Experts have noted that decluttering your home has benefits far deeper than the surface. In fact, you can experience a boost in self-esteem and lower stress with the activity.
With the pandemic of 2020 sending the world’s population to their room, Americans had nothing left to do but face their messes and dive into decluttering and organizing. However, just because there aren’t any better offers on the table doesn’t mean the task is all that enjoyable.
Lucky for you, there are many home organization tips and tricks you can use to liven up the process and have a little fun!
Want the secret of how to make decluttering fun? Follow along to discover 10 ways to make organizing and decluttering a great experience and keep you motivated right to the end.
1. Break It Down
The feeling of inspiration is motivating but fleeting just the same. What starts out as a jam-packed day of cleaning and decluttering can lose its appeal pretty quickly. Part of the problem with the all-in approach is that the workload is intimidating and discouraging.
Instead of tackling a huge day of cleaning, break your organizing time down into 5-10 minute sessions. Rather than pulling an entire room apart and sitting down in the middle, pull one shelf out and go from there.
This short time commitment will encourage you to take on a task because you know it won’t take long. Before you know it, you’re all done with that cupboard and feeling pretty accomplished rather than discouraged by your failure.
2. Create a Checklist
Creating checklists is proven to boost productivity. Write down all the areas that you want to organize and get specific. Rather than writing ‘kitchen,’ create a list such as:
- Fridge
- Under-sink
- Pots and pans
- Utensils
- Spice rack
- Pantry
These lists will make it easier to select a starting point and get to work. The best part of lists is that satisfying tick you get to place when the work is done, so if yourself lots of opportunities to cross items off.
3. Daily Accountability
Make a commitment to yourself to give one item away each day. This is a realistic goal that you can use to hold yourself accountable. If you want to up the motivation, create a small reward for following through.
Try dropping a dollar in a jar for each day you meet your goal and use the funds to indulge in something that makes you feel good. If you’re working on this project with a partner, you could even give yourself a timeline and tick off successful days on the calendar to earn a date night.
4. Take Photos
Nothing marks a transformation better than before and after photos. Before you get started, take photos of the areas you are working on and get excited about the results.
Being able to compare these photos will give you a sense of accomplishment and a great way to brag about your efforts. Beyond this, having a phone full of messy space photos is a pretty good motivator to finish up the series.
5. 4-Box Method
Make sorting easy and fun by introducing a 4-box method to your home organizing activities.
Use one box for items to keep, one to throw away, one for donations, and the last one to sell. You’ll be able to pick up items and make quick decisions. This eliminates the uncertainty for the item by item placement and creates easy to access piles for the next steps.
Label your boxes so everyone involved knows what’s what and can participate in the mission.
6. Choose Your Tools
Get your motivation up by purchasing easy to use storage containers like a gift wrap organizer or a clothes storage bag.
Using items like hanging clothing organizers can encourage you to keep up with your work and take your closet space from drab to fab. You’ll love the simplicity these tools bring to your organization and can get excited about the esthetic appeal.
Pick up some beautiful jars for your pantry, shoe racks, or storage bags, and let the purchase motivate you to put the handy items to use.
7. The 12-12-12 Challenge
If you are a competitive person, go ahead and make your cleanout a challenge. The 12-12-12 rules encourage you to find 12 items to keep, 12 to throw away, and 12 to donate.
You can challenge each member of your home to choose their items and set the decluttering into action. Repeat this action each week and spur a sense of appreciation for belongings and desire to help others from the members of your family.
8. Get Creative With Storage
Think about the areas of your home that aren’t commonly used and maximize these spaces. Use under the bed bins to eliminate clutter from being swept away and make this area a more productive organizer.
Take the over-stuffed effect out of closets by introducing door storage or moving off-season apparel to a different space.
9. Call a Friend
A little company can go a long way in distracting from un-enjoyable activities. Invite a friend over for a cleaning session and offer dinner as a thank you for their help.
Choose friends that you admire for their home organization and utilize their best tips and tricks in your own home.
10. Get Inspired
Head over to Pinterest and get motivated by the esthetic appeal of those gorgeous organization posts. Choose the ones that you feel are the best for your spaces and lifestyle and recreate them.
This will help you narrow down what kinds of storage containers and shelves you’ll want and give you an ‘after’ image to work towards. When you’re starting to fade, look to these inspiration images for some insight on what it will look like when you are finished.
Make Decluttering Fun
Now that you know our favorite tips and tricks for making the decluttering process fun, you can set to work with a whole new attitude. Involve your friends and family and challenge yourself with contests and rewards.
You’ll be amazed by how quickly your tasks are completed and how much fun you have along the way.
Ready to get started with the best organizers and storage solutions? Shop our selection today and get excited about using your new helpers in your home organization mission.