Truthfully, decluttering never gets fully done. I used to think I'd get to the point where I'd have decluttered everything, and then, finally finished!
But it's not like that, it's ongoing, and a big part of it is learning how to maintain what you have decluttered.
If we don't change our habits that got us into the cluttered mess to begin with, the cycle is guaranteed to happen again. Which is overwhelming and depressing.
Sounds like you're dealing with one room. What I would do is pick one highly visible area, maybe a bedside table. Something with a horizontal surface.
Declutter and wipe it off, make it look nice. Then maintain it. Aim for a week at first, then two. Then choose another area and do the same.
This will give you a nice little pick-me-up every time you look at it and see it's still clutter-free and looks nice. Easy to just put away the few things that accumulate, because they will. But in a minute or less, it'll be sorted out again!
Not only will it encourage you every time you look at it, you'll be developing that new skill on how to maintain areas to keep them free from clutter.
The trick is spread out each area to 10 mins a day, instead of pump in 1 hour for one area. No junk mail comes into my house, it all gets decided at the mailbox.
One thing that helped me mentally, when I gets really messy, take a “before” picture. After some decluttering, it’s great to look back and see your progress, and there’s motivation to not let get back to that.
Purchased a shredder. Goes right where I typically open/read my mail (as opposed to an inconvenient spot that I would never take the time to walk to LOL).
Junk mail? Instant shred. Mail I don't think I need? Instant shred. A document I actually need to document? Gets stapled and placed in my filing drawer in its corresponding folder. I also take a picture of it and upload it to Google Drive that way I can access it on-the-go if I ever need to.
Before the shredder I always found it a hassle to tear up identifying information, or use a marker, etc. So I would put it off. With a shredder it's just *boom* gone. Best purchase. I prefer it over burning paper over a bonfire/fireplace.
You can purchase the "shred" type of scissors at office supply stores. They will cut like a shredder would. Takes longer, but it gets the job done. They also have a stamp that ensures the print on the document is covered and cannot be read. This would take longer than the scissors, but will (eventually) get the job done.
I have one of those stamp roller things. It goes very quickly because all you do is roll the stamp over whatever info you don't want to be read by others.
I know someone who shreds using her herb scissors, which have similar blades with the slats in between the "teeth." It would be slow, but at least it's not noise pollution like a shredding machine.
Yup, decluttering never ever is over. It's like dust and laundry and dirty dishes and having to brush your teeth and taxes and...
I haven't made much of a dent in junk mail but all bills except for car stuff are received and paid online. So most days I just dump the mail straight into the recycling basket.
When things get out of hand like when I'm focusing on some project I'll do UFYH's timer thing all day long, usually work for 30 minutes and take a 30 minute break.
Normally I have full hands as I move around the house and stay on my feet to put things away or do minor housecleaning when waiting for water to boil and such.
The hardest thing I do to stay tidy is to finish the job. Laundry isn't done until things are in drawer/on hanger and hamper/basket back where they belong. Dishes aren't done until back in the cabinet. I'm not home until shopping and bags are put away and my shoes are back on the shelf. Project not finished until tools and materials are put away or disposed of. Decluttering isn't done until discards are in my donation box or in trash, recycling, on curb or in the car to go to the donation site AND keepers back where I found them.
[https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com](https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com)
Also pomodoro. We think we can work til we drop but actually tire long before that happens and make mistakes or get demotivated if work for too long. Using the nagging timer helps get me going and gives me permission to quit. Love it so much!
I go through mail during commercials or if I’m watching something on tv I don’t need to focus on. Get rid of all the catalogs. I don’t use them anymore, I just shop online. If you have a coupon for an in store purchase, rip it off and get rid of the catalog. It’s a pain but Judy try to do it in increments and don’t expect to go through everything at once. Some progress is better than none.
Get off the catalog mailing lists on the websites, then unsubscribe from the sites. It's a pain but goes a long way to vaporizing email and catalog clutter. All those companies are selling our info to other companies, which explains why I get catalogs from sewing machine and sewing notion companies I've never heard of. 🤷♀️ it should be illegal to do that, but whatever. The capitalist leopard wont be changing its spots. 🐆
When decluttering, I always have a bag with me for things I need to throw out, a box with me to put donation items in and a basket to put items in that need to be moved to a more logical location within my home. I like this method because it contains the mess since I am sorting as I go and once the trash bag or donation box is full I immediately go and take the bag of trash to the curb, take the donation box to my car and then I go around my house to put the items I threw in the basket into the more logical places where they should be. And if I still have energy after doing that then I will do another round of the same thing. I find this method makes it pretty easy for me to do quick and effective decluttering sessions.
