Decluttering When You Are Low On Time Or Motivation

 

I started my whole house decluttering literally on my very first day of retirement.  I was excited and eager to get this journey started so I dived right in.  With plenty of time on my hands and a long To-Do list to go along with it I managed to get a lot done that first year and I got rid of SO MUCH STUFF!  I sold stuff on Marketplace, I gave away things on Facebook No Buy, I filled up my truck with bags and boxes of donations and dropped them off at the thrift store, I loaded up my trash and recycling wheelie bins and set them at the curb each week.  I even took a big load to the dump.

 

Every year since I have retired I will start all over again going back through things, getting rid of stuff I realized I do not really use or need.  I tackled the sentimental stuff and I even organized and chronicled family photos into albums tossing out decades of saved negatives and all of the extra photos that simply weren’t worth keeping.  It was a monumental task that I had been dreading, but once it was completed I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.  With that came renewed energy and I kept going.  The best thing about the decluttering process was that as I went along I began to build momentum.

 

Decluttering the house and downsizing my possessions to a more manageable inventory was not my only job.  At the same time I was decluttering I was also working on whatever To-Do list that I happened to have going each time.  I also took on a part time job, started volunteering and increased my social calendar.  For good measure I threw in a few day trips and camping adventures.  I also had my everyday stuff to take care of – feeding and taking care of my kitties, the bunny and the chickens, housekeeping and laundry, not to mention I still had to cook food and shop for groceries.  I am a busy gal!

 

I don’t always have a lot of time to devote to decluttering, but I really don’t want to stop the process (it really is a process) and I certainly do not want to allow the house to fill back up with stuff again.  I now find that if I simply take fifteen to thirty minutes once or twice a week I can make an amazing amount of progress.  Sometimes while I am waiting to reheat a cup of coffee in the microwave I can go through a draw in the kitchen.  While I’m waiting for my dinner to heat up in the microwave or a pot of water to come up to a boil I will go through the fridge or pantry.  Just this simple little practice has netted me some huge results.

 

Over time I’ve developed an unconscious habit of simply opening a cupboard or a closet and looking at what is inside to determine if anything needs to go.  Currently my closet and drawers in my bedroom only contain items I am actually wearing on a regular basis.  My linen closet only contains items I actually use.  I constantly tidy up the cabinets under the sinks in the bathrooms and the kitchen so nothing has an opportunity to accumulate.

 

I seasonally declutter as well.  With each holiday I go through décor and let go of anything that I no longer use, has lost its appeal, is worn out or in less than stellar condition, as well as anything I’ve simply grown tired of.  In the fall I go through the garage and get rid of things that I no longer use or need.  I will go through the entire yard and remove anything out there as well like leaky hoses, unused pots and anything worn out or broken.

 

When I get the mail I stand next to the trash and recycling wheelies and go through the mail disposing of anything I don’t need.  Inside I will take care of important things, like bills, right away and then shred anything with personal information on it.  If something needs to be filed I file it right away.  At the end of each year I go through my important papers binder and pull out anything I no longer need as well as any old tax returns and documentation and shred that too.  I no longer allow paper clutter to accumulate.

 

Decluttering momentum is a powerful tool.  Sometimes I just feel like doing a good declutter and I spend an hour or two and fill up a bag or box full of stuff to donate.  Watching other people declutter also helps me get in the mood.  There is nothing quite like an episode of Hoarders to do just that.  It doesn’t take me long before I’m up and around looking for stuff to get rid of.  Of course, the best thing that helps me with decluttering is to no longer bring crap into the house in the first place.