10 Steps to Declutter Your Life

Sometimes it feels as if you’re drowning, and there’s no end to the mess. It becomes an insurmountable pile of clutter that makes you want to cry when you think about cleaning it up. Sure, a messy room seems like no big deal at first — after all, most of us grew up with one! — but as adults, we find ourselves struggling more and more with this ever-growing housekeeping problem.

It seems that clutter makes its way into our lives in many different ways and at all stages of life; however, there are some basic steps you can follow to make sure that your home stays tidy.

Step 1: Get Rid of All Your Junk!

Check all storage locations for things you haven’t used in a long time. Go through the piles and boxes in your garage, attic, basement, and closets. Having too much stuff can take over your life. If you have too much stuff, you will never get around to using all of it, and having an item that you don’t use is like throwing money in the garbage can!

Step 2: Declutter Small Areas Around the House

Decide on a time and place to declutter. Your kitchen or bathroom is a great place to start, but a spare bedroom or closet works better for most people.

Start with the top shelf in your closet, bathroom, or kitchen. Take out all of those things you haven’t used in a very long time and either recycle, donate or trash them!

Take out all of those things you haven’t used in a very long time and either recycle, donate or trash them! Clear off your dresser. Throw away all the things you do not use and get rid of any papers that have accumulated. If your drawers are still full, make yourself a storage box for items you will need to access soon.

Throw away all the things you do not use and get rid of any papers that have accumulated. If your drawers are still full, make yourself a storage box for items you will need to access soon. Put everything back in its rightful place. Make sure nothing has been forgotten or lost.

Make sure nothing has been forgotten or lost. Repeat. When you’re done with the top, move on to the next shelf.

Step 3: Get Rid of Clutter Once and for All

If you have reached a point where your items are in order and have gotten rid of all the things you don’t need anymore or don’t use, then it is time to do away with clutter.

Take everything out of your drawers and closets. Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets and pantry shelves. Make three piles: trash, donate and keep (this is the hardest part!). Throw away anything broken or that you haven’t used in a very long time; donate items that are still usable, but you don’t need any more; keep only what you use regularly.

This helps you get rid of everything you have no use for and keeps only what you need, which makes cleaning up a lot easier.

Step 4: Keep It All Tidy from Now On!

Now that clutter is gone, and you’ve gotten rid of things that were cluttering your space, it’s time to keep the peace!

 Here are a few tips to help ensure your new living space stays clean and organized.

Create storage areas for each room. Create a shelf for a bookcase or dresser in your closet. If you have an old chest lying around, use it to store cleaning supplies.

Create a shelving unit to store books and magazines. If you want everything stored together, create one shelf unit instead of two or more different ones in each room.

If you want everything stored together:

1. Create one shelf unit instead of two or more different ones in each room.
2. Clean up trash and recycling areas regularly.
3. Set up a regular schedule for this.

Set up a regular schedule for this. If you are the type of person who forgets to regularly get rid of their trash, find a place in or next to your room to keep a trash can. Use room dividers to separate rooms so that each side is neat and tidy. They will also give the room a finished look when you close it off.

Step 5: Keep Cleaning Supplies Ready

Make sure you have all the supplies necessary to clean your space. You can buy a small broom and dustpan set for around $10 if you have a small house or a regular broom and dustpan set for approximately $20 if you have a more prominent place. For smaller spaces, consider creating storage boxes like this one which has several compartments within them. This will help with decluttering your room as well as keeping cleaning supplies neat and tidy.

Step 6: Get Organized with a Planner

When you’re ready to take it a step further and get organized for good, try out a planner or schedule! Here are some great planners to try. You can choose from traditional planners, daily planners, weekly planners, or even small notebooks to carry around with you. Choose what works best for you and helps keep your space tidy and organized.

Step 7: Learn to Love Those Little Things

Congratulations! You’ve done it! Time to toss out the trash and dig in the couch cushions for all those treasures you have been saving. You’re now ready to dive into your new space with a fresh perspective, new ideas, and a game plan on how to keep it clean and organized without spending a ton of money on storage containers or storage bins.

Now, you can get back to enjoying your space and spending time with family and friends! Now you have a place where you can sit down and enjoy the fruits of all your hard work. The best part is that the clutter has been removed so that you’ll be able to get rid of clutter in other areas of your life as well. 

Step 8: Learn How to Avoid Clutter

Keeping your house clutter-free is not always easy. If you’ve been living with too much clutter in the past, you might feel like you don’t have room for anything else. You don’t need that! It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that if you don’t have something, then it’s a good thing. But that’s not always true. By learning how to avoid clutter, you can keep your home a healthy and organized place to live.

