If you look around your space and want to pull your hair out, you’re not alone. If you feel a case of the crazies coming on, chances are, you could a quick, 20 minute declutter. Trying to tackle your closet or cupboards might seem a daunting task, but everything on the list below can be done without thinking about it.
The trick to a fast, sanity saving declutter is to seriously just purge. Toss it or donate it before you can think about it. Seriously, the more you think about it, the more you’ll try and justify ways for your junk to weasel its way back into your life. Give yourself 20-30 minutes and toss or donate before you can think about it and you’ll feel a huge sigh of relief when it is finally done and you have counter space again!
Why do we have so many magazines around? If you haven’t read it by now, you’re not going to read it.
Seriously, before you even guilt yourself into piling it onto another coffee table or shoving piles of magazines in your bookshelf, toss ’em! Just dooooo it.
If you’re like me, you probably haven’t tossed the junk in your medicine cabinet in awhile, and you’ve probably recently experienced an avalanche of stuff.
It may seem a waste to get rid of medications you’ve only used once, but even if the blister pack is full, expired medication loses it’s efficacy. Take a second to properly dispose of unused medications at your pharmacy or police department on collection days.
Sure, those margarine containers and old spaghetti stained tuppers could be useful, but you know they’re driving you crazy.
Spend no more than 5 minutes purging your tupperware and set a goal to get rid of at least half of your stash, chances are you don’t need it.
Everywhere you go, there are coffee mugs to buy. When friends travel, they bring you coffee mugs. Thrift stores are full of coffee mugs, and yes, they could use a few more of yours.
At best, you may need 1 per person per day if you’re a big coffee and tea drinker, less if you wash dishes really often. Get rid of a few, you won’t miss them! Any seasonal mugs should be placed out of reach, or stored with your holiday decorations. Chances are they’re cluttering up your cupboards and they’re not as special if they’re clogging up your cabinets.
Like a little squirrel, it’s so easy to save those sample and travel sized toiletries. Problem is, if you’re not using them, they’re getting in the way in your bathroom drawers or sitting in obscurity in the linen closet, never to be used.
Either use them up, or donate them to charity that could use ’em (women’s shelters, children’s hospitals, homeless shelters). If you have a friend that’s into camping, or you frequently have guests, you can put together a gift basket, but otherwise, get rid of it!
Take a word from the wise, if you can’t fix everything, just fix something. A small victory can help you reclaim your sanity if your house is driving you crazy and you see clutter everywhere.
Take a breath of fresh air with one clear surface (or a drawer that’s no longer bursting at the seams with junk) and you’ll be better able to tackle other projects. Breathe, it’s going to be okay!
1. Space Saver Bags / 2. Bra & Bathing Suit Organizer / 3. Cami & Scarf Hanger / 4. Huggable Hangers / 5. Pan Organizer / 6. Acrylic Makeup Organizer
Yes, it may seem silly to recommend stuff to buy when I’m asking you to declutter, but hopefully you’ll be able to get inspired to minimize your life, and whatever is left, these goodies will help you GET and STAY organized. I live in a cozy (read: tiny) 1 bedroom apartment, so these save my sanity all the time.
Sounds similar to advice I’ve read in a fabulous. life-changing book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” I highly recommend it!
Interesting, thanks for the recommendation!
I’m a bit of an organizational freak, truly I am. I can’t even do my post processing on photo shoots if I can spot things out of place, weird, huh?
I’m sure that helps in keeping things neat though, right? 🙂
This is so true! I just moved this past weekend and my “stress relief” this week has been more from the unpacking/decluttering rather than (normally) from my workouts.
I like the idea of just throwing out the tupperwares and donating the coffee mugs. Now the hard part — picking which coffee mugs to get rid of!
Moving offers a great opportunity to declutter, whether it’s before or after the fact! Good luck on choosing what to keep.
I get my magazines digitally! I hate ebooks but emags do not bother me and I also don’t need to lug them around with each move! Plus, I get them on discount with myverizon points 🙂
That’s great!
I just moved in with my boyfriend and he’s been on me about the space that my shoes are taking. I’m really thinking twice now about giving away some of my pairs.
Just because I am an advocate of recycling, I’m gonna say send those magazines and plastic storage containers to the recycling center. You free your space and earn a few $$$ the same time.