The Great Declutter of 2019

Confusion. Chaos. Disorder. Hodgepodge. Jumble. Rummage. Shuffle. Untidiness. Tumble.

Thesaurus.com has stated these as synonyms for “clutter.” (It’s actually more than the above. I might get back to this in the challenge group, but it’s goes deeper than just chaos, it’s more of a heart issue.) Does that sound like your home or workspace? It sure does sound like mine from time to time. I’ve been on this decluttering journey for 4 years and I’ve learned a lot. It would take more space than I have here to share the lessons but off the top of my head, at this moment, I want to share that maintenance is key and having less stuff has made me a happier person. It may be hard at first if you’re starting out but it gets easier and I’ve had the opportunity to share so much of the things I have that I don’t need to others who could better make use of them. And there’s less to clean, but that’s another topic for another day. So let’s get started!

For my word nerds, some antonyms for “clutter” are: Order. Organization. System. Neatness. Tidiness.

There are many programs and courses that exists to help us declutter so I won’t be creating anything new. BUT what’s different about this challenge is that YOU get to make it your own. I’ve tried many schedules in the past but the truth is that unless you hire a personal declutterer/cleaner/organizer, no one knows your house, your priorities, and your schedule like you. There have always been a few days in month-long or year-long challenges where I get stuck because the space is not declutter-able in the amount of time given. So this is Choose Your Own Adventures – Decluttering edition. (Remember those books?)

QUICK OVERVIEW

There are 4 steps before we get started – find YOUR why, determine YOUR biggest need, design YOUR challenge, and follow YOUR plan. The options are to declutter: by room, hotspots, by themes, by space, from small to big tasks, or set low-high goals by number of items or number of minutes. I will share about a few programs where I have seen people be successful. I will share the tools and tips that have been helpful to me when I declutter. Lastly, I give you a BIG reminder.

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This first portion is a bit lengthy, but trust me, read along until the end. <3

4 STEPS BEFORE WE GET STARTED

Find YOUR Why
Determine YOUR Biggest Need
Design YOUR Challenge
Follow YOUR Plan

Without your why the motivation you have when you first start until you finish will not last. There are so many good reasons to declutter, but until you figure out why you want to do it, you won’t have the BEST reason to declutter. Do the piles overwhelm you? Is there a safety hazard from things falling over? Are you needing to clear space to remove health hazards like mildew? Do you want to make it easier to host gatherings without having to take time to move stuff off your couch for guests to sit?

If there are health or safety reasons, they are probably your biggest need. Or maybe your family is growing and you need the space. You’ve had a career change and your old college textbooks are no longer needed for reference (and also, there’s the Internet and library). Figure out if there is something more urgent than your own desire to clear the clutter.

The third step is the choose your adventures part. Below are many options to choose from OR you can sign up for one of the existing programs. More info as you scroll down.

Most importantly, you need to follow through on your plan. If it is impractical for your season of life, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Make your plan something just a bit beyond what you think you are able to do but don’t be delusional about how much time or energy you actually have to declutter each day.

OPTIONS

There are many ways to go about decluttering. Most of the programs I have been a part of have been helpful but I was never able to follow them completely. So you get to decide how you want to do this challenge for the next 31 days. I will have some standard “schedules” available if it’s overwhelming to decide where to start but I really want you to make it your own.

By Room
Hot Spots
By Theme
By Space
Small –> Big
Low-High Goals
- Number of Items
- Number of Minutes

By room and by space means assigning a room or an area of a room to each day or week. i.e. Week 1, declutter the kitchen. Hot Spots are the most used spots where clutter seems to land OR the areas where you host guests so you need it to be cleared. By theme just means types of items that are assigned to the days regardless of where they are in the house. i.e. Day 1, declutter shirts. Day 2, declutter office supplies.

If this seems overwhelming, start small by decluttering one drawer and then tackling more as you feel more confident about deciding which items need to stay or go. My favorite is low-high goals because it provides both structure and flexibility for when life happens. (Remember to choose one – items or minutes.) i.e. It’s a busy week so declutter 10-15 items or declutter for 5-10 minutes. There’s a bit more margin so declutter 20-30 items or declutter for 20-30 minutes.

PROGRAMS

There are LOTS of programs out there. If you decide not to design your own challenge or try one of the following programs, let me know what you decided to do or which program has helped you in the past.

I’ve done Clutter Free through the book, the Bible study, the challenge groups, as well as the online course. They are all fabulous and I love them because they really get to the heart of the issue, which are usually heart issues not stuff issues. I’m going through Declutter Like a Mother for this round. I think it’s 30 minutes a day for 30 days. The Clutter Challenge has been great for when I’ve needed it here and there because birthdays and holidays continue to happen every year, we homeschool (enough said), and we have many teacher-y folks in our (extended) family who always have extras from their projects which we appreciate but it does add up.

TOOLS + TIPS

Have boxes and bags on hand.
Use a timer.
Have fun.
Celebrate your wins.
Give yourself grace.

There are lots more tools and tips available but let’s start with these basic ones. We can easily get sucked into thinking there is only one right way to declutter but if you’re ready to kick clutter to the curb, I’ve learned that I just need to start.

REMINDER

We are DECLUTTERING, not cleaning or organizing.

I’m NOT an expert on decluttering (notice the “work-in-progress” verbiage on the tagline of my site), but I’ve done it quite a few a times and I’ve learned that it is not a one-and-done as Kathi Lipp has shared so many times. If you’re looking to clean or organize, there are lots of other challenges that make it a part of the process, but I find that most people get distracted (myself included!) if I start to clean or organize things while the unneeded stuff is still in my home.