How to cut down on clutter

Here are a couple of tips that could be useful to help cut down on clutter in your home, just by implementing a couple of easy tricks that are easy to do, when done in small doses (don’t try to do it all at once).

Get out your label maker

If you do use boxes or file folders, you’ll need to label. There’s a slim to none chance that you will remember what each box is used for, especially if they’re all quite similar in looks to each other.

It’s just being practical.

Sometimes visual aids help, like photos or polaroids of your shoes in those boxes, so you can easily grab the box of strappy summer sandals you want to wear instead of hunting through each box trying to find them, and creating a mess in the process.

Or even when you file your boring bank statements, you can make it fun to do so.

FB Read: Organizing with visual tabs.

Whatever you use often, keep within easy reach

So if you tend to use the rice cooker a lot, don’t stack it up on the highest shelf where you have to struggle with short little legs to reach it.

Put it at an arm’s grasp, and when you’re done, put it back so that you don’t forget where you have designated its spot to be and will remember to use it more often.

This applies to anything — computer equipment, toolboxes, makeup, toiletries, linens.

And don’t make it difficult to keep in order – there’s no need to make it look like The Container Store, you just want to keep it neat.

Designate spots for everything

Along the same lines above, pick spots for things and stick to them.

Try and group like with like (computer stuff with all computer stuff), and using boxes that stack could be really helpful.

Get rid of it

If something isn’t beautiful, useful (or seasonal) or of sentimental value (although I find a lot of things are mostly sentimental without cause) AND you haven’t used it in a year, it can probably go.

My trick is to put it away in a box, cover it up, and if in 6 months to a year you don’t really remember what’s in the box without opening it.. then it’s time to let it go.

If it’s sentimental, keep one or two sentimental things, MAX, take a picture of the rest and say “Sayanora“.

Or, re-purpose it.

An old vase from Aunt Ruth that you can’t toss, can turn into a vase to hold pens and pencils instead. Or sticks of candy.

Take it slow

No one ever became a millionaire or organized overnight by rushing. It takes time. Tackle one room per weekend, a little corner at a time, and within no time, you’ll be organized and clutter-free.

Just remember to keep up with the golden rule of replacing the item right where you found it.