![\"side](\"http:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/side-table.jpg\")
This topic is very important to me not because I\u2019m good at it, but because I was once very terrible at it. \u00a0Ok, so there are a few more reasons<\/p>\nThis topic is very important to me not because I\u2019m good at it, but because I was once very terrible at it. \u00a0Ok, so there are a few more reasons<\/p>\n
An immensely big part of making a home is knowing what not to keep and when it\u2019s time to let go of things that no longer add function or happiness. \u00a0With all the home projects I\u2019m up to, really narrowing in on my style, and finding over and over that minimal spaces turn my eyes into hearts, I\u2019m standing strong in my mission to be bold with decluttering. \u00a0It\u2019s also simply a very healthy and happy thing to do, to make sure we\u2019re only rolling around in things that are awesome and not in garbage that stresses us out and hides where our favorite pair of pants are (I clearly remember that long day.)<\/p>\n
I started last year with my closet, dedicating almost an entire Saturday to go through every single piece of clothing I owned. \u00a0After many why-the-hell-do-I-even-have-this and who-keeps-a-dress-for-over-10-years-that-isn\u2019t-even-cute-and-doesn\u2019t-fit-anymore moments, I ended up getting rid of about 80% of my closet. \u00a0That\u2019s clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, all of it. \u00a080%! \u00a0Things I held on to thinking \u201cone day\u201d I\u2019ll need it and then after getting real with myself was like \u201cnuh uh\u201d and it\u2019s true- I don\u2019t miss or remember any of it. \u00a0Tossing all those extra hangers and being able to stick my head in the closet to breath in empty space\u00a0was a sensationally proud moment for me.<\/p>\n
While I wouldn\u2019t regard one amazing experience as a claim to mastery, I think it can be helpful to share what worked and still works for me, for anyone who wants to ride along on the purge horse. \u00a0I consider these tips a reminder (and actually a timely one\u00a0for me as I’m planning on attacking\u00a0my desk supplies this weekend), and some basic guidelines on what I\u2019ve confirmed for myself to be the best way to approach clutter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Take every single item out into one pile<\/strong> Having everything in a pile first forces me to not miss a single thing, to touch and pick up every item one by one and really reflect on what\u2019s best to do with it, keep or not. \u00a0Then, when I put things back, I\u2019ll for sure be tidy about it. \u00a0Win!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Separate into keep, toss, donate, and sell piles<\/strong> I don\u2019t do \u201cmaybe\u201d piles. \u00a0I like to be straight with my decisions because it\u2019s what works best for me. \u00a0If I had a \u201cmaybe\u201d option, I\u2019d be putting too many things in there!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ask these questions for items you\u2019re struggling with<\/strong> 1. Does this\u00a0make me happy? Through paying attention to the ways I\u2019ve challenged these questions or defended myself, I found out that the biggest reason I held on to things is because I considered it a waste of money to throw anything away. \u00a0That\u2019s why in most situations I\u2019m able to almost exclusively narrow down the questioning to only question 3. \u00a0That question made a lot of this click for me, realizing that on the other hand it’s a waste of money to buy things I don\u2019t like, so cutting my losses and parting with those objects of bad decision’s past is essentially a form of redemption. \u00a0It\u2019s a much more empowering angle to look at it from.<\/p>\n Start small<\/strong> Organize in style<\/strong> <\/p>\n Hoping these might spur some interesting discussion, if you agree, disagree, have your own tips, going on a decluttering spree lately as well or maybe want to share your biggest reason(s) for hanging on to things. \u00a0Leave me any thoughts you have!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This topic is very important to me not because I\u2019m good at it, but because I was once very terrible at it. \u00a0Ok, so there are a few more reasons An immensely big part of making a home is knowing what not to keep and when it\u2019s time to let go of things that no … Continue reading “Top 5 Decluttering Tips”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[448],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10563"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10612,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10563\/revisions\/10612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI used to scan the area that I\u2019m trying to declutter and only take out things that I could for sure say I didn\u2019t need anymore, then leave everything else where it was. \u00a0No good. \u00a0It\u2019s harder to be honest with myself this way, easier to gloss over things, and the things that stay aren\u2019t as likely to be tidied or organized thereafter.<\/p>\n
\nWhatever mechanism you use, baskets, bins, or just the floor, use it for only the keep, donate, and sell pile. \u00a0For the \u201ctoss” pile, I like using an actual trash bag to stuff the rejects into. \u00a0I\u2019m far less likely to go rummaging back through it and it makes the decision more final. \u00a0I also like the feeling of emphatically tossing things into the bag. \u00a0Perhaps this is weird, or maybe you can let me know that this is normal because you do it and like it too. \u00a0If it\u2019s something that was at all hard for me to part with though, I\u2019ll place it gently in the bag. \u00a0Perhaps this is weird as well.<\/p>\n
\nIf your answer is \u201cno\u201d to all the questions that apply, get rid of it.<\/p>\n![\"5](\"http:\/\/www.homeyohmy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-decluttering-questions-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n2. Is this sentimental?
\n3. If I saw this at a store right now, would I buy it?
\n4. Have I used this in the past year?
\n5. Does this still fit me?<\/p>\n
\nI wanted to be like yes I’m going to declutter\u00a0the entire bedroom now, but it’s really really hard to get started when the task is so\u00a0huge. \u00a0For my closet purge, I actually started with my sock\/undies drawer and set out just to at least get that done. \u00a0Once I completed that, I felt like the king of the world<\/a>\u00a0and kept going with what ended up being an entire wardrobe purge. \u00a0It’s so cliche but it’s so true that getting started is the hardest part. \u00a0Once I felt that little victory I didn’t want to stop. \u00a0It becomes addicting.<\/p>\n
\nThis is one of the most motivating factors\u00a0in maintaining all those decisions I just spent forever on. \u00a0Style matters. \u00a0I trust that the bottom line reason you even visit my blog is because you agree with this! \u00a0Whatever supplies and knick knacks you now need to reorganize your collection of only awesome things, make sure you love it, because that way you’ll keep up with it. \u00a0If you\u2019re using a shoebox to organize your socks, you better love that shoebox. \u00a0Don\u2019t use a red shoe box if red makes you meh (paint it or cover it up!) \u00a0It\u2019s that simple, yea? \u00a0I used to do this step first to get myself excited about decluttering and organizing, but it can be difficult to predict ahead of time what items and tools will work best, so decide all that last after assessing what’s needed.<\/p>\n