of clutter is a chore that most people put off.

'Decluttering' reclaims your space and gives you the freedom to live with less stress.

Can you remember the last time you didn't have to step over piles of clothes and papers just to walk through your house?

Are you tired of the mess?

Do you want to make a change?

If so, then it is time to take action and get rid of clutter.

Getting rid of clutter can be a daunting prospect but you are not alone in trying to gain control of clutter.

In the last 10 years families are getting smaller and houses are getting bigger, and with bigger houses there are many that fill garages and attics with 'collectibles.'

Here we give you some tips for clutter control.

Have a vision of a house with no clutter

Do you want to get rid of clutter but the job just seems so overwhelming?

Getting rid of clutter can be a daunting prospect. This makes it easy to put off!

Clarity of purpose can provide momentum and motivation for clutter control, but you also need to have a vision of what you want.

Why is it important to have a clear vision of your ideal home?

By having a vision of your ideal home you obtain a clear idea of how you want to fill the reclaimed space.

Without this - all your hard work is in vain as the reclaimed space soon fills up with other clutter.

Clutter control involves knowing how you are going to use the reclaimed space when you get rid of clutter.

Having a vision of the house or room that you want also helps you to decide what to keep and what to throw out in the decluttering process.

Just Do It

Getting rid of your stuff is a chore that most people dread.

But just by starting to organize clutter you create a momentum that breaks the initial inertia.

There are two ways to go about cleaning clutter:

1. Choose the easiest area to reduce clutter
2. Choose the area that is causing you the most stress.

I recommend choosing the area that is causing you the most stress.

When was the last time you were able to see your desk? Can you remember a time when you last parked your car in the garage?

Choose an area that is causing you stress and start on that. This is where your biggest gains will be!

If this is overwhelming then create a list of the things that you want to do and put them in order of priority.

Schedule your clutter control session in your time management planner.

I usually like to use the Pomodoro technique, which is one of those time management techniques that can focus you on the job for short periods of time.

I find that using the F.A.S.T principle is helpful here:

F: Fix a time in your schedule to do it. Write it down and commit to it to increase personal responsibility and reduce your chances of procrastinating.

A: Anything not used in the last year. If you have not used the item in the last year then this has the potential to be clutter you can trash.

Ask yourself the following questions:

When was the last time you used it?

Are you likely to use it again?

Is it worth holding this item when it is taking up space in my house?

S: Someone else's stuff. It is bad enough to have your own stuff that is causing clutter but when it is someone else's clutter then it is time to take charge and inform the person to pick up their belongings.

T: Trash. When getting rid of clutter the trash can is a good friend. Your clutter control goal is to keep those things that make sense in the space that you have.

Handle one item at a time

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

The same principle occurs with organizing clutter.

To declutter your home or room is an overwhelming experience. Indeed, it is one of the things that many people put off until the mess becomes too much.

Start with small steps in controlling your clutter - choose a drawer or a flat surface and attempt to declutter this first.

Then move systematically to the next area to get rid of clutter.

If you find that you are procrastinating on your clutter control then try these tips for overcoming procrastination.

What to keep or throw out when getting rid of clutter

Only you can answer this.

If you focus on getting rid of 'stuff' you never master clutter control!

A better question to ask is "Does it fit with the vision of where I want to go?"

If the item fits with your vision then keep it. If it does not then donate it or use the trash can.

Other questions you may ask include:

When was the last time you used it?

Will you need to use it again?

Is the item easily replaceable or does it make you feel good?

The decluttering process for clutter control

Have four bags as you move through each area.

Label each bag with "Keep", "Throw out", "Donate" and "Not sure"

Keep the items that you love or that have some value that moves you towards your vision of the reclaimed space.

Put items that you don't want or don't use into the "Donate" bag.

Put items that are broken, can't be fixed, or you think that nobody would want into the bag labeled "Throw out"

If you aren't sure about whether you want to let go of the item, then put it into the "Not sure" box and label with the date and contents.

Put this in a storage area out of the way. If, in 6 months time, you have not used an item in this bag then look to donate/sell the contents to others.

Storage solutions

An important part of clutter control is to have a place for everything and everything in its place.

If you have a vision of the type of home that you want, then each item that you decide to keep has a purpose or has some intrinsic value that contributes to your vision.

The trick to being clutter free is to keep your stuff in its place and relevant and purposeful to where your life is now and where it is going.

Of course your life changes and so to do your clothes, papers and other belongings.

Use your clutter control vision as a means to navigate your course.

Put like things with like things when decluttering

Take a look at your dining table, or some other place where clutter appears.

You may notice that you may have a few papers, some jewelry, a late unpaid bill, or an unwashed coffee mug.

If you take a few moments and use this tip, then storing like things with like will greatly reduce your clutter.

For example, you could gather the papers and sort these into their respective files for filing.

The unpaid bill could go into the Inbox for today.

You would gather the jewelry and put these into their proper places and so forth.

Grouping like with like aids the decluttering process. It is also useful to group items in terms of purpose and frequency of purpose.

In general, store items in easily accessible places if you use them frequently.

Related articles on organizing tips

How to Organize Your Desk: Clear Your Paper Clutter and Develop a System

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