Want to declutter your entire home? Here's where to start.
We have been decluttering our entire home for over a week and seriously cleaning out everything we don't have a purpose for. It's a lot of stuff. A disgusting amount, really.
But it's so satisfying to see the transformation that happens to a room when you really think of what is necessary vs. what is currently there and truly purge. It's even more satisfying how much life simplifies from the process.
I won't pretend that it isn't a lot of work to declutter your entire home. In the past, our efforts have really just created more of a mess. We've done a lot of "leveling." Leveling is when you declutter one room but just take the excess stuff from that room to another to clear out one room at a time. However necessary this might be, if you don't finish the job, it just creates more of a mess in another room.
This time, we're doing some leveling, but we are committed to finishing. Every single room in our home will be decluttered. Every closet, every storage space- everything.
We aren't finished with our decluttering, but we've completed our master bedroom, our master bathroom, our kitchen and pantry, Gemma's room, and halfway through our living room and the office/playroom. We haven't really begun the guest room, the guest room or upstairs bathroom, but we're getting there.
We've done a lot, and still there is much to go. But we're committed to finishing, and I'll update here when we do.
Starting felt a little bit overwhelming, like starting anything sometimes does. Here are some tips from our own experience of how to start if you're looking to declutter and simplify your possessions.
Start with the Master Bedroom
The master bedroom in our house was the neglected room. Even though it's a room we spend a good amount of time in- and important time (hello, much needed sleep!), it always ended up cluttered.
It stored lots of baby stuff, and let's just say my side of the closet was overrun with clothes. So were my drawers. And the floor, too.
So we decided to make this room into the relaxing place it should be instead of the cluttered storage space.
If you're looking to declutter your home and you've got a master bedroom that has turned into a storage unit, it's a pretty good place to start.
Once One Room is Finished, the Next is Easy to Start
Finishing one room completely is a satisfying feat. Once you get there, you won't want to stop at just one room. Just do everything you can to get one room finished, and you'll most likely keep up the momentum for another, and another, and so on.
Pick a room you know you'll finish. If it isn't the master bedroom, great! What room do you know you can actually complete?
Conquer Small Projects
Our master bedroom wasn't a small project, but as we were finishing it, we conquered a few small projects to help move things along. We decluttered two small bathrooms, and it made us feel accomplished and kept us going for the bigger project.
What small projects can you take on and conquer right away?
Remove Everything from your Kitchen Countertops
When I heard this idea, I didn't think it would be realistic for us. Turns out, it was...almost. I moved things around in our cupboards, got rid of things I didn't need, and found a new home for the appliances and clutter that lived on my countertops.
We did end up keeping a drying mat and our bottle drying rack on the countertop, but otherwise, they're empty.
Cooking has never been better and the kitchen has never looked so organized and clean. I highly recommend decluttering your countertops!
More than anything, just start.
It really doesn't matter how you start. These are just suggestions- but any way you start decluttering is a good way to start. It might look way different for you than for us because all of our homes and lifestyles are different.
Want more ways to get started with Minimalism? I elaborate on all of this and more in my Minimalist Life Startup Guide! Get it now- it's totally free!
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