Don’t have enough room to hang all of your clothes? Remove the ones you don’t like, or that isn’t working for you. Store the things you don’t use or don’t care about in a box. Throw out the damaged items and don’t fit in with your style or what you want to express as an individual. Please put them in a box that you can store until you have the space to hang them.

When it comes to keeping things in boxes, don’t just toss everything into a box without telling yourself why you’re keeping these items. You only need so many sheets and pillows, and I promise you that by keeping those few things in your bed, you’ll start to see them as more of something that belongs to you and more minor of something that’s just needed because you don’t have enough space for everything else.

At this point, you have a clear idea of how to declutter your life and home. You’ve designed the master plan to get rid of clutter, and you know how to go about removing things that no longer serve a purpose. Now you need to put into action what’s going on in your head. It would be best if you got rid of any clutter in your home.

In my home, the master plan stated that I needed to get rid of anything that was not being used daily. That was to include things under the bed, in closets and gathered in drawers. I had to decide what items were valuable enough to keep and which ones needed to be tossed or donated.

The next step in my master plan was to declutter my kitchen. This is where I could see a difference in the speed at which I could find items that I needed. I started by alphabetizing the spices and condiments that were on the inside of my pantry door. The outside products can stay as they are, but these are things that I instantly needed, so they go on the inside door with an S for seasonings.

I removed the items from inside my cabinets and put them in baskets, keeping all of my baking supplies together. I placed those on the counter next to my sinks, which I can easily access. The items that were no longer useful were donated or tossed in the trash.

Step 9: Organize Your House

Like there are different ways to declutter your home, there are also other ways to organize it. The best part is that organizing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It can be done with little money and simple storage containers and bins.

When it comes to the blank slate of a clean and organized house, there are several things that you need to think about before you begin. These include the furniture in your home, the types of decorations you have, how ample your space is, and where you can put all of your stuff.

Furniture: If you have a bedroom or living space with antique pieces, consider storing them for safekeeping elsewhere. This way, you don’t have to worry about keeping them in an organized fashion, and they can be enjoyed by someone else. If the piece is one that you could use each day, try furniture covers to save it for special occasions.

If you have a bedroom or living space with antique pieces, consider storing them for safekeeping elsewhere. This way, you don’t have to worry about keeping them in an organized fashion, and they can be enjoyed by someone else. If the piece is one that you could use each day, try furniture covers to save it for special occasions. 

Decorations: If you have too many decorations or things on your wall, consider removing them all and only putting up what you want to enjoy daily. This will create more space within your home and make everything easier to find. If you don’t like having an empty wall, consider using art that can be easily changed out without damaging the wall.

Space: How much room do you have to organize your house? Decide if you need ample space or a small one. Then, find the right accessories to help you keep it organized.

How much room do you have to organize your house? Decide if you need ample space or a small one. Then, find the right accessories to help you keep it organized. 

Storage: You know the adage that says it takes money to make money? Well, this is true with organizing your home too. If you need storage bins and boxes, then buy them. If not, then save them for a rainy day.

Step 10: Simplify Your Life

Once you have organized your home, you need to simplify your life. This is when the ideas that we discussed in earlier chapters of this book come together. Simplifying your life means that the things you do each day reflect who you are as a person. It means prioritizing what is essential and getting rid of things that don’t add value to your life or are no longer helpful for what you could be using them for.

When it comes to simplifying your life, you need to sit down and take a look at how much time and effort you spend on each of the things you do during the day. Once you’ve taken this inventory, consider what things are your priorities. Is there anything that can be cut out? Does anything need to be added in? When you know what is truly important, then you can start narrowing down your day so that what is necessary gets done.

Final Thoughts

It is important to declutter your life. It is not something that you will only do once. It’s an ongoing process that can evolve. As your needs, wants, and desires change, so does how you need to organize your home. Know that it’s okay if you have to take a few steps back to move forward.

Remember, the great thing about decluttering is that you don’t have to keep every single item. I’ve never had anyone tell me they needed to get rid of the trash can sitting in their garage. You only have to keep what you need and want every single day. When you come home from work and are tired, all you have to do is glance around your living space, and all of your belongings should be exactly where they belong.

This will save you time by not having to search for things that you need, and it will also allow you to have a stress-free mind so that you can live life to the fullest! Here’s to a clutter-free home!

If have any more tips or suggestions for decluttering your life? Leave a comment below and let me know what works for you! And don’t forget to share this with others so they can get the tips and tricks to declutter their homes as well.