The start of a new year, which means its time to find ways to get organized at home, life, and with relationships. How to declutter your home may seem difficult, but its time to feel more light and think of the things needed to be left behind or things that can still be used.
Once items have been assessed with what can still be used vs what can be disposed of, homeowners can do a before and after decluttering your home to see the difference themselves with items that they have decided to dispose.
Not only is it a step in preparing for a new year, but knowing how to declutter can also help with ones goals and achieving more focus, not only at home, with relationships and ones overall well-being. So continues reading to learn tips on how to to declutter and organize the new condo in Las Pinas.
Why you should declutter
Assess things that are needed with unwanted clutter
Things that are no longer needed can be stored and separated from those that are still needed. Assessing one’s inventory, will help cut down in storage. Putting away all those holiday decorations, old unused items, and stored items, take the time to consider if there’s anything else to let go of.
Many of these things may have sentimental value, but, there’s at least a few items that should be disposed of. Set aside those that can still be used and change decor from time to time to used these items. It’s a great opportunity to rotate decorations in the house. Try to condense most of these items in a few boxed, storage containers, and organizers to make it easier to be found.
Room for new items
Since the holidays have passed, there are gifts that are difficult to know what to do with it. Often times, most end up storing these new items. Or, buying items that one may think they need but end up storing it anyway. For gifts, if they won’t be used, it’s best to donate, sell, or give them to those that are interested in them. Before buying anything, make sure that these items will be used or that they aren’t doubled in the inventory.
Deep cleaning
Wouldn’t it be a dream to be able to breathe a newly, deep cleaned house? Deep cleaning after decluttering is also important as this allows to remove the debris, dust, and dirt left on spots where old stored items were kept.
Separate the junk items
After figuring out which items to keep, donate, and throw out, there will sill be items left behind. If there are items that are difficult to dispose, try going to recycling centers or selling it out at the junk shop.
Donate some of the items
After finishing the declutter of items that is not needed anymore, it’s time to get rid of them out of the house. Items that are still working can be donated like old or used clothes and books on the other hand, some items can be sold but ensure these items are in mint condition or not too worn out.
Use items that are kept in storage
Other items “you don’t need” or items that are being kept in storage like decorations must be assessed whether they can still be used or just slowly accumulating space. Before putting them away, take the time to clear out all storage areas like closet, drawers, and what nots for any items that can be set aside.
After that, it’s best to use these items as mentioned to avoid being piled up in the storage. This will also help make space for new items purchased.
How to organize your things with these ideas:
Make-up items
Skincare and makeup items are also perishable. It’s important to check from time to time to ensure there aren’t any bacteria growing on old makeup or skincare products like lotion, powders, and what not. Those that like to collect or own a range of makeup products should have acrylic organizers for storage especially for lipsticks so they aren’t scattered on the vanity.
Medicine
Same with spices, medicine has their own expiration. Checking expiration date and what the medicine is for are important to consider when decluttering one’s medicine cabinet. Don’t forget to label the medicine organizer for what the medicine is for.
Kitchen pantry
Another great place to start when it comes to “declutter your home” moment is the kitchen pantry. Kitchen items like spices, sauces, or garnish can get shuffled around and pushed back in the shelf or end up not being used until it’s expired already.
Put in front the items that are newly bought to use them first. Make sure to check on expiration dates; a great tip would be labeling these items or transferring them to air-tight containers to prolong their shelf life.
Wardrobe
Whether a fashionista or not, old clothes tend to be kept in the closet and end up not being worn. What happens is that when new clothes are purchased, the old ones can be forgotten. It’s important to consider these questions when shopping to avoid overbuying clothes:
- How often you change clothes
- How much you like to wear each outfit
- How often will you wear the clothes
- Do you already have this already
If their are clothes not being worn but can still be used, either have them donated or sold online at the marketplace or through a garage sale.
Inbox of your email
Having a lot of piled up unread emails is referred to as “digital clutter” and it’s more common than physical clutter. Those have the same situation should take necessary steps to reduce this digital clutter. It would be easier to manage emails and remove any spam or unrelated mail between personal and work inbox. Start out by “unsubscribing” your mail from past subscriptions including shopping or food promo alerts.
Desk drawer
A messy workspace will definitely get into “your way of thinking” especially those working from home. There may even be unnecessary paper, notes, items, and office supplies from previous months that are in a cluttered mess. Make sure to keep them organized using a filing cabinet, clear book, stationary holder, pouches, and labelling them.
Investing in these items will allow make it easier to find important documents or office items without having to look under a pile of clutter.
Wires or cables
One of the most common items that anyone has are random spots where extra cords and cables are kept. Most are free from gadgets, power banks, or giveaways, sometimes there are wires that most don’t know what they’re for. While in other chances, they break and need to be changed.
It’s time to throw old wires that are not being used or are broken. Sort through the cords and cables and be realistic with which ones are most likely to be used. Cord organizers, clips, and magnetic organizer can also be bought to organize these wires and avoid getting tangled.
