Ah, decluttering: the never-ending task. I think the big truth that I missed when I first did a solid declutter was this: you are never done decluttering. I’m sure you can guess why, but in case you are like me and aren’t thinking that far ahead… it’s because you are always bringing new stuff in. It doesn’t have to be big stuff. I’m talking mail, school papers, gifts, clothes, even food! I bet you are bringing new stuff into your home every.single.day. So how do you keep on top of it?! Part of my weekly cleaning routine is having a set day to declutter. This is really just a kitchen declutter for me, because our countertops are the main drop zone for everyone in the house, but it could include the other main living areas of our house if they got seriously cluttered on a weekly basis. The less used areas of the house get cluttered slowly. Slowly and sneaky-like. It’s one of those things where it’s fine, and it’s fine, and it’s fine, and then one day you look at it, and it is NOT fine. So now what? Go get a garbage bag, a cardboard box (for donations), and a laundry basket.

Throw away the garbage.

I start with the easiest and most obvious items to declutter: the stuff that is obviously trash. I’m talking receipts you don’t need, wrappers that didn’t get thrown away, expired things, broken items, etc. You shouldn’t even have to think about these items, because there’s no reason to keep it! If you’re going through clothes, toss your damaged items you either can’t or won’t mend. Don’t keep stained things… just toss it. Even if you only have time for this step, you have made progress!

Get rid of the easy stuff.

This might be a little more challenging, but it’s still pretty straightforward. If you’re going through clothes, this is the stuff that’s too big, too small, things you haven’t worn in the last year. Be honest with yourself: are there things you don’t even really like? Put it in your donation box. Maybe you have things that you used to need but don’t anymore (like maternity/nursing clothes, office clothes when you work at home now): donate! If you’re going through toys, this is the stuff your kids have outgrown but is in good condition for another child to use. Another easy thing to get rid of? Stuff that isn’t even yours! If you have to return stuff to other people, put it in your car or a spot by your front door. If you find things that just belong in a different space/room put those in the laundry basket to carry to that room… and then either commit to doing it when you’ve finished decluttering that space or go do it right now.

Do I want to manage this?

I think I heard Dawn from The Minimal Mom use this term first, but it’s the idea that everything in your home is inventory. We all have a finite amount of space in our homes, and it’s up to us to decide what is going to take up that precious real estate. So as you declutter a space, think about if you want to a) find a home for an item, b) keep track of that item, and c) organize that item! Is it important enough to manage it? Here’s an example I just went through: I have a planner that I use daily to keep track of events in my family’s life as well as my weekly menu and daily chores. One of the things I love about my planner is decorating it. It’s like reliving my sticker obsession from childhood… it makes using my planner FUN for me.

Now there are not just a few simple stickers out there… there are TONS of them. And I am guilty of impulse buying these sticker pads. Often. When I sat down the other day to just peruse my sticker stash, I was embarrassed to see that I had way more than I needed. In my head, when I bought another set, I told myself that I’d use it eventually. That it was nice to have options. But when I saw ALL of my options, I realized that owing so many meant that I had to store them, organize them, and actually use them. And I honestly didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to manage that many stickers. Thinking about it that way made it easy to pare down to just the ones I honestly saw myself using in the near future, and stick the rest in my donation box. Was it a waste of money? Yeah. But I’m not going to get that money back, and I’d rather have a tidier, well-managed space.

Does it bring me joy?

I feel like everyone in the world has heard this phrase used by Marie Kondo by now! And we may joke around with it a bit, but it really is a helpful thing to think about. We all have necessary items that we own that may not particularly bring joy (like a spatula or a garbage can) but we can think about the “do I want to manage it” question for those things. The joy thing comes into play with some of your extra items: your decorative items, the knickknacks, artwork, photos, items from your childhood. When you pick up an item that doesn’t really have service value, does it bring you joy? This can be a good question to ask yourself with gifts too. We often feel guilt when getting rid of something someone gave us, but the joy is in the giving. Once it’s yours, you decide if it brings YOU joy. Does that sweater bring you joy? Or are you constantly fiddling with the sleeves, pulling at the neckline, or feeling itchy? Does that angel figurine bring you joy? Or did you buy/receive it a decade ago and hate having to dust it? Think about what truly makes you smile or gives you warm fuzzies when you look at it, and get rid of the excess. If everything is special, nothing is special.

Give yourself boundaries.

We all need boundaries in the various areas of our lives, but in this case, I’m talking physical boundaries. Let’s go back to the sticker hoarding issue I was having. I have a collection of stickers that I have out to use often. They’re my go-to ones that I am working through before moving on to a new sticker pad. I have an organizer for them, but the container was getting pretty snug. I knew I needed to get rid of some because I was moving outside of my boundaries. Same with the extra stickers: they were in a shallow drawer that was getting hard to close. I needed to get rid of some so the drawer could close comfortably. On one hand, I could have found a bigger container for both sets of stickers. But on the other hand, I could respect the boundaries I put in place for myself. Because those boundaries are there to keep myself in check.

There are boundaries everywhere: a closet is a boundary, a drawer is a boundary, a basket is a boundary. Do you have an area that frequently gets cluttered? Try putting a container there; once it’s full, go through it. If you already use a lot of containers to organize, make sure you’re respecting the boundary you set for yourself.

One thing I’m still working on is boundaries with my things. Some areas I struggle with are big open areas. One spot in particular is the cupboard I store containers in. I recently made my boundaries tighter, because I wanted to store my husband’s rice cooker in the same cupboard. I got rid of some extra plastic containers, but I struggle to let go of my Pyrex ones, even though I don’t use them as often. So what to do? First I’m going to try adding a boundary: I’m putting a basket in that cupboard to help corral my containers. If I can’t fit all of the Pyrex containers in the basket, some will have to go. Maybe after downsizing both my plastic & Pyrex containers, I’ll be forced to use both, and then I can decide if I really have a preference. Either way, it’s another area I’m decluttering and making my home work better for me one area at a time.