Kill the clutter

Clutter can make even the most beautiful home look like a wreck. If left unattended, clutter can become an overwhelming problem. It doesn’t take much time to declutter, but one needs to stop procrastinating and take an initiative to get started.

The most common excuse for letting clutter pile up is lack of time or sheer laziness. And what’s the solution? Simply not letting the clutter accumulate by dealing the issue with a sense of urgency and just devoting fifteen minutes each day to decluttering.

To maintain a clutter free home, you must take little steps every day. Take 15 minutes each day to clear a drawer, sort laundry or filing papers. Or you can even declutter in five minute increments. Clear up your workstation while on hold during a phone call. Clear up the kitchen counter while waiting for milk to boil. Five minutes here and there throughout the day go a long way in maintaining a clutter free house.

Tackle the clutter by using these incredibly simple five-minute techniques and experience the joys of a stress free, clutter free home:

• 5-Things Challenge Choose 5 things to throw or donate from a room in 5 minutes. Choose items that are duplicates or rarely used to donate and throw the out-dated or worn out things. Turn this into a game by setting a timer. You can even involve your family members in this game.
• Pick up after yourself When you are done with your work, put the things away immediately. Remember the old adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.”
• Cut Clothing Clutter Step into your closet and pull out any item you didn’t wear this season. If you didn’t wear it this winter, you likely won’t wear it next, so let it go now rather than storing it for another year.
• Clear off counters Tidy up the kitchen when you are standing idle while waiting for water or milk to boil. Clear the kitchen counters off every time you see something put there that doesn’t belong. After dinner, make sure to wipe the counters so you can start with a fresh clean kitchen every morning.
• Eliminate the Expired While listening to music or relaxing in front of the TV, have a look at your medicines for expiry dates. Toss the expired medicines to the trash bin and store the rest in a plastic box and keep it at a place out of children’s’ reach.
• Patrol the floors Patrol the floors for miscellaneous items lying around and put them away.
• Toss the Toiletries Spend just 5 minutes every day getting rid of empty bottles, sachets or expired toiletries before you get into the shower.
• Keep Order Create order by designating locations for items. When items have a place to return to when someone is done using them,clutter is kept in check on a regular basis. After use, keep the thing at its designated spot. Make a point of promptly returning each item once it has been used.
• Make space in the fridge Search the refrigerator and toss out any expired items. Throw any mouldy leftovers taking up space.
• Make a Pitch Choose a drawer or closet you want to declutter. Decide on a number of items, such as 5 or 10 or 20. Grab a trash bag and quickly pitch any trash or unwanted items in the bag. Once done, do not retrieve items from the bag. Just dump it in the trash bin.
• Put back toys Teach your children to tidy up their toys after they have finished playing.
• One in, one out rule Whenever you bring in an item, throw away two other items.
• Tidy up handbag Empty your purse at the end of the day. Put away receipts, random objects, toss wrappers and wipe up any spills.
• Purge the papers Purge all of the paper you don’t need. File the important bills and documents and discard the rest.
• Return shoes to racks Put the shoes/sandals back to the shoe rack rather than leaving them on the floor.

Simply setting aside some time every day for decluttering will help in tidying up your home without even thinking about it. Savor the feeling of accomplishment when you finish decluttering for the day. Spend time in the clean area and observe how peaceful it feels. Bask in the serenity of the decluttered space to motivate yourself. A simple effort on a daily basis can work wonders in killing the clutter in the long run.

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