It’s the end of January, and maybe your well-intentioned plans to organize your home, declutter your belongings, or take back a space started off well, but have run out of steam. It’s easy to get sucked in by the winter blues and feel cooped up in your home!
I’ve often found that decluttering and organizing my space can give me a fresh perspective.
When you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, give one of these decluttering methods a try—say goodbye to the things that are piling up and hello to a space that you can truly feel at home in.
1. 10 Minute Tidy
If you find that you get the energy to declutter in short sprints, this method is for you! Create a list of the spaces you’d like to tackle and work at it for 10 minutes a day! Setting a daily reminder on your phone can ensure that you stay accountable. Have a plan and start a box for the items that you declutter. If there are any items you need to find a new home for at the end of your decluttering session, make sure you do it right away so you don’t end up with a pile that’s too overwhelming.
2. Find the Duplicates
Often our homes have duplicate items that we don’t actually need! Choose one room each day and search for multiples you no longer have a use for.
One disclaimer: Don’t get rid of duplicates just for the sake of getting rid of stuff if it’s useful to you! What works for some people may not work for everyone, but the important thing is that you find it useful or valuable in your own life—don’t feel pressured to copy anyone else! For example, we recently decluttered some of our serving spoons because we didn’t need so many duplicates of that item! On the other hand, we frequently use spatulas in our home and only owned one for a long time, but found it very inconvenient. We purchased another spatula and make use of both all the time!
3. Tackle Visible Clutter
I always say that my living environment is a reflection of my mental and emotional state. So when my space feels cluttered, I end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
For this method, I like to start with the shared living spaces in our home, like the kitchen. The first step is to return any items sitting out on counters to the cupboards and drawers they belong in. Once the counters are clear, take stock of what’s currently sitting out on display. Is there anything you don’t use on a daily basis that could be stored out of sight?
Once you’ve removed everything you can from the counters, wipe them clean, and enjoy that sense of freedom you feel! Repeating this process room by room will give your home an open, refreshed feeling.
4. 1 in, 1 out
This is another technique that you can incorporate into your life on a continual basis. As you purchase items or bring something new into your home, ask yourself what you are going to get rid of to make space for this new thing. It can be helpful to get rid of something from the same category—for example, if you buy a new top, consider getting rid of one that is worn out or you no longer wear. However, you can also choose to get rid of something from a totally different category that is no longer serving you.
When we consider the closets, storage bins, cupboards, drawers, dressers, or baskets that hold our possessions, we have to think of them as finite spaces. If we run out of room in our sock drawer, it probably means it’s time to declutter some socks, not start another drawer to hold more socks! Creating this habit can be a very satisfying way to pare down your belongings, remove the guilt of purchasing new items, and bring more intentional thought to your purchasing process.
5. Consecutive Decluttering
My husband and I did this decluttering challenge last January and we got some great results! Whenever you start, declutter one item the first day; the next day declutter one more item than the previous day, and so on and so forth!
Day 1 – Declutter one item
Day 2 – Declutter two items
Day 3 – Declutter three items
Continue decluttering for the rest of the month—or as long as you’re able to! Make it a challenge against yourself to see how far you can get!
So are you ready to start decluttering? Which method do you want to try—or do you have a different decluttering method that is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
Little Minimalist on the Prairies 
Some really good ideas ,I like the 10 minute declutter plan.
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