Ultimately, decluttering at the speed of life is a matter of living a lifestyle of decluttering. Acknowledge that decluttering is a constant task and will be a constant task for the rest of your life. (Sorry.)
The good news is that decluttering as a lifestyle won’t be overwhelming like it was this first time. The key to preventing the reappearance of overwhelming piles and closets full of stuff is to acknowledge that decluttering needs to be part of your everyday life. And then make it part of your everyday life.
START THE BIG PURGE TODAY
The only real way to change your view of clutter is to declutter. The only way to break through that paralyzing feeling of being overwhelmed is to declutter. The only way to not be intimidated by the boxes and piles and closets full of stuff is to declutter. And now you know exactly where to start. Grab a trash bag and throw away trash.
Decluttering isn’t a once-and-for-all task, but it is a task that gets easier every time. And unlike floors that get muddy and dishes that get dirty, once something leaves your home, it’s gone. You’ll never need to declutter that item again.
PRIORITIZE BY VISIBILITY
Do not underestimate the need to prioritize according to visibility. Every single time you work on your home, follow the Visibility Rule. This will build momentum, will increase your own energy, and will go further in creating a lifestyle of decluttering than anything else.
STOP THE INFLUX
As you declutter, your view of stuff will change. Use that change to help you identify clutter before it turns into clutter. See the papers or the souvenir cups or even the super useful reusable binder as the future clutter it is. The physical act of purging clutter will cause alarm bells to go off in your head and the foggy haze to clear as you see the future of the item in your hand and put it down before it ever enters your home.
As new stuff does enter your home (because it will), let it replace things that are already there. As a new set of dishes gets put away, place the old dishes in a Donate Box. When you purchase a new jacket, get rid of an old one. Replacing instead of adding allows you to continue to live under the Clutter Threshold you’ve discovered. Replacing old things as new things come in is the key to maintaining any decluttering progress you make.
LIVE-RIGHT NOW-IN YOUR OWN HOME
As you throw away trash and start with the easy stuff, view every space in your home according to your present. Plan for the future and acknowledge the past, but live now. Commit to creating a home that makes living now fun.
ESTABLISH A DONATE SPOT
A Donate Spot is essential to living a lifestyle of decluttering. It is the designated place where the entire family knows to take something if we realize we no longer need it.
Having a Donate Spot means that in the moment I realize I don’t like that skillet, or in the moment my son realizes his pants are too short, I (and my family members) know exactly what to do. We head for the Donate Box, which is in the Donate Spot.
And the more that happens, the more decluttering isn’t a big dramatic thing. The more likely I am to realize and admit that if I don’t want to wear this itchy sweater today, I’m not going to want to wear it tomorrow or next year.
FIVE-MINUTE PICKUPS
Unfortunately, daily habits are the key to maintaining progress. Sorry. But the good news (as I explained in exhaustive detail in How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind) is that decluttering makes those habits easier.
The habit that will prevent the mysterious reappearance of clutter and will truly allow you to declutter at the speed of life is the five-minute pickup. Set your timer for five minutes and pick up. Use the take-it-there-right-now strategy and spend five minutes a day (or almost every day) putting things away.
Those five minutes matter. They are the difference between a decluttered kitchen counter that gets increasingly re-cluttered, and a clear kitchen counter staying clear.
You know all about the Clutter Creep, right? How you look up one day while still thinking you’ve decluttered “not that long ago” and suddenly see the clutter has re-appeared? The five-minute pickup is the difference between that happening and that not happening. Try it. You’ll be shocked at the impact.
HAVING LESS STUFF MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN
I understand the fear that you will run out of clean dishes or clean socks if you get rid of any. But cleaning is easier when you have less stuff. Even if you do run out of socks or coffee cups, washing them will be approximately 1,643 times easier, faster, and less overwhelming than when you used to run out of coffee cups.
And big-time cleaning like scrubbing bathrooms and mopping kitchens can’t even compare. If you dream of a home where you could just scrub or just mop without first spending an hour (or more) clearing the surfaces you need to scrub and mop, declutter.
USE YOUR CALENDAR
I’m guessing you’ve laughed (or lamented) that the best way to make yourself declutter is to invite someone over. You were right. Nothing opens my eyes to otherwise invisible clutter like knowing someone other than us will see it.
Invite some friends over for a game night. Start hosting a book club. Suggest switching off babysitting every other week with a friend who has kids the same ages as yours. I know the thought of doing these things is overwhelming, but as you begin doing the easy stuff, let your visible progress inspire you to pick up the phone.
Just a few weeks into my own deslobification process, I raised my trembling hand to volunteer to host a weekly group in my own home. My husband looked at me like I had lost my mind. But having a weekly deadline to re-clear the spaces I was decluttering was one of the best things I ever did for my home.
DO THE EASY STUFF
I desperately hope that as you finish this book, you feel both empowered and inspired to start on your decluttering journey. I know the temptation to start by renting a Dumpster. Don’t. Just grab a trash bag. If you don’t have a black one, use whatever you have. Today, throw away trash. Do the easy stuff first, and you’ll be on your way to decluttering at the speed of life.