Stuff, stuff, stuff. All of a sudden I'm noticing it all over and it's making…
How to Get Rid of Stuff
January is the perfect time of the year to organize which is why many of us get in the mood to purge, clean out and de-clutter once and for all. A new year brings a new mind set and most often that is an organized one. People want to get rid of things, clean up, and vow they will conquer the paperwork pile for good. Here are my tips on how to get rid of stuff.
Although I don’t usually pick a certain time of year to de-clutter and organize, I’ve been doing a lot of it lately since I had a few weeks off of classes. This week I want to talk a little about organizing and first up is my favorite thing to do ~ get rid of stuff.
I kid you not friends, I love getting rid of stuff and have no problem purging my home of things I don’t need. Since we’ve been in our house more than a year now, I know what items I use and what I don’t and I regularly clean out. That yard sale pile is getting huge!
Getting rid of things is for the most part mental. Why is it so easy for me to get rid of stuff and how do I do it? These are my easy tips.
1. Be in the Zone. Cleaning out your home or simply just a closet should be done when you are in the right mind frame. Realize how much better you’ll feel when you get something organized. Zero in on the task at hand. Give yourself enough time and do it when you feel you are ready.
You must be focused, you must be dedicated, you must be willing to throw things away! There’s nothing worse than stating to clean out a space and feeling paralyzed in making decisions. Pick a day when you really want to get things in order and start.
2. Realize you probably have items you don’t need or use. One thing we can all agree on is that we probably can get by on living with less. Simplification is a very powerful thing and it really is true that a cluttered home is a cluttered mind. Free up some of the energy you spend moving things all over your house trying to figure out what to do with them and you will feel better I promise.
And don’t forget, there are people who can use those extra pair of jeans or the pile of storage containers you don’t use. Give them away to those who need them more than you do.
3. Start Small. Don’t think you have to whip your house into shape from top to bottom in one weekend. Chances are it just won’t happen, you’re not Marry Poppins. Even one small drawer in the kitchen will have you feeling like you accomplished something. And that something will snowball into more somethings. Like the basement 🙂
4. Have a purpose for the items you will give away. When de-cluttering, you should be organizing your stuff into four piles: Keep, give away, sell and donate. Sometimes the sell pile becomes the donate pile, either way you have a purpose with your things. And it’s easier to get rid of them when you have motivation, whether it is to donate them, sell them and make some money, give them to a friend that could use them, this will keep you motivated.
My current motivation is the yard sale we will have in the spring. Knowing I have the chance to sell items makes it easy for me to get rid of them.
Need more tips?
- I’ve been using this declutter calendar which has a task each day for you to get your house in shape.
- Here are 8 Ways to Get Rid of Things
- Pretty Hand Girl has a post on Taming the Clutter
- Want to start right now? Here are 18 things you can get rid of today
- If you need a guide on where to take your items, here is one from Oprah
Tomorrow Sheila from SZ Interiors will be my guest and share with us her three favorite tips for keeping a home organized.
These are awesome tips! I have been in declutter mode this year also… the hardest part is getting my husband (the packrat) on board. We are working through the house a little at time though! 🙂
Great article, Jessica! I’m in the middle of going through our office from top-to-bottom, inside and out! Right now I’m purging our files. When we moved this process got away on me, and is out of hand. The getting started is always the hardest part for me, but once I’m at it, then it’s hard to pull me away. I just love getting things organized!
I’m ready to roll for tomorrow! See you then 🙂
Sheila
Hey Jessica… I’ve been wanting to declutter my self… Been putting it off for a few weeks! Btw, I scoured your blog off and on Sunday! I been tuned it for awhile but finally was able to catch up!
I’ve decided to make a board out of the fiber board that u posted… I do have a question…what kind of frames do u use to display pictures on it like with ur leaf collection? Whats on urs now? I will b using mine over my sofa as its a big wall w vaulted ceiling and its hard to find pics that I like that ate big enough… I’ve had same one for 2 years since we built house!
Sorry for long comment, but just wanted to say Hi finally!!!!
I love getting rid of things! I always have, but especially after I read the book The Joy of Less (read my review here: http://blog.chsbuffalo.org/2011/10/living-well-with-less.html).
I started to keep a garbage bag in my closet for things that will be donated to Amvets. And as I’m seeing how much I’m getting rid of, at least a garbage bag full each month, I’ve started to curb my spending habits. It just seems so wasteful to keep buying things when I’m constantly decluttering. Thinking of everything that I’ve tossed or donated has really helped me to keep my spending impulses in check.
I always think moving is the best opportunity to get rid of everything that needs to go, and we recently moved, which made it easy to get rid of tons of stuff. But even after we arrived at the new house, I still found that there’s lots of stuff that we shouldn’t have bothered moving, and so I’m trying to clear things out rather than just putting the boxes away… but it’s tough! 🙂
I just popped by from Sheila’s site!! These are great tips!! My husband and I just finished cleaning out our attic, basement, closets and will be hosing a BIG TIME garage sale when the weather warms up. Such great mental cleansing!!