Tips to Declutter
Want an organized, decluttered home in 30 seconds or less a day? Then this article is for you.
The days of spring are filled with pansies, daffodils, and tulips making their way through the ground, ready for bloom and longer, warmer, sunnier, hope-filled days. Spring, to me, means a fresh start. A time to revamp and press reset.
A time for spring cleaning and overhauling our environment.
It’s also a time a lot of us associate with new goals, aspirations, well-being, and socializing. After being in lockdown over the winter months, with the hope of COVID-19 vaccines on the horizon and that life may soon normalize somewhat, now is the time to prepare for people—our family, friends, and loved ones—coming to visit our homes once again over the coming summer months. How exciting!
It’s time to get prepared to open our homes once again, get organized, and declutter.
The thing is, tomorrow is going to be just like today. Today was just like yesterday.
Unless we design our lives differently. Unless we create change.
To change our lives, we must implement systems and change our actions.
One of the easiest ways to get started is to change our environment.
We can use this as inspiration to get organized at home. But where do we begin?
Let’s start by thinking about the way we use the space in our homes and lives.
The design of our interior spaces can be a powerful force. It has the ability to bring out the best in us or slow us down.
I believe most people take pride in their skills, work, and ability to do things, and they want to do things well, given the opportunity.
In our homes, we have different spaces in which we need to get those things done.
These interior spaces ideally reflect the needs of the people living within them, prioritize well-being, and enhance our humanity.
Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves:
- Who will inhabit this home, space, or environment?
- What are their aspirations, wants, needs, and desires?
- What will they do in this space?
- How will they connect to one another?
- How can the space enhance well-being?
- How can it engage and stimulate the beings which use it?
- How can we design our home to support daily routines, actions, and habits?
- How can we maintain it with joy and ease?
We often see people who have not thought through activities related to producing results. This means homes end up being organized inefficiently, diminishing our productivity, leaving us to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and wondering why things aren’t working or why we simply aren’t getting things done.
Our homes need to be zoned for our current goals and aspirations. And while we can have it all, we can’t have it all at once.
Ask yourself:
- What is my top outcome or aspiration to achieve this month?
- What daily, weekly, and monthly activity will it take to get this done?
- Do I have a space dedicated, designed, and set up to accomplish this?
- What about the other family members in the household? Will there be any conflicts?
- How can I design & create a Tiny Habit Recipe to take daily action? Unsure? Try the Tiny Habits Recipe Maker!
- Can I create a zone with all the tools & resources I need to execute?
Each time we choose to declutter or re-organize, we have the chance to evaluate the interior spaces which frame our life. We have the opportunity to create spaces that make us feel alive and improve the way we live and work. Little by little, day by day, we can take tiny actions to improve life on the daily.
How often do you use your things?
Undeniably, our homes can look pretty and organized, but they also have to be practical.
Ask yourself: How often do I use this thing/item?
Is it daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly?
Does this support a habit, ritual, or routine I, or someone in my house, has?
Just like items are merchandised in a supermarket or store, homes need to be organized by frequency and location of use to create a system that is easy to maintain and easy to use—a system based on Fogg Maxim #1 and #2.
Fogg Maxim #1: Help People do what they already want to do.
Fogg Maxim #2: Help People feel successful.
First, put things that you use daily at the front, then arrange by weekly and monthly usage. Height also matters based on who is using it and how often. What is in our eye line is prime real estate.
Pro tip: Want your kids, hubby, or wife to adopt a behavior with ease? Once you have a designated area, set up a little zone so it’s fun & easy for them to do, with stuff they already use on the daily, and make sure it’s at their specific eye level. They will think they thought of this themselves. Genius! (And no more nagging)
Whether we are on the scale from hoarders to very occasional members of the clutter club, what’s one thing we can do today to start, no matter our decluttering and organizing skills?
Adopt the Rule of Three—The Tiny Habits Version
Every time we get up from our desks or walk through a room, we put away three things. Or, each hour, devote 30 seconds to de-cluttering.
Here is a Tiny Habits Recipe to get organized that you can use in your own life:
After I get up from my desk or office chair, I will put away three things,
And celebrate with a Serena Williams fist pump.
The best way to learn the Tiny Habits Method is to start practicing immediately. Don’t wait. What action will you choose to take today?
The Contributor
Kristy Bertenshaw
I write things & stuff on Medium
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