If you were looking for a reason to get motivated to clean up your home or workplace, how about a holiday dedicated to it? National Clear Your Clutter Day is Friday, May 3rd and that means you've got the perfect excuse to set aside some time and declutter your life.
If you're like most people, however, that idea can be daunting. Maybe you have trouble seeing those piles of knick knacks as the junk everyone else does, but it's okay. We're here for you. Well, specificly our guests from Caring Transitions are here for you.
Getting started
Utilize a series of bins or recepticles. Sometimes you have mail that you need to keep, or crafting supplies that get used a lot but don't have a home. Taking a small step like creating an official storage area for these things can make a huge difference.
It's important to recognize that you're putting these things in a finite space, so go through the mail once per week to make sure you're not storing anything you could be tossing. With crafting supplies and other small storage items, consider a monthly routine of glancing in your drawers to make sure they're not too full. If they are it's time to address the rate at which those supplies are coming in!
Tossing the junk
When it comes to tossing out junk, the tossing part isn't hard. The real problem is identifying what is and is not junk. Michael from Caring Transitions reccommends breaking down the job into small, bite-sized pieces. Once you get started, it will become easier to start tossing things.
Yes, it might seem harsh to toss out that birthday card from your aunt from 15 years ago, but you'll likely find that once you do it becomes infinitely easier to toss the next thing, and the next, until your house is filled with only those possessions you truly care about.
Better living with appliances
The ice cream maker that made ice cream once, 10 years ago. The fancy esspresso machine that gets used for a single esspresso every other month. We all have an appliance like this. The most efficient way to keep your house clean is of course to toss it, but you may enjoy using it every once in awhile. The important thing is to be honest with yourself about how often you will utilize this machine and treat it accordingly.
If you only use a machine once or twice a month it may be worth storing it in a bin under the counter and only taking it out when you intend to use it. It's easy to forget, but when we give something a permanent place on our counters we are essentially paying this device a counter tax every day that you cannot place something else there. Make sure it holds up it's end of the deal!