![]() ![]() STEP #5: Repeat step #4 with every room in your house! ![]() I realize this isn’t necessarily part of the purging process, but once a room is decluttered, I like to “finish the job” by running a dust cloth over all the flat surfaces (including baseboards, door frames, window sills, etc.) and vacuuming really well. When you’ve made your way through the entire room/space, bring your trash to the trash bin, put your donate items in your car (or garage or mudroom or somewhere close to your car!), and put your maybe items in the designated spot from step #3.Īt this point, I usually like to go back into that room with a dust cloth and vacuum. I certainly don’t expect you to finish an entire room in 20 minutes, but these little alarms are a good way to track your progress and keep you on task (in case you’re the type to easily get side-tracked!) Once the timer goes off, set it for another 20 minutes. You might even try setting a timer for 20 minutes to see how quickly you can move. If you aren’t sure, put it in the maybe pile to deal with later. The trick here is to move QUICKLY… don’t over-think things. If you can’t quickly put it away, just set it in that room to deal with once you’re ready to purge that space. If something needs to go to another area of your house, bring it to that area and quickly put it away. in that space and pull out anything and everything you don’t absolutely need to have in that space (and then distribute it to your trash bag, your donation box, or your maybe tub). QUICKLY go through each closet, dresser, cabinet, drawer, cubby, shelf, bin, box, basket, flat surface, etc. Now that we’re actually purging, it won’t go quite as quickly - but don’t get discouraged just yet. Choose the room you decided to start with back in Step #2, grab your garbage bags, your boxes, your bins, etc. The first 3 steps should really only take you a few minutes to complete… yay! Of course, I’ll eventually need to deal with my “maybe items”, but considering the time it saves while I’m purging, it’s worth it for me to take this 2-step approach. I have a little extra time to think about if I really want to purge those items or not, but at the same time, I can enjoy the immediate benefits of less-cluttered, more-organized space in the area I’m purging. Having a dedicated (separate) space for my maybe pile has been helpful for me as it feels like I’m making so much more progress when I physically remove items from the space I’m purging - even if it’s just to this temporary storage area. This storage closet is clean, somewhat small, very easy to access, and I use it on a daily basis, so I am regularly reminded of my maybe items every time I walk into the closet. I put these maybe items in our storage closet upstairs. I use some of our extra clear plastic storage tubs for the maybe pile. I put these bags and boxes into the trunk of my van (or on the bench in the mudroom) so I remember to donate them the next time I’m running errands (which is fairly regularly). I use large paper bags with handles or cardboard boxes for the donate (so they are easy to transport). I dump the trash immediately after I’m finished purging a space (or whenever they get too full). I use large, heavy-duty trash bags for the trash. Whenever I purge, I find it most helpful to have 3 piles, bags, boxes, etc. ![]() STEP #3: Dedicate a spot for donations and a “maybe” pile. Once you have this tentative plan in place, the project will already SEEM more doable (even though you haven’t actually purged a thing yet! If you know you’ll have more free time one week, make it a goal to tackle a larger area (like an overflowing closet or a basement storage area). If you know you’ll have a busy week, schedule a smaller, less-cluttered room for that week (like a half bathroom). Once you know how many spaces you have in your home, take a few additional minutes and literally assign one room per week in your planner, on your calendar, in your favorite to-do App, wherever… just write it down. STEP #1: Make a numbered list of every single room/space in your home.Īs I was thinking through the various rooms in our friends’ and family’s homes, I realized many homes have between 12-20 rooms/spaces in them… and with roughly 16 weeks until the end of the year, purging one room/space per week might just be a fantastically doable approach to completing a full-house purge before the New Year! but let me break it down for you and simplify things a bit! I realize that might sound overwhelming and/or impossible…. However, wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could dedicate a chunk of time, every week from now through the end of the year, to complete a full-house purge BEFORE the New Year?!?! It’s roughly 16 weeks until the start of another New Year - which is often the time of year everyone wants to “get more organized”. ![]()
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