Craft items
Getting creative or artsy is definitely a great hobby especially for those that have kids. Most likely, these craft supplies can be messy and likely to pile up which can be difficult to be kept organized. It’s best to keep a place labeled such as paint, pencils, type of paper, and other specific art materials. It’s also ideal to have a destined place to these art projects to keep clutter in that specific area especially when there are kids around.
Board games
Those with families that love board games can end up having a lot in their collection. Like craft items, it’s important to have an area “for you and your family” to know which collections are likely kid-friendly. Declutter board games at least once a year so that the ones that are no longer being used can be donated to someone that can use them
Drinkware
“You don’t need a lot of glassware” is what most would say. However, those that love table setups may beg to differ. A cupboard that is overflowing with too much in storage can be a sore in sight. Other may tend to stock up old water bottles because they deem it “use for the latter”. Chances are, if this might be your situation, declutter them with “you might need” or “you can donate” but make sure they are in good condition.
Fridge
A refrigerator shouldn’t be odd smelling since this is a storage of one’s food if this happens, fresh produce will likely be easier to rot and cause bacteria. Most neglect organizing their fridge and not transferring in properly sealed containers.
Start by throwing out anything past its date or anything that smells foul . Clean each shelf and ensure that no corners are missed. Once that’s done, it’s ideal to transfer fresh produce like poultry, meat, fruits, and vegetables in containers or zip locks to keep them fresh longer. Label these containers so it would be easier to get them when needed.
Schedule or to-do-list
Since it’s the new year, a great way to start is to re-evaluate one’s goals, commitments, and plans for the year. While they may change along the way, it’s important to schedule which ones that are needed to be prioritized to avoid forgetting.
While it may be difficult, discipline is important to achieve more among these goals that are listed. Don’t forget to set time in attending more social gatherings like meeting friends and family to avoid saying yes to ones that aren’t fit on the schedule.
Phone applications
A most used item, phone users can’t help but have a lot of applications, tabs, photos, videos, and what not that can end up in a clustered mess. Take the time to delete old photos or videos that are not needed anymore as well as applications that are not being used. This will also clear some phone storage.
Organize apps into their category will also give a cleaner phone look and not find it difficult to look through the screen when looking for the app.
Shoes
It’s difficult to let go of shoes that have been used for a long time, but if it’s already worn out or too uncomfortable, it’s to throw them out. No matter how long or what it cost, painful shoes will not only hurt the feet but can take up storage space.
Aside from that, organize them from category from heels, sport shoes, athleisure, or flats so it can be more pleasing to the eye. Having a shoe rack will also prevent shoes being scattered around the house.
Books
There are those that purchase books but end up not reading them, on the other hand, have read a lot of books and simply piled in one place. While it’s difficult to let go of “your book collection” sort out books that can be donated to those who would have the need for these. Books are meant to be enjoyed and teach those thrilled to learn. Otherwise, piled up books would just end up getting dusted in the shelf.
Social media feed
Spending time on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms can make one’s feed cluttered with irrelevant posts. It’s time to unfollow, snooze, hide pages or people that aren’t healthy for your well-being, and put on priority those that should be frequently seen in the social media timelines like important news or close friends.
Other things to get rid of besides things
Messy relationships
Yes decluttering relationships is a thing, it may seem difficult to cut ties with relationships even as close like a family member, toxic relationships that are no longer healthy and affect one’s mental health are meant to be left in the past. This sets boundaries in order to protect oneself and have calm mind, peaceful life, without having to continue with people that are dragging.
Past happenings
Letting go is not easy, whether a heart break or eternal loss, what happened has to stay in the past. The memories were made and may come back time to time, but it’s important one must face this with enough courage and deal with it maturely. Sometimes the best way is to just cry and let the emotions run through.
Because it’s the new year, use this time to focus on learning to push aside and know what to prioritize in the back of your head that needs to be addressed. Letting go will not only help release unnecessary burdens, but also make one feel more light, a sense of freedom, and a new, fresh start.
Unrealistic expectations
Unnecessary expectations can cause one’s relationships with others to be affected, not only that, but also makes one feel anxious that their plan is not going how they want it to be. In life, it’s not always going to turn out as expected, and this is something that anyone should accept. So go easy on yourself and learn to let go of any perfectionist tendencies and challenge the idea of being ready for what may happen, whether it turns out good or bad.
A great reminder would be “you are doing great” or “you did your best” since sometimes people forget the efforts they pursued to be where they are when things don’t go as planned or a slight inconvenience.
Negative self-thoughts
Most individuals struggle with negativity especially when it comes to people that surrounds them are the cause of it. Cut off these individuals that can only harm one’s mental health.
Add some positivity by incorporating a positivity mindset habit such as: starting the day with positive thoughts, before going to bed write down what your grateful for, saying grace, be kinder to yourself, have a journal, do breathing exercises, and being more appreciative of the loved ones.
Final thoughts
The new year calls for new habits and new resolutions! While it’s easier said than done, dedicating time to declutter one’s home is as important as this will help avoid holding back one’s focus and allow homeowners to fully enjoy their space.
