31 Days of Organizing Tips: Day 3 (De-cluttering)

Welcome to Day Three of the 31 Days of Organizing Tips series!   I’m so glad you’ve joined me.  Throughout this series I’ll be sharing organizing tips to help you on your journey from overwhelmed to organized.  

Now that you’ve created a list of organizing projects, picked one or two to get started on, and planned out your project, it’s time to dive in and start your project!

The first step in organizing is to de-clutter.  We live in a culture that is crazy about “stuff” and we accumulate a lot of it! Before organizing what you have (and definitely before buying any storage containers!), take some time to assess what you really need and use. Chances are you have items you didn’t know you had or rarely use, and maybe even some things you don’t like very much anymore.  

I could go on and on about reasons why we have so much stuff, why it’s important to reduce clutter, and how to prevent clutter from creeping back into our lives (there’s a lot written about these topics), but today I just want to highlight the issue and get you started.

The person who inspires me the most when I’m de-cluttering (and the reason I became a professional organizer!) is Peter Walsh so there’s no better tip I could give you than to point you in his direction.

peterwalshdesign.com

Peter has been on TV shows such as Clean Sweep and Extreme Clutter, he currently has a show in Australia called Space Invaders, he was a frequent guest on Oprah and makes regular appearances on the Rachael Ray Show. Wherever he is, he’s giving decluttering tips and inspiration.

I often “hear” Peter’s voice when I’m deciding whether or not to keep something.

“Does it fit the vision of what you want this space to be?”

“Is it being honoured and respected where it is now?”

“Do you need, use, or love it?”  

“If the things you own are not helping you create the life you want, why do you have them in your home?”

Note:  read those questions again with an awesome Australian accent because that’s how I hear them in my head.

Peter has written several best-selling books on decluttering and they are all fantastic.  Here’s one of my favourites:

Get “Let It Go” on Amazon here! (affiliate link)

Peter believes that clutter is anything that gets in the way of you living your best life. I love that definition!

If the thought of reading books about de-cluttering is overwhelming, then follow Peter on Facebook or Instagram. He posts de-cluttering and organizing tips regularly and also updates when he will be appearing on TV. You can also check out his many decluttering tips videos on YouTube.

What I love most about being a professional organizer is helping my clients declutter. Yes, organizing is great too, but decluttering is life-changing and I love being part of that process!

You can find lots of decluttering tips in my 31 Days Easy Decluttering series!

For Day Three, choose a space in your house and de-clutter it.  If this is new for you then don’t start with a huge project like a garage, attic or basement!  Pick something small to start with (ideally a place that doesn’t have a lot of sentimental items).  Choose something that you can manage in a short amount of time.  You can build up to a bigger project.

If you have difficulty parting with things because you think you may need them “someday”, then here’s a tip to get you started: put the items you’re not sure you want to part with into a box for a set period of time (a month, a season, or whatever seems appropriate). If you haven’t used the items in that amount of time then let them go.  It will help take the pressure off initially but you’ll also have the freedom of not having those items cluttering up your drawers, shelves, or cupboards in the meantime.

Have you de-cluttered areas in your home?  What was the most difficult part?  What was the biggest reward?  Do you love Peter Walsh as much as I do?  What is the best organizing tip you’ve implemented?

If you need help decluttering or organizing, contact me for in-person organizing services in the Mississauga area, or virtual organizing services anywhere else.

Happy organizing!