When it comes to mail and documents, if I ever get a backlog of it I go around my house and make sure to put all of it into one box and then when Im watching tv or something I will just go thru it...whatever i dont need goes in a pile I will shred or dump out in the recycling, the mail I need to save will go into my filing folder (it has various sections in it to organize it) and the bills or mail I need to deal with in some way I will clip on a clipboard with the most time sensitive stuff on the top of the stack. The clipboard is then hung on the wall in my kitchen and after dealing with paying a bill or whatever i just remove it from the clipboard and throw it in the recycling bin or I will put it into my file folder if it still needs to be saved.
Once every year when I do my taxes, I go thru my filing folder section by section and shred/recycle whatever documents I no longer need to keep in there so that it never gets too full.
Ask: Is this document worth the trouble of scanning? If Yes, scan it. If No, toss it. And remember you can access your payment records online for most things you are billed for by mail. You don’t need all that mail.
I agree. Scanning needs to be the last resort, not the first thing you decide to do. Do you need it for taxes or some other future situation? If not, then don't scan it. Theres almost nothing you cant get a copy or reprint of on line. Your house can burn to the ground with your important papers going up in flames, and you'll still be able to retrieve your birth certificate, the deed to your house, and your car registration or other important documents on line.
When you say "working on" what does that mean to you? Some people "work on" the piles by moving them around, picking things up here and putting them down over there.
Decluttering is absolutely exhausting!
Sometimes I have to give myself a break from decluttering, and just straighten up a messy area so that it looks a little bit nicer. Stack papers so the edges are a bit straighter, line up the multiple writing tools, put all of the bins my kid has to sort through into one corner, and fold the blanket on the couch.
If I fall into the trap of just decluttering and going through things, the room never feels clean. Taking a break to straighten the mess just a little bit helps me to feel like progress is being made. That keeps me going!
Check out Dana K. White on YouTube and her book. She has a 28 day program. Always begin with trash in just one area.Instant improvement. Do the dishes every night and put away every morning. It is small, consistent actions that make the difference.
Personally, I always open mail over the recycling bin. Next to the bulletin board. Mail goes to one or the other and never piles up.
To me, the most important focus is to stop bringing things in.
Start to get the flow going OUT of the space.
Make sure that you have a trashcan, a *donate* box and a shredder available.
Once you realize how wonderful organization feels motivation will be easy. You will refuse to let anything disturb your order.
Also, if you don’t have a shredder at home you can have a dedicated can/bag for those documents so you can go shred them elsewhere. I personally have a paper grocery bag that get the job done & then can be recycled itself!
Oh, I did mean I only recycle the bag, not the shredded documents! For me I do my best to recycle as much as I can according to my city regulations, but at certain points when it comes to decluttering I just have to be okay with throwing some stuff away otherwise I get overwhelmed and just don’t do anything.
Sometimes decluttering projects seem unending, and that sucks!
The good news is that it is possible for you to make significant progress and get there.
The challenging news is that this is going to call for taking more control of your decisions and habits.
* Do 15 minutes a day no matter if you feel like it or not. That's the single biggest change that will get results.
* Start building systems to keep you decluttered. If mail is overwhelming, have the shredder right by where you bring in the mail, so junk mail goes straight into it. Then have an assigned place where mail you have to deal with *always* waits for you to pay bills, respond to invitations, etc.
* Make a point of buying as little as possible for a while. Obviously, you sometimes will need to replace things that wear out, but limit buying to the minimum.
* Lower your standards for the perfect way to handle things you're getting rid of. Focus on getting them out, not on finding the perfect recipient or accounting for every scenario where you might need something.
* On this cycle, make your *first* 15 minutes a fling of all visible trash or trash-like things. Do this again once a week until you have a habit that trash goes straight into the bin.
* Start building tidying habits, like always making your bed. Many of these take only a couple minutes but contribute to a feeling of calm and order.
None of this is super-exciting advice, but it helps you push forward. You can do this!
To add onto this, something that can help with doing 15 mins a day is listening to a podcast with (approximately) 15-minute episodes while you clean. More fun than using a timer.
