March 2026 - Declutter and Organization

[Harriet]

Sometimes, a decluttered home comes down to the simplest, most profound concepts.

Pick it up, don't pass it up. Then, put it away.

Memorize this rule.
(Or, have it tattooed on the back of your hand.)

- Pam Young and Peggy Jones in "Organized from the Inside Out"

We hope you'll join us here in this monthly thread, where we encourage each other to schedules of declutter and organization.

[Harriet]

I do best with simplicity, so just following the Focus Cleaning schedule, with stickers for the week's planner page (and in cardfile). For each current week of cleaning, I'll know I'm decluttering in the upcoming week's Focus room as my first step. Cleaning is efficient if clutter is not in the way - I can almost have fun with it. But clutter can discourage or stop me if I can't find the surfaces in the first place.

So, right now I'm finishing up my declutter of the Living Room
Starting tomorrow, for the week of March 2, it's Dining Room
Week of March 9 back to Porch and Entry!

Then Round 2 of Focus Cleaning begins, so
Week of March 16 - bedrooms
Week of March 23 – bathrooms
Week of March 30 - office/other room

The idea of Focus is to just substitute a different room if it will match your home’s needs best, but at least this month I don't think the cold weather will be changing my plans around.

[Kittykatt]

Thank you for the start, Harriet, and the gentle reminder that decluttering is an ongoing process which we can do a bit at a time every day!

I think my focus this month will be clothes and paperwork. I walked a big bag of clothing donations to the charity bank at the end of last month, and I have a new bag waiting to start whenever I discover something that's too tight, doesn't fit, gapes unbecomingly,.or I just do t wear. I stead of going back in the wardrobe, it can go into the bag. It's also useful for coralling items of clothing DH decides he no longer wants!

And, of course, paperwork is always with us! For me, the best way to deal with it is in short spurts of 15 - 30 minutes, so I see progress, but don't get bored.

[Nancy]

I cleaned the dining room desk. Most of it went to the office / my butterfly room.
Today I spent some time putting away things I'd piled up in there.
Then getting notes from some loose leaf pages into a come note book and I"LL pitch the notes when I'm done.
They are from half sheet sizes.

[Nancy]

I have sorted the yarns I'm going to use for the projects I have going now.
The ones I will de-clutter or have for later projects are back in the closet now.
Found more I can sort from those. yea!

[Nancy]

I tossed cups did not have room for yea!
Happy for getting the kit. zone tackled and PUPA progress was before this as well.
Jars & plastics too so every little bit helps!

[Harriet]

Decluttering is headed into Porch and Entry again for me, as we approach our second round of Focus. Although cleaning the porch will be smart later, I really don't have any items for declutter. (Can't tell you what a joy that is, when I think back to the time that dd27 lived with us before her wedding and after moving from college apt. People come to our porch now and don't have so many awkward boxes for their eyes to rest upon after knocking!) There is a storage box in the entry, but that is HRH's and so the best I can do is delegate. I will definitely mention it.

I will probably spend my declutter time in the office and sewing areas again. It is never-ending there. I know why - neither space has enough privacy from the other.