So do not skip the removal step, it is absolutely important. As a result, healthy clutter-clearing habits never had opportunity to emerge. There were just too many things in too small a space – no matter what system we tried to implement. Because I had not taken the time to remove the excess in full (or in part), I could never get ahead of the clutter in my home. Just organize, clean, and organize again. For most of my life, I thought the key to maintaining clutter was found here. Getting rid of unnecessary possessions is essential, but it doesn’t have to be a race.ģ) Implement habits to manage your clutter. For example, put the items you can’t quite part with in a cardboard box out of sight with a date on it. If you still do not feel fully capable on removing the excess possessions from your home, find encouragement in an intermediate step. Then, after the small victories have been won, you’ll find extra motivation to begin tackling the harder cases of clutter in your minimalist home. As you do, you’ll build up small victories. The most important key in completing this step is to start with the small and easy projects first. Other family members’ clutter that have begun invading common spaces.Sentimental items that have collected over the years.Large projects such as the garage, basement, or attic.In other cases, this step will take more time and intentionality: Decorations that are no longer meaningful and/or outdated.Closets full of clothes you no longer wear.Junk drawers full of unneeded items (rubber bands, old batteries, or old keys).With that as our guiding filter, we slowly moved from room to room, removing everything that fit the definition above. Early in our journey, we began to define clutter as a) too much stuff in too small a space b) anything that we no longer used or loved or c) anything that led to a feeling of disorganization. In your process of removing the excess, it can be helpful to find a working definition of clutter to aid you in this step. The first (and most important) step in keeping your home clutter-free is to remove the excessive possessions that are stealing our lives, time, and energy. Conversely, the fewer items we own, the easier it is to keep clutter at a minimum. Clutter begins to appear most prominently when we own too much stuff. Then, take another… and another… and another…Ģ) Remove the excess. So find some hope and take one small step. Realize that you will never get there if do not resolve in your mind that you can accomplish it. For you, the first step to decluttering your home is to take heart and believe it is entirely possible. Your house has been cluttered for so long, you have given up all hope of ever living any other way. You are just looking for some extra help to get there.īut some of you are not so sure. I imagine that is what attracts you to this guide. Most of us know it is entirely possible to live in a clutter-free environment. And I am perfectly confident you can do the same… no matter how far away from clutter-free your home may seem.Ĭonsider implementing the four steps found in this Simple Guide to Keeping Your Home Clutter-Free:ġ) Believe it is possible. Over the past several years, we have found a system that works very well for our family of four. Today, almost every room in our home rests in a state of order – free from the life-robbing presence of physical clutter. Instead, the problem was we could never get ahead of the mess or ever seem to develop a system that would keep our home clutter-free.īut that is no longer the case. Looking back, the problem with clutter wasn’t that we didn’t notice or care. Then, the entire family would pitch in to make sure the house was presentable. That was, unless somebody was coming over. Closets were full, drawers wouldn’t shut, things weren’t put away, and unfinished projects could be found in most rooms. I have lived most of my life in a cluttered home. “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris
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