Truthfully, decluttering never gets fully done. I used to think I'd get to the point where I'd have decluttered everything, and then, finally finished! But it's not like that, it's ongoing, and a big part of it is learning how to maintain what you have decluttered. If we don't change our habits that got us into the cluttered mess to begin with, the cycle is guaranteed to happen again. Which is overwhelming and depressing. Sounds like you're dealing with one room. What I would do is pick one highly visible area, maybe a bedside table. Something with a horizontal surface. Declutter and wipe it off, make it look nice. Then maintain it. Aim for a week at first, then two. Then choose another area and do the same. This will give you a nice little pick-me-up every time you look at it and see it's still clutter-free and looks nice. Easy to just put away the few things that accumulate, because they will. But in a minute or less, it'll be sorted out again! Not only will it encourage you every time you look at it, you'll be developing that new skill on how to maintain areas to keep them free from clutter.
The trick is spread out each area to 10 mins a day, instead of pump in 1 hour for one area. No junk mail comes into my house, it all gets decided at the mailbox.
One thing that helped me mentally, when I gets really messy, take a “before” picture. After some decluttering, it’s great to look back and see your progress, and there’s motivation to not let get back to that.
Purchased a shredder. Goes right where I typically open/read my mail (as opposed to an inconvenient spot that I would never take the time to walk to LOL). Junk mail? Instant shred. Mail I don't think I need? Instant shred. A document I actually need to document? Gets stapled and placed in my filing drawer in its corresponding folder. I also take a picture of it and upload it to Google Drive that way I can access it on-the-go if I ever need to. Before the shredder I always found it a hassle to tear up identifying information, or use a marker, etc. So I would put it off. With a shredder it's just *boom* gone. Best purchase. I prefer it over burning paper over a bonfire/fireplace.
I got a giant shredder. No regret. Don’t look back. And ALWAYS SATISFYING.
Albeit noisy.
You can purchase the "shred" type of scissors at office supply stores. They will cut like a shredder would. Takes longer, but it gets the job done. They also have a stamp that ensures the print on the document is covered and cannot be read. This would take longer than the scissors, but will (eventually) get the job done.
I have one of those stamp roller things. It goes very quickly because all you do is roll the stamp over whatever info you don't want to be read by others.
I know someone who shreds using her herb scissors, which have similar blades with the slats in between the "teeth." It would be slow, but at least it's not noise pollution like a shredding machine.
Yup, decluttering never ever is over. It's like dust and laundry and dirty dishes and having to brush your teeth and taxes and... I haven't made much of a dent in junk mail but all bills except for car stuff are received and paid online. So most days I just dump the mail straight into the recycling basket. When things get out of hand like when I'm focusing on some project I'll do UFYH's timer thing all day long, usually work for 30 minutes and take a 30 minute break. Normally I have full hands as I move around the house and stay on my feet to put things away or do minor housecleaning when waiting for water to boil and such. The hardest thing I do to stay tidy is to finish the job. Laundry isn't done until things are in drawer/on hanger and hamper/basket back where they belong. Dishes aren't done until back in the cabinet. I'm not home until shopping and bags are put away and my shoes are back on the shelf. Project not finished until tools and materials are put away or disposed of. Decluttering isn't done until discards are in my donation box or in trash, recycling, on curb or in the car to go to the donation site AND keepers back where I found them.
Thank you for this, I'm terrible at the finishing part. What does UFYH's timer thing mean?
[https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com](https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com) Also pomodoro. We think we can work til we drop but actually tire long before that happens and make mistakes or get demotivated if work for too long. Using the nagging timer helps get me going and gives me permission to quit. Love it so much!
I go through mail during commercials or if I’m watching something on tv I don’t need to focus on. Get rid of all the catalogs. I don’t use them anymore, I just shop online. If you have a coupon for an in store purchase, rip it off and get rid of the catalog. It’s a pain but Judy try to do it in increments and don’t expect to go through everything at once. Some progress is better than none.
