Declutter 1 thing right now
Maybe the New Year energy is beginning to fade. Maybe you lost steam with the snow. Maybe life got in the way, you’ve been busy, you’ve been tired, you’ve been in survival mode.
Please. Don’t. Stop. Decluttering.
Even if you can commit only 1 minute. Even if you can fill up 1 bag or 1 box or simply break down the cardboard boxes from your bedroom (let’s talk about why you open so many packages up there another time). You can relocate 1 thing. Let go of your ideal tidiness goals and the perfect “finish line” and do 1 thing. It might result in doing 2 or 3, you never know!
Think of these daily acts of self-care as gifts to your future self.
There’s something empowering about addressing clutter swiftly and without judgment—but this happens most often when you are not feeling buried or totally overwhelmed.
Clutter that’s manageable is…
A week’s worth of mail scattered on the counter
A bedroom floor that’s sprinkled with clothes (clean? dirty? unsure?)
A coffee table that’s collected a hodgepodge of junk over the past few days
Etc.
The secret? Worthiness. You deserve nice spaces. You deserve cleared space, blank space, empty space, resting space. You deserve to have a place to pour your wine without pushing crap out of the way. You deserve to walk across your room without disrespecting your clothes. You deserve to put your feet up after a long day without knocking over yesterday’s takeout remains.
No judgment—we’ve all been there.
As a professional organizer, it’s my job to assess root causes of clutter. To identify patterns and to help you understand what is currently working, what is not, and why. To provide customized solutions unique to YOUR needs and to offer insightful rationale into why I would recommend certain approaches, products, and systems that I believe will work for YOU.
When you see my before and after pictures, know that a TON of work goes into it. Sometimes more than one session. Sometimes homework, added storage solutions, etc. It’s not just like I walk in and snap my fingers like Mary Poppins. More than once, I’ve just entered a room and let myself take a deep breath.
Where to start?
Somewhere. Anywhere.
(I like to start with the floor, then surfaces, then inside drawers/closets, etc.)
Returning to the above clutter hotspots:
Mail on counter. Do one step, maybe you’ll be inspired to do more.
Do a rapid sort of junk mail v. papers to address (this will likely cut your pile by more than half)
Recycle junk mail
Open mail to address / recycle envelopes
Make a pile of any items to shred
Make a pile of items requiring action (school permission slips, bills, etc)
(Keep going, you get the idea: small, concrete steps!)
Clothes on floor
Put soiled clothes in the laundry basket
Put clean items back in the drawer or closet, etc.
Discard any clothes that have obvious wear and tear, stains, rips, etc.
Is it on the floor because it didn’t fit right? Or you didn’t like the material? Or it bothers you because it’s from an ex? DONATE PILE.
Messy coffee table
Collect trash & recycling
Relocate items to their homes (dishes to the sink, hygiene items or meds to bathroom, etc.)
The important thing—just work, without judgment, without criticism. And acknowledge that you’re doing the damn thing! One item at a time. One shelf at a time. Step by step, just commit that 1 minute to wherever you are right now.
“Imagine the woman you want to be. Think of what her daily life, her daily habits, and routines would be. Start showing up to those habits and routines, start building them, step by step, and day by day. You don’t become her like magic. You build her. Start building.” Jamie Varon
You can lead your family toward a calmer, more peaceful home. Little eyes are watching you. These changes won’t happen overnight, but make the commitment. To you. To your future self. To your family.
Start now. Do 1 thing.
I know you can do this. And help is here, if you want to take that brave next step to book a FREE discovery call to talk about your goals: https://calendly.com/consciouslyclearedandcontainedllc/freecall