Don’t be alarmed! But do expect a certain amount of messiness (do I dare say clutter?) while you’re going through the decluttering process. When I work with clients they are usually overwhelmed by their piles and don’t know where to begin to unearth everything.
As we start pulling items out to sort and make decisions on what to keep and what to part with, often the space looks even worse for a while! When I’m working with clients, I am always reassure them that this is part of the process. We will have labeled boxes or bags around us for garbage & donations and we will probably need to spread out. The biggest domino effect is when we find items that need to be moved to another area of the home. This may make other rooms look cluttered. I always tell clients that we have to start with one area and preserve our goal of getting that area in shape. This may mean other areas of the home will have to be addressed later, but we can only focus on one are at a time.
Someone may even drive by your house and think there is a garage sale going on. Hey, that could be a great way to unload a few things and make some money on the spot!
To make sure you don’t get overwhelmed by the process, follow these six organizing tips:
Organizing Tip #1: Take one small area at a time. Don’t pull too much out at once, by the time you pull it all out, you may be too tired to deal with it.
Organizing Tip #2: Keep all of your supplies in the area you are working in so you don’t have to run around. This would include labeled bags for garbage, donations and recycle.
Organizing Tip #3: Keep a box or bin labeled, “Another Room” for all the items that you are keeping that need to be moved to another area of your home. Don’t move around the house dropping these things off while you are supposed to be decluttering and organizing. Leave it until the end of your decluttering session and then go put everything in the correct locations.
Organizing Tip #4: Remember that there will be some chaos before the calm. This is normal and it is part of the process. Do not be alarmed! 🙂
Organizing Tip #5: Get some help so you don’t get too worn out if you have a big project.
Organizing Tip #6: Allow yourself to work in chunks of time that feels manageable to you. This isn’t TV and it’s not going to be done in 30 minutes like it seems to be on TV. You can make progress in as little as 15 minutes; I usually work in 3 hour blocks with my clients so we can get a lot done without wearing everyone out. You don’t want to get burned out on your first go around!
