July 8, 2010
Avoid These Common Decluttering Mistakes
If you think you can declutter your space by simply jumping in and hacking away at it, I can almost guarantee that you’re unlikely to have a successful outcome. When you’re organizing things usually get worse before they get better so unless you have a lot of time to devote entirely to decluttering, you're going to have to stop at some point and when you do you’re probably going to look around and see - much to your horror! - that your space looks worse than it did when you started. If you’re like most people, you become discouraged and frustrated and give up.
When it comes to decluttering, not having a good action plan is the biggest mistake you can make. Imagine taking a road trip to a new destination without directions, a map or GPS. How would you get there? The same is true for organizing without a plan. A good action plan means thinking about what you want to accomplish and what your life will look like once you've accomplished it, determining the steps you need to take (sort items; purge items; find a home in your space for items; containerize them; maintain organization) and having a realistic schedule for each step.
Here are some other decluttering mistakes to avoid:
1. "Look at all these cute containers I just got!"
I know how cool organizing supplies can be but buying them without knowing what you really need them for can make your home less, not more organized by adding to the clutter! Determine what you need first and THEN go shopping for containers, shelves and other organizing goodies.
2. "Do I really have to get rid of my stuff?"
Unless you have unlimited space and resources, you need to purge what you no longer use or love, dump the trash and organize what's left. You’ll never be clutter-free if you're not willing to let some of it go.
3. "I’ve always had clutter. I’m always going to have clutter."
The only certain things in life are death and taxes. Most things can be changed if you really want to change them even if they’ve been a certain way for as long as you can remember. You have to want the change and you have to take action to make it happen.
4. "I just don’t have patience for this!"
Decluttering takes time. You MUST have patience with yourself and the process. Period.
5. "Now, where did I put that?"
"A place for everything, and everything in its place" is one of the oldest organizing truisms and probably the most important one of all. Just think about how much time you spend looking for misplaced items and how much money you spend to replace items you can’t find. Your life can be wonderfully organized if you assign a home to everything you own - close to where you use it - and return items to their homes when you’re finished using them.
6. "I can’t do this by myself!"
Get organized WITH your family NOT for or around them. Talk with them before you begin. Let them know that you'll be more pleasant to be around if they pitch in help so you don't have to do everything yourself. And let them know that if they help, there will be more time to spend together as a family doing fun things!
7. "This clutter is driving me crazy!"
It takes less time and energy to do something about your clutter than it does to look at it everyday and let it drive you crazy! Clutter is postponed decision making. Telling yourself that you might need an item someday can be just another way of putting off a decision about what to do with it. Organization requires decision making so ask yourself these questions: Do I really need to keep this? Where should I keep it? How long should I keep it? If you don't have a specific use for something, pass it along to someone who does.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009