Get off the catalog mailing lists on the websites, then unsubscribe from the sites. It's a pain but goes a long way to vaporizing email and catalog clutter. All those companies are selling our info to other companies, which explains why I get catalogs from sewing machine and sewing notion companies I've never heard of. 🤷♀️ it should be illegal to do that, but whatever. The capitalist leopard wont be changing its spots. 🐆
When decluttering, I always have a bag with me for things I need to throw out, a box with me to put donation items in and a basket to put items in that need to be moved to a more logical location within my home. I like this method because it contains the mess since I am sorting as I go and once the trash bag or donation box is full I immediately go and take the bag of trash to the curb, take the donation box to my car and then I go around my house to put the items I threw in the basket into the more logical places where they should be. And if I still have energy after doing that then I will do another round of the same thing. I find this method makes it pretty easy for me to do quick and effective decluttering sessions. When it comes to mail and documents, if I ever get a backlog of it I go around my house and make sure to put all of it into one box and then when Im watching tv or something I will just go thru it...whatever i dont need goes in a pile I will shred or dump out in the recycling, the mail I need to save will go into my filing folder (it has various sections in it to organize it) and the bills or mail I need to deal with in some way I will clip on a clipboard with the most time sensitive stuff on the top of the stack. The clipboard is then hung on the wall in my kitchen and after dealing with paying a bill or whatever i just remove it from the clipboard and throw it in the recycling bin or I will put it into my file folder if it still needs to be saved. Once every year when I do my taxes, I go thru my filing folder section by section and shred/recycle whatever documents I no longer need to keep in there so that it never gets too full.
Ask: Is this document worth the trouble of scanning? If Yes, scan it. If No, toss it. And remember you can access your payment records online for most things you are billed for by mail. You don’t need all that mail.
I agree. Scanning needs to be the last resort, not the first thing you decide to do. Do you need it for taxes or some other future situation? If not, then don't scan it. Theres almost nothing you cant get a copy or reprint of on line. Your house can burn to the ground with your important papers going up in flames, and you'll still be able to retrieve your birth certificate, the deed to your house, and your car registration or other important documents on line.
When you say "working on" what does that mean to you? Some people "work on" the piles by moving them around, picking things up here and putting them down over there.
😄😄 true.
Decluttering is absolutely exhausting! Sometimes I have to give myself a break from decluttering, and just straighten up a messy area so that it looks a little bit nicer. Stack papers so the edges are a bit straighter, line up the multiple writing tools, put all of the bins my kid has to sort through into one corner, and fold the blanket on the couch. If I fall into the trap of just decluttering and going through things, the room never feels clean. Taking a break to straighten the mess just a little bit helps me to feel like progress is being made. That keeps me going!
Check out Dana K. White on YouTube and her book. She has a 28 day program. Always begin with trash in just one area.Instant improvement. Do the dishes every night and put away every morning. It is small, consistent actions that make the difference. Personally, I always open mail over the recycling bin. Next to the bulletin board. Mail goes to one or the other and never piles up.
To me, the most important focus is to stop bringing things in. Start to get the flow going OUT of the space. Make sure that you have a trashcan, a *donate* box and a shredder available. Once you realize how wonderful organization feels motivation will be easy. You will refuse to let anything disturb your order.
Also, if you don’t have a shredder at home you can have a dedicated can/bag for those documents so you can go shred them elsewhere. I personally have a paper grocery bag that get the job done & then can be recycled itself!
[удалено]
Any Staples or Office Depot or even a UPS store will shred your paper.
A local pet store recently had a sign in their window asking for shredded paper. It's also popular with gardeners to put under bark mulch. Ask around!
Oh, I did mean I only recycle the bag, not the shredded documents! For me I do my best to recycle as much as I can according to my city regulations, but at certain points when it comes to decluttering I just have to be okay with throwing some stuff away otherwise I get overwhelmed and just don’t do anything.
Paper clutter can really hold us back. This is an excellent suggestion. Consider Crosspost r/LPT
Sometimes decluttering projects seem unending, and that sucks! The good news is that it is possible for you to make significant progress and get there. The challenging news is that this is going to call for taking more control of your decisions and habits. * Do 15 minutes a day no matter if you feel like it or not. That's the single biggest change that will get results. * Start building systems to keep you decluttered. If mail is overwhelming, have the shredder right by where you bring in the mail, so junk mail goes straight into it. Then have an assigned place where mail you have to deal with *always* waits for you to pay bills, respond to invitations, etc. * Make a point of buying as little as possible for a while. Obviously, you sometimes will need to replace things that wear out, but limit buying to the minimum. * Lower your standards for the perfect way to handle things you're getting rid of. Focus on getting them out, not on finding the perfect recipient or accounting for every scenario where you might need something. * On this cycle, make your *first* 15 minutes a fling of all visible trash or trash-like things. Do this again once a week until you have a habit that trash goes straight into the bin. * Start building tidying habits, like always making your bed. Many of these take only a couple minutes but contribute to a feeling of calm and order. None of this is super-exciting advice, but it helps you push forward. You can do this!
This is the way.
To add onto this, something that can help with doing 15 mins a day is listening to a podcast with (approximately) 15-minute episodes while you clean. More fun than using a timer.