January Declutter Strategy

[Harriet]

What's your strategy for tackling the organization and decluttering your lovely home needs in 2020?

You are the expert who knows your home best!

As we move through the years our difficulties in keeping a clear living space get tougher. Reading BookSaver's post yesterday in the December thread gives at least one clue. The inheritance of items from parents and other older family members is a big influence, and assuming our own houses don't just get bigger in response (which probably wouldn't be wise on lots of counts), it's tough to bring all this in, and we don't want to say "no" to beloved items.

Thankfully, another thing that happens as we move through these years is that we get to be pretty smart cookies!

So do tell about your strategy! Just think what a help it may be to the rest of us!

Have you made specific goals?

[blessedw2]

Happy New years d Harriet!!! thank you for starting us into a new year. Such a joy to work with you and everyone.

I have been decluttering pretty much every Tuesday - little bits at a time. January is a reboot for me on things that seem to get cluttered through out the year. I have been changing and I am accepting I am no longer the person I was 20 years ago. tennis is out, most crafts are gone - only working on one thing at a time. no more than five Ideas in a year in my home as I want to do what I really like.

I find September to January 1 goes off track. my paperwork doesn't stay current, my emails build up, I get overwhelmed which I want to change for next year as I spend way too much money.

I am starting again on dejunking my emails
dejunking my phone and storing photos on a drive
dejunking our bathroom/cream/shampoo supplies
my junk drawer
things that don't work in my house. If they belong to dd's etc... they have to go to their homes.
books - I have so many french books
look at things that built up and declutter
declutter my seeds etc and only keep what I want
bottom of the closet stuff
cook books - cook through what you want and get rid of the rest.
dejunk birthday box
dejunk any holiday stuff I don't want any more -
big one: declutter things I don't want to do anymore.

plastic food containers
paperwork bills etc. they went crazy in November and December

again - ancestry and photos and movies. organize again
let go of my sudoko puzzles except 1

good luck everyone!!! wishing you all the best!

[Twins' Mom]

I've mentioned my strategy before: one item on 1 Jan, 2 on Jan 2 and progressing through the month. I keep a page in my journal and track the numbers so I can get ahead or fall behind and see where I am. I'll go as long as I can keep it up. I go away on 17 Jan and back on 26 January, so I will want to work ahead also. Items already in the garage do not count, but items upstairs or in closet, even if targeted for declutter do count.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Having been roughly through the Marie Kondo tidying method once, my focus on keeping things tidy. Everything has a place so as I am putting things back, I do a quick check.

1. Does it still spark joy? If yes, go to question 2. If no, put on the giveaway shelf.

2. Does its home in my apartment still spark joy? If yes, put away. If no, think about a better home for the item. If something comes to mind immediately, implement. If not, then put the item away and think about why I thought it could be better off someplace else.

I probably go through that thought process 2 dozen times a day.

Sometimes, I just open up drawers or cupboards and look at the contents since they give me joy. It also helps to look and remind myself where things live now. Other times, I'll pick something up off a shelf and do a quick joy check but it catches my eye.

What's interesting is the nod towards Feng Shui, where you are paying attention to energy moving through a home and making sure it doesn't get blocked. So I find myself doing a number adjustments to my possessions.

When things have a proper home, tidying up does become automatic and/or quicker. The apartment has been a lot more tidy this year, and I can find things more easily most of the time.

My clutter focus this year has to be electronic. I'm still not handling computer files appropriately.

[Nancy]

Two - ten min. A day on the desk I did some today. I have a couple of boxes for that it helped.

[blessedw2]

yay d nancy !!!

d kathryn I love that you have been working on the Marie Kondo program.!!!! I try to remember if the stuff sparks joy or not as well as is it me right now.

good for you d twins!!!


so today: I put all of dd's music downstairs in the closet - not her instruments. her electronic amplifier is also on the shelf in the basement closet
I kept my music in the front room

took dd older's juicer and put it with her stuff in the crawl space

I took dd youngers craft bag where she was going to make something for the camera last year - junk stuff and put it together for donations.
she won't even notice

I am now going to go through my cookbooks
I am moving my cookbooks and placing the pans I have left in that spot
I will be donating my cooking pot tower - I loved it at the time but I don't need it all.

also tossed some creams I don't use.

[blessedw2]

donated my tower for the pots. I have gotten rid of most of them and now... this is going to - I bought it williams sonoma and part of me thinks about the money I spent but I have to remember the joy I had using it and now someone else in this part of life can love it too.

[blessedw2]

went through our extension cords and got rid of half.
tossed old bat-mitten set. Lol I have no one to lay with anymore lol
extra good shaped tennis rackets donated

[Nancy]

I have Loaded donations in the rig and delivered them to the thrift shop.
Spring stuff I tbought I would use or need but did not end up using.
That felt great I wanted to do it whilke the weather was warmer before a cold snap
in the forecast hits.

[blessedw2]

big way to go d nancy!!!