Less is More

When it comes to organization there is a point where items need to be discarded, and decluttered. Sometimes it seems like the ducluttering part is hardest part of cleaning an organizing our everyday spaces. It could be the items in question hold sentimental value, could be you have had them for so long you can't imagine parting with it, could be the amount of money spent on the item or perhaps a hundred other reasons why making the decision to throw away or donate an item.

One thing I do know is it's harder to participate in cleaning and organizing if we aren't excited to live a more simpler life or find joy in the decluttering our space. One of the ways we can make decluttering easier for ourselves is to make an activity out of it. There are many ways we can approach organizing that help demonstrate how important items really are to us, the frequency of which we use them and may help lay to bed any unease we have about parting with the objects in question. Here is a list of 10 different activities that can be used to help in the organization process. The list is taken

from another article 10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home. It is so important to find a way that works for you when starting the decluttering process and these methods can be used over and over again once you have found the one that works best for you. Feel free to read more about any of the approaches that interest you listed below.

1. Give yourself 5 solid minutes. Leo Babauta at Zen Habits recommends 18 different 5-minute decluttering tips. Pick one today that sounds appealing. Or better yet, pick a random number 1-18, read the specific tip, and commit 5 minutes to completing it.

2. Give away one item each day. Colleen Madsen at 365 Less Things gives away one item each day. Over the past several years, she has experienced quite a transformation simply reducing her stuff one day at a time.

3. Fill one trash bag. Early in our journey towards simplicity, one of my favorite decluttering techniques was to grab a simple large trash bag and see how quickly I could fill it. While much of what I collected was trash, this could also be used to fill a bag for Goodwill.

4. Try the Oprah Winfrey Closet Hanger Experiment. While this idea didn’t originate with Oprah, she was the one to help give it notoriety. To identify wardrobe pieces to clear out, hang all your clothes with the hangers in the reverse direction. After you wear an item, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the correct direction. After six months, you’ll have a clear picture of which clothes you can easily discard. This experiment could also be applied to a number of clutter areas in your home (cleaners, toys, linens, tools, hobbies and craft items).

5. Make a list. Dana Byers recommends creating a list of places/areas in your home to declutter beginning with the easiest… which doesn’t sound all that creative until she adds this note, “When you’re done with one area, STOP.” This list could be made as easy or difficult as you desire based upon what areas of your home make up the list (drawers/closets/rooms). And could easily fit into any schedule.

6. Take the 12-12-12 Challenge. A simple task of locating 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be returned to their proper home can be a really fun and exciting way to quickly organize 36 things in your house. On more than one occasion, this challenge actually became a quick competition between my wife and me… and your kids don’t have to be too old to participate as well.

7. Change your perspective. Unclutterer offers a powerful approach to decluttering when they offer a number of strategies to help you change your perspective and begin to notice some clutter you may have missed. Among their ideas: take photos of your house, invite over a toddler, or ask the boss to meet in your office. With all of the examples, the hope is to cause you to see your home in a new light.

8. Experiment with numbers. For example, Courtney Carver invented Project 333 to challenge people to wear only 33 articles of clothing for 3 months. If 33 articles of clothing seems too little, adjust the rules as you need by picking a new number. The important thing is to challenge yourself to live with less and see what you learn from the experiment.

9. Use your imagination. Psychology Today recommends using your imagination to help declutter objects that may seem difficult to remove. Try asking yourself unique questions like, “If I was just buying this now, how much would I pay?” These creative techniques may prove to be very helpful for some with difficulties removing unneeded clutter.

10. The Four-Box Method. As we first set out on our journey to minimalism, this was the technique most often used in our home. As I set out to declutter an area, I brought four boxes: trash, give away, keep, or relocate. Each item in every room was placed into one of the four categories. No item was passed over. Each was considered individually. Some projects took an hour… others took days or weeks. But the technique and principles remained the same.

Any of these methods could be the one that works best for you, or maybe the method that works for you is one that I haven't listed. The important things is finding a method that works for you. Something that you can get excited about. Try them out and let me know which ones work best for you or what other decluttering techniques work for you. I know when I move out of my apartment this weekend I will be trying my hand at some of the options above.

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Declutter, Clean, Organizing, Method, Minimalist, Decisions, Oprah Winfrey Closet Hanger Experiment, The Four-Box Method, 12-12-12 Challenge and 365 Less Things