Ask:
I have a storage area in my basement about 5 feet wide, by 15 feet long packed full of "stuff"!
I tried to clean it last year around this time, and midway through we were notified that we were selected to adopt our son. Needless to say, cleaning stopped immediately. We had 18 days notice of his arrival.
This year I have started again so here is my tip:
Pick one category of clutter and stick to dealing with all the items in this category first, then move on. For example, yesterday I tackled my stock pile of material, and got rid of 5 large bags. I designated an area that I would use for this type of storage and if it exceeded it, out it goes!
My next hit will be unused small appliances/dishes/kitchen stuff etc.
Try it. Bet it will make a huge job just a little more managable
Answer:
Great point. The trick is making it manageable. Either one area or similar type item at a time or 15 minutes at a time. That's how I do my housework and decluttering.
15 min clean
15 min on the computer
15 min de-clutter
15 min on the computer
I get a lot done this way. It's very motivating.
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Thats a good tip. Sometimes decluttering can get overwhelming. It helps to break it down into small areas that are easily handled.
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How do you only spend 15 minutes on the computer! I get caught up in what I'm doing and before I know it an hour has gone by!!
Answer:
Originally Posted by churchgirl
How do you only spend 15 minutes on the computer! I get caught up in what I'm doing and before I know it an hour has gone by!!
A kitchen timer. I'm like Pavlov's dog when that thing goes off.
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I've been breaking my de-cluttering down into manageable time pieces, too.
I have a basement that has become a catch-all. I literally go down there to de-clutter and just turn around and come back up. It's that depressing. So what I'm doing is every day I take one or two boxes of stuff (some of it's already in boxes, some I have to pack into a box) and that's my goal for the day. Keep, Toss, or Donate. 1-2-3 and there's no going back. If my mother-in-law notices that I haven't kept that awful knick-knack she gave me for Christmas four years ago, who cares?
So doing this two boxes at a time it's getting easier and I actually want to go down there to declutter now.
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I find breaking things down into small increments of time really works for me too. I actually get more accomplished and the task doesn't seem soo overwhelming. Thanks for the tips Adda's mommy!
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Not that it matters one iowta, but just so you know who I am, I'm the "Adda". It's a nickname that my nephew pinned me with years ago!