On Decluttering

By popular demand... :-)

Part of living in Boston is having smaller quarters than you might have in other parts of the country. That said, we do feel very blessed to have a house (a LITTLE ranch house) to ourselves. One of the best things about our little house is that it has massive amounts of storage. We have a little over 1000 square feet on the main level, but we have an attic with the same amount of space, and a basement with almost as much. For us, this is the key to the decluttering.

A few months ago, my very wise mother in law and I were discussing my dissatisfaction about my house and the fact that I felt we were bursting at the seams. And honestly, we kind of were! There are 4 of us in these 1000 square feet, and it can be a tight fit.

At the time the most challenging thing we were dealing with was the bedroom scenario. Two bedrooms and four people. It's an easy division problem, but the reality of two kids in one room was daunting and worrisome for me. Thankfully, with a little prep for our 3.5 year old, and some sleep training for our (at the time) 10-month-old we were able to move the kids in together. This act alone made us feel like we had added a bedroom on to our house. Luke and I were thrilled to have our bedroom back so we could quit sneaking in there at night in the dark and stubbing our toes on the crib, or one of the other 5 pieces of furniture in the tiny room. Anyway, this wasn't really part of the decluttering, so I digress...

Back to my mother in law -- she and I were talking about how cluttered the main level of our house was feeling. She is a very organized and NEAT person (in more ways than one, hardeeharhar!). So we decided that on her next visit, we'd tackle decluttering and organizing closets, cabinets, bookshelves, and any other storage space in the house. The goal: anything that isn't used on a WEEKLY basis should be stored in the attic or basement. This way, the main level is all about function. There were a few exceptions. All medications and other first aid items would stay on this level, clothes that fit in the closets could stay, files in filing drawers aren't going to be replaced with anything more useable, so they'd stay. But that Bundt pan I only use once or twice a year - basement. The guest sheets that are used 6 or 8 times a year - basement. Extra light bulbs, batteries, picture hanging brackets, etc. - basement. By doing this, my storage space opened up so that I wasn't doing the whole "shove it in the closet and push the door closed fast, hoping it all fits in without falling on you" routine. This really helped me to feel like our place was bigger! Having storage space to "grow into" really helps you to feel like you have enough space.

We also went through those areas that tend to collect random items (for us our mudroom, and the shelves just inside both the front and back doors are these areas) and decluttered and organized so there is a "home" for all items. Knowing where you put extra buttons, coins, random business cards, notices from preschool, etc., is key in keeping your home neat.

So in decluttering/organizing, there are two phases:

Phase One, Decluttering your home

1. Decide on a week when you'll work on this task. Plan to let go of some other chore or chores so you have extra time for the task.

2. Select one room per day that you'll declutter. More than that will make you feel overwhelmed.

3. Decide that every item you touch needs to have a destination - the donation box, trash, storage somewhere in your home, or put "away". You may need to invest in bins, baskets, filing storage, etc. If you really want to only buy storage solutions you NEED, you could assess at the end of the day what you might need to purchase.

4. You'll know you're done when you have a clear vision of where every item in the room should be. Hopefully you'll be looking at a totally clutter-free room when you're finished.

5. When you're in the process of going room-to-room to declutter, you have to commit to implementing Phase Two every night on the rooms you've already tackled in Phase One.

Phase Two, Nightly Pick-Up

1. This is key for keeping your home clutter-free.

2. Go from room to room of your home, picking up only one room at a time.

3. Every item you touch needs to be either a) put back where it goes, if you've already picked up that room, or b) tossed into the room to be dealt with later, if you've yet to pick up in there.

4. At the end of your Nightly Pick-Up, every room should be "as it should be". In my case, this happens around 8:00 pm, and thankfully, it stays that way until morning. I will say, that with 2 little kids, and a husband who isn't as "clutter-concerned" as I am, it usually doesn't last quite 12 hours. But it's still worth it!

So that's my story. I've already shared it with Lisa (Hi again!) but I thought I'd pass it on. So from Marie to me, and me to you, good luck! And remember - don't let the "good" be the enemy of the "perfect". I have a pile of papers next to me on the desk that don't fall into the "decluttered" home. But that's okay. Successive approximation is just fine and won't hurt anyone!