The ground rules have been established, you've set up your toss, donate, and put away boxes or bags, but now what? Deciding where to begin is probably the most difficult choice. I suggest you pick one room to start with and ONE ROOM ONLY. This room will be the only room you work on until it is done. After it is done it will become your inspiration room, but not only that it will be the one in the room that you feel peaceful in and then you will want that for the rest of your home. Which room you pick is up to you. Do you want a peaceful room to turn into at bedtime? Do you want your livingroom done first so you and your family can enjoy eachother's company? Do you want to come home to an easy to cook in kitchen? The decision is yours.
Again, please only concentrate on one room. If you start all gung ho and run from room to room trying to de-clutter them you are going to burn out and possibly end up with a bigger mess than you started with. After you finish your first room you can begin on your second and so on. Also keep in mind that de-junking takes time. You are not going to get it all done in one day or even one week. This is a process. In order for this to work you'll need to schedule yourself time to work. Make room for an hour, 10 minutes, or 6 increments of 10 minutes a day, whatever works for you. Don't spend all day working on your de-cluttering. If you do you will be exhausted and chances are you won't continue the next day because you will have burned yourself out.
Once you decide on the room you want to start with and have scheduled your self time to work on it now it is time to begin. Everyone has different types of clutter. The floor and every surface may be covered in clothes, belongings, and trash...or you might have all of your clutter hidden in the closet, drawers, and under the bed. Here is my suggestions based on a completely cluttered room floor, surfaces, closets and all. Again this is a gradual process do not take on a whole room in one day.
1. Start with the floor. Toss the trash, put laundry in the hamper, and get everything else up off the floor using the 3 questions in my last blog (love it? need it? can I replace it?) Remember you have to let go of things to get your room under control. Get everything that does not belong on the floor up. Try as hard as you can to not have an undecided pile. Pick up an item and make a decision as to what to do with it (toss, donate, or put away). Some things may be hard to put away at first until you able to attack your closets and dresser space but if you are truly decluttering this shouldn't be a huge issue.
2. The next spot I would work on is the main piece of furniture in the room you are working on. If it is a bedroom clear the bed, if it is the living room clear the couch, if it is the kitchen clean the kitchen table. Follow the same process as in step 1. If you get this step and you truly want to reward yourself, make your bed with fresh clean sheets and a pretty blanket, place some pretty throw pillows on your couch, place a vase of pretty flowers from your yard or from the grocery store. These will serve as a reminder of the hard work you did to make that an enjoyable space again.
3. Next step, surfaces. I'm talking tops of dressers, end tables, coffee tables, entertainment centers, night stands and any other flat surface that collects stuff. My suggestion work on one surface a day. Unclutter it using the steps given above and then polish it with some dusting polish. Only leave things that make you smile. A picture of your family, a pretty smelling candle, or a few knick knacks that make you happy, take a step back an enjoy your new view. If you are working on your kitchen your counters are your flat surface, only leave out the items you use on a regular basis. Things I leave on my counter top are my mixer, coffee pot, soap and lotion, my cutting board, a cookie jar, a little plant, and my cookbook stand...mind you I have quite a bit of counter space so there is plenty of room for these items I use on a regular basis.
Watch out for my next De-Junking blog where I will visit the dreaded hidden spaces in our homes...closets, drawers, cabinets...please leave a comment if you have any suggestions on decluttering or any questions.
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