We’re finally going there! We’re jumping into the clutter!
You have stuff everywhere but you have no idea what to get rid of or where to start, then this is your episode because I’m sharing with you my super simple get started guide right here! You can literally start decluttering your house without trying to figure out how to swallow the entire elephant all at once. I’m truly going to teach you how to take one bite at a time, one step at a time, with your busy schedule and all the craziness. Keep reading to find out how you can implement this system right now without having to wait for the “right time”.
Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast
Your Simple Guide To Decluttering
Here’s the deal, there is not a week that goes by where someone doesn’t reach out to me and say that they need help because they have too much stuff and that their house is the problem. Because let’s face it, we all have that one thing that gets in the way and blocks us from truly reaching our goals. For most of us, it’s either our marriage, home, kids, or business and it can wreak all sorts of havoc when we can’t figure out how to keep these pillars working smoothly.
When it comes to the home being the problem, I’ve learned that it simply comes down to the fact that we have too much stuff. Having too much can really take the simplicity out of picking up the things, putting them away, and moving on. It literally becomes a chore and can make us feel like it’s impossible to tackle on our own.
Yes, You Can Declutter!
I am very much the black sheep of my family and I was always very different when it came to organization. When I was little, I would put things in bags, label them, and put them in my closet—and before I would clean, I would purge. My mom would tell me my room needed cleaning, so I would take all my stuff and group it into piles of like things all together, organizing and sorting them all, which frustrated my mom to no end.
She would ask me why I had to touch everything twice instead of only once. She couldn’t understand that, in my mind, I would have to touch it five more times because I’ll end up putting it somewhere it didn’t belong and just have to keep moving it. That was just my thing, to have all like things in the same areas.
Your Simple Start To Decluttering
So, take a look at your house right now. Are there things in places where they don’t belong, where it doesn’t make sense for them to be? It is next to impossible to keep a tidy house when things are stored this way. It is literally why at all times, in some places, it looks like a bomb has gone off. Because nobody, including you, knows where anything goes and you can’t outsource or ask others to help you put things away because you don’t know how to tell them where something belongs.
Do you know the language we speak in my house? It’s, “Hey Blaine, would you mind putting ________ away? It goes on this shelf, in this cabinet/cubby.” He can literally go and do it. When I know where things go, it’s easier for me to get help from others. This also works in the kitchen when I need Blaine to cook supper, I can tell him exactly where everything he needs is.
Decluttering Begins With Your Mindset
So when it comes down to it, it’s actually your mindset that’s the problem when it comes down to why you need to get rid of all this stuff. I know it’s hard, but ask yourself some questions:
-
Why are you avoiding diving into your home?
-
What is keeping you from doing that?
-
Do you not know how?
-
Do you not know where to start?
-
Are you afraid you won’t finish?
-
Are you attached to all of the things?
You need to knock away the excuses because bottom line, that’s what they are, and do this because it’s NOT HARD. It’s a matter of getting your head in the right place and making it happen. Doing the thing, tackling decluttering, is not hard. It just takes adjusting your mindset and figuring out WHY you’re avoiding getting it done.
You need to knock away the excuses because bottom line, that’s what they are, and do this because it’s NOT HARD. It’s a matter of getting your head in the right place and making it happen.
And if lacking money for organizing everything is your hold-up, then let me tell you, I would LITERALLY cut up cereal boxes and every other cardboard box I could get my hands on, tape them together, and make my own drawer dividers. (shoeboxes are the best for this!) There really are no excuses when it comes to not having money. I have never in my life, until very recently, had any kind of professional organizational anything and this has never stopped me! What did I label things with? Duct or masking tape and a Sharpie, that’s all you need!
Are you afraid to dive into shared areas of your house? (like your kid’s mountain of toys that they haven’t touched in the past year but will come unglued if they see you getting rid of it?) What is it, what is your issue that causes you to lack the motivation to get up and do this? It’s a mental block, 100%. That is all you need to figure out right now and I want you to share it in the comments below or in the Facebook group. That’s it.
Overcome Your Mental Blocks
Then, once you figure out what that is, it’s super simple. I’ve got a really simple get started guide which might actually help you get through those mental blocks and get going on decluttering your house.
If you’re all set and feel like you’re totally ready for this and just looking for some support and fun around decluttering and some community motivation, you can find just that in the Academy where I teach my ESCAPE method. ESCAPE is an acronym for a system that I created and share in my Academy to help get rid of the clutter and live completely mess free.
Decluttering Can Be Manageable and Fun
I do not want to over complicate this, it’s not complicated at all, in fact it’s very simple. I want it to be very manageable and fun, and that’s the point for me in doing this. If you’ve heard of Marie Kondo, she’s all about making sure that everything in your home makes you feel joy. She wants and teaches and tells you that you have to touch every single item and feel and understand it and ask if it makes you feel joy. If it does, keep it, if not, get rid of it. That is her process and it’s such a beautiful thing.
For Blaine and me, our mission is to be able to inspire other couples to have fun and we want to show that in every single area of our life. So much of that is infused in what I do and what I teach and this is the exact same thing. So even in the midst of decluttering, find a way to make it fun!
HERE’S YOUR SIMPLE, STRAIGHT FORWARD, GET STARTED GUIDE!
Step #1 – Guide to Decluttering – Find your problem area.
You might have a lot of them in your house, but what area is causing you the most issues right now? Where are you getting hung up the most in your day? Is it the kitchen, the dishes, getting laundry put away, getting your makeup done in the morning, or getting your kids dressed for school? What is it in your house that’s causing an issue and every time you go to interact with it, it feels like something is always going wrong and like you can’t ever get ahead? Think about it, you’ll know.
Step #2 – Go to that space & stand in front of it.
So if it’s the dishes or in your kitchen, go and stand in front of the space. Then, you’re going to pick one part of that space, not the whole thing, to start on. I highly encourage you not to try to take on the whole space. I don’t think that’s a good idea. You need to be able to understand so much about the foundation of what you’re doing in your life before you just decide that today is a great day to clean out an entire room and you will end up completely derailing yourself and get stuck in a space that you can’t finish if you try to tackle the whole space.
Step #3 – Determine what the “one thing” you are going to tackle is.
Once you’ve picked one compartment, component, or piece of that whole problem, name it. Is it just the dishes, just the counters, just a section of the cabinets? What one part of that space that you’re standing in front of are you going to commit to tackling?
Step #4 – Set a timer for 5 minutes and declutter.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and declutter that one small area you just picked. Just the one space is all you’re gonna do. Want to know what to do after that? Then head over and listen to the next podcast episode where I help you know what to do once you start diving into these spaces.
Looking for more?
If you’re ready to get started with this, drop me a comment below or shoot some pictures to us over in the Facebook group. I want to know what your problem area is and hear about your progress!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to start to declutter your home and your life?
Focus on the ONE area in your home or the one part of your day where you feel REALLY overwhelmed. Go visit that area. Start there. Focus on organizing and decluttering that ONE space to help you get started and really get the ball moving forward. Join us in the Systemize Your Life Facebook group for support to help you move towards your decluttering goals!
