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Lose Weight Fast Declutter Your Home!
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Your room?
Ten years of National Geographic. Letters and cards from 1982. Broken jewelry, dead watches, and an old weathered college ring. Lamps that won’t light, pillows full of dust mites, and plastic flowers. These are just some of the things that people ignore, hoard or hang on to.
If your Barbie doll is disintegrating or if your mother saves meat trays, it’s time to reform! Get rid of the packrat syndrome—it’s not a gene thing, really. Your walk-around closet should be just that, an area to walk around in and it should not be a wing in your home! This stuff is detracting from your life and, let’s face it, if you want your house to sell or you’re planning to put it on the market, it’s paramount for buyers to see the bones of the room.
Here are some tips and inspiration to help you lose a lot of excess home weight and move from “gonna do it” to “gone.”
Mindset: Get fed up and ruthless. It’s a good time to gain control (if we can’t tame the gas situation, the housing crisis, or the stock market at least we’ve got this). There is even a movement called the 100 Things Challenge, like in: choose 100 things to live with. If you can’t grab onto that philosophy, I am always helped by this: picture stuff in rat droppings and nesting.
When: There is no perfect time to do this so just push past the excuses and the emotional baggage. And look at it with this point of view: even ten minutes of filling the garbage can or cleaning out a single drawer, is ten minutes in. If you are really loathe to begin—set your alarm clock for ten minutes before you go to bed as a reminder to do a quick ten before dreamland. (Caution: you may find yourself doing more, time accordingly.)
Methodology: As easy beginning. Do the trash walk. Just walk through the offensive room with a trash bag and throw disposables away.
Is it raining outside? Picnic cancelled? You just earned a vacation day to dejunk.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Is it obsolete? If it’s old but not antique, or needs fixing that it will never get, it’s outta here.
• Does it take a space commitment? If the elliptical trainer is eating up floor space and gathering dust as well, let someone else get buff.
• Does it require a behavior modifier? Like the exercise equipment above—this type of clutter is like a craft project you’ll never get back to, a record collection that will never make it to current technology, or a stack of wood that will never become a bookshelf.
• Can you take the 6-month test? Fight the “What if I need it later syndrome?” by asking yourself, “Have I touched this in six months?” If your answer is “No,” you might want to rethink owning this possession.
• Can it help someone else? I love this question and, personally, it helps me get rid of a lot of schtick. If I think my stuffed animal will make a child smile, it is off to Goodwill. It’s just that simple.
Just remember, about 15-20 years ago, there was not a profession for “professional organizers.”
Take Action: Now we get to the action part.
Okay, this is the standard suggestion from most all the organizer, declutter experts out there: get four large cardboard containers. One box is designated for the Keep stuff, things you use and enjoy often; the other is a Put Away box, for objects that need a trip to a drawer, closet or shelf; another box should be labeled Donate, for the compassionate you that sees objects you own that might actually benefit someone else; the Toss box, the gnarly stuff that mice look to make homes in. I also like to add another of my own boxes ideas into the mix, box five: a Gift or re-gift box. Oftentimes we have a possession that is cool, in good shape, or that has been coveted by someone else. Need I say more?
Work one area, (divide and conquer), or, one room at a time. Expect there to be some emotional attachment or distraction or even feelings of nostalgia. It’s normal. We brought that stuff into the house with good intentions. Now we just need to reprioritize for who we are today, and the message will be clear. So, this is it. Tame clutter—no, reduce clutter—no, eliminate clutter and your life will feel fresh again. It will be you, all you, and not just you taking care of things. Good luck!
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