It is finally Spring, although if you live in the Northeast you wouldn’t know it since it is cold, gloomy, and rainy today. I just got back from a wonderful trip from sunny Florida and this weather made me a little sad. However, it is April and Spring, so time to start thinking about Spring cleaning!
I used to have a lot of stuff and I guess I still in do in some ways but when I left Argentina, I moved to the US with two suitcases only. I left behind almost all my childhood toys, books, memories, clothes, and anything else you could think of. I don’t even remember what I put in those two suitcases anymore. Probably mostly clothes. Somehow that showed to me that I didn’t need to carry lots of stuff around to be happy and successful. I now know that “stuff” and clutter actually do the opposite and I really enjoy good cleaning sessions.
I did a good job of not having too much stuff until I got married and had children. Now, it feels like I have big messes everywhere! We moved into our current home summer 2017, so we are coming up on 5 years here. I still don’t feel like I am completely moved in, so I decided to start organizing and decluttering one small area at a time.
It feels really overwhelming to try and organize your whole house, especially if you are like me and like things to be neat and clean all the time. I have been putting off all the organizing long enough and wanted to share my journey into decluttering my home with all of you.
If you want to join me in organizing your home, follow along with the blog posts. Each will include pictures an helpful tips to be successful and stay that way. I did forget to do a before picture this time but won’t for upcoming posts.
Helpful Tips
- Tackle one small area at a time. It is easy to get excited about cleaning (I know I do!) just to realize that you are either running out of time or energy after trying to organize too many areas all at once. See tip 2 for specifics.
- Pick a date and set a time limit. Setting small, achievable goals is another way to tackle overwhelm when organizing. I picked my closet last week and gave myself 2.5 hours. This week, I am cleaning my car out and will do my home office desk next week.
- Keep several garbage bags nearby. I kept one for actual trash but also filled two more to donate.
- Don’t overthink it. My rule for clothing is to get rid of anything I haven’t worn in a year, except for things that are meant for specific events. For example, I have one interview suit and a few black tie dresses. I kept too many clothing items for too long, thinking that I would wear them once I lost weight, got toned, etc. I figured if I end up changing my body that much, I can just buy new clothes that are not outdated!
- Each item should have a place. One of the tricks of organizing is that every item needs to have a place for storage. Things get thrown all over the place or floor when there isn’t enough space for them or if they don’t have a specific spot they can go into. If you don’t have a specific place for something, make one or get rid of the item!
I wish I took before pictures of my closet but I was too focused and excited to get going! I can’t wait to get special plastic sweater holders to make the shelf even more organized!
If you have pictures of areas you have organized (especially before and after), please share!
Happy Spring everybody!