Hey There!

Downsizing has been life changing for me and I want you to experience this as well! The process had its ups and downs and at times made me make tough decisions. To be honest, there is nothing that was sent out of my home that I miss, nothing. As a person who does not like throwing things into the garbage, I did get a lot of pleasure during my big organizational project by throwing out a lot of things. If you don’t know what I’m talking about in regards to my big organizational project, you can find part one here and part two here. My criteria for throwing things away was simple, trash became items that I could not re-purpose, donate, give away or recycle. It was very healing to get rid of so much stuff.

It’s amazing how quickly collections of items can add up in a home. Many obstacles can happen causing our clutter: health issues, family obligations, children in school or sports, even your job asking more from you and requiring more hours. As the hurdles of life come our way, we tend to allow things to pile up, which can eventually grow to a problem. It’s a natural progression of life. If being in your home makes you stressed this is the series for you.

In the next several blogs, we are going to tackle cleaning in different ways. Not every suggestion is going to work for you and that’s fine. That’s life. You may even take what is suggested and alter it slightly to fit your personality and make it work for you. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. If you do find something that works, please share below, I am always looking for inspiration.

Tips for Before You Begin:

Organize a space to store items that have value.

There will be some items that you encounter during your organization process that have significant value either financially or emotionally. Take the time to create a space before you begin organizing. Clearing a section of a closet, a shelf in a bathroom pantry, or garage where you can place these special items. This is a great way to keep organized and reduce clutter in the spaces you are cleaning.

Don’t buy storage items!

Please don’t run out to the store and buy all the cute little storage boxes or baskets for organization. Those cute containers will not be needed because as you downsize you will empty boxes you already had, which can be repurposed elsewhere. When you are done with the project, if you do need those containers, go buy what you need.

Plan to keep it clean.

One of the things that kept me motivated when I took on my project was the rule: Once Clean, Keep it Clean. Once a space was organized and laid out how it was going to remain I did not touch it again. I didn’t let myself sort or store things in that area while cleaning other spaces. I gained inspiration by looking at those clean spaces, which also served as motivation to keep going. That self-given gift was what I held onto each day.

Make a plan! Or not.

When looking at your process of organizing, you need to know who you are to understand how you work best. In my world with attention deficit disorder I realize that variety is king. When I began my projects, I tackled many things at once. I found it fun to jump around from project to project. If I got tired of lifting objects or furniture I could move on to painting, if I was sick of organizing papers, I could scrub a section of floor.

The process that you use can be customized to fit your needs. If you like to put things down on paper and schedule your cleaning, then go with it. Whatever works for you. This is your project.

Make lists, very detailed lists!

I love to make lists because the act of crossing off completed tasks equals instant gratification! Try it! Its so much fun to make a list of everything you want to get done and then watch each thing get crossed off. The more detailed the more things you get to cross off when completed. Try crossing items off with a big ole black marker, its great!

What is Next?

You’re assignment, should you choose to do so, is to find a small space in your house where you can place some boxes. This space is for those items that you cannot part with, but don’t want to look at every day. I also want you to make a list or a plan for your cleaning goals, even if it is general or a wish list. You don’t need to be overly specific or cover your whole house. Start with one room or area.

Pick a room that you would like to start focusing on. Allow me to make a suggestion. Choose a room where you spend the most time. Once we go through this process and you get that room organized, you will start to see benefit and inspiration to move to other areas. Don’t start doing any organizing yet. In the next blog, we are going to discuss little ways to start cleaning and creating a schedule that works for you.

If you want to join me, just swing back here regularly to read the next installment. Do you have any new ideas to add to what I’ve offered above? Please go ahead and comment down below, or you can continue the conversation by email at [email protected].

Blessings!

Sarah