Courtney Carver

Decluttering your life will take some time but it will be time well spent. As you let go, you’ll begin to really understand what matters to you. You will notice that the stuff that surrounds you, demands your attention and energy and wonder how you might better use that attention and energy.

That’s exactly what happened to me. When we downsized to an apartment less than half the size of our house, I wasn’t ready to let go of some things. I sealed up five boxes of stuff I thought were important. I wrote the following in big letters on the top of each box. “Put in storage. Decide later.” You might be thinking, “wow, procrastination at it’s finest” and that was part of it, but there will be moments in decluttering your life when you want to take your time. I recommend honoring that and going at your own pace.

When we found our new apartment, there wasn’t any storage space so I let those five boxes go. Today, if you offered me one million dollars to tell you what was in those boxes, I couldn’t do it. I don’t remember. The stuff wasn’t important. I realize that stuff and clutter is only one part on decluttering your life but the lessons learned as you let go carry into every other stage and phase.

If you are going to start by decluttering your entire home, you’ll gain some momentum and motivation by having a list of categories to work through. When decluttering your life, create a schedule and a decluttering checklist that includes things like …

• storage containers: junk drawers, bins,
• living room: furniture, accessories, entertainment
• bedroom: dresser, nightstand, blankets
• bathroom: towels, toiletries, makeup
• kitchen countertops, pantry, fridge, kitchen cabinets, small appliances
• paperwork: receipts, junk mail, journals, bills and statements
• kids room: toys and clothes
• other spaces: basement, attic

Have some rules around what to donate, what to sell and what to trash or recycle. Let go of things that don’t have a space in your home or a place in your heart.

Letting go of my stuff (from my closets, drawers and shelves) helped me remember what mattered to me. It wasn’t accessories, shirts or even my favorite jacket or purse. Letting go helped me decide how I wanted to live. If you’d like to let go and declutter your life, these quotes will help.

Decluttering Your Life: 7 little notes to help you let go of your stuff

Print these words or use them as screen savers. Surround yourself with support while decluttering your life and easing your stress.

1. Decluttering your life starts by decluttering your home.

Decluttering your life is the way you rescue your life, create your life and reclaim your life. Start here with less stuff and more love and connection.

2. When defining abundance, let’s move past what we own.

Before you fill your home, ask yourself what fills your heart. P.S. people, pets or plants not included in the quote above.

3. It’s easier to organize less.

You have to organize your stuff over and over again but you only have to let it go once. As @theminimalists say, “No matter how organized we are, we must continue to care for the stuff we organize, cleaning and sorting our methodically structured belongings.” Additionally, if you are like me and aren’t very organized, living with less makes everything easier and less stressful.

4. Some “stuff” does add value.

Decluttering your life doesn’t mean getting rid of everything. Don’t save the good stuff for a special occasion. Life is a special occasion. Use the good dishes. Wear and enjoy your favorite things. Hold on to what matters and let go of the rest.

5. Make space for what matters to you.

When we moved into our house two years ago, we didn’t put anything on the walls. We didn’t know what we wanted. Since then we’ve added a mirror. We love art but we don’t know what we want hanging on our walls. Instead of filling the space just because you are supposed to, we left it alone.

I know it sounds obvious, but time after time, we declutter after the holidays or for spring cleaning, or because we are sick of all of our crap and then what do we do? We fill up all the spaces. Stop filling all the spaces (even if it’s uncomfortable). The next time you make a little space for yourself, fill it with all the ways you really want to do life. And if you don’t know what you want to do with the space, just sit with it. Take your time. Answers will come.

6. Come back to yourself by decluttering your life.

For me those things were clutter, debt, drama, and alcohol. Over many years, I let them go. I traded them for presence, clarity, peace and ease. What will you remove that removes you from your life?

7. Don’t overcomplicate simplicity.

Simplicity = clarity.

I hope these little notes will help inspire you to keep going and to prioritize the good stuff along the way. I’ve learned so much on this journey and I’m still simplifying and removing things from my life when I notice there isn’t room for them anymore.

Decluttering your life isn’t an overnight task and depending on what you include, it could be a process that lasts for years. Don’t let that scare you off. The layers you shed along the way will free you up for the life you desire. And, the good news is that you don’t have to wait until you are clutter-free, debt-free or free of every single thing that weighs you down. You’ll start experiencing more light and simplicity from the moment you take your first tiny step. And with each tiny step, more light, more simplicity and more living the life you want to live will follow.

For more inspiration in decluttering your life, reducing stress and living well, join me here on Instagram.

These strategies for simplifying and practical decluttering are slow and steady. There isn’t one right way to declutter, but in most cases, getting rid of everything overnight isn’t sustainable. Think about the big changes you’ve made in your life. Do you have a better track record with fast and furious, or slow and steady?

I know it can be frustrating. Slow and steady isn’t as sexy or glamorous as fast and furious, but it does have a few lovely attributes.

Slow and Steady can be gentle, meaningful, and soothing instead of a more rapid, stressful approach. Slow and steady provides a platform for change that can impact every area of your life, with the space to learn and grow in the process. Try these slow and steady strategies for practical decluttering.

10 Slow and Steady Strategies for Practical Decluttering

These practical decluttering strategies will help you create a thoughtful approach to simplifying the spaces in your home. Some decluttering tips help you decide what to get rid of, like the ones in this article and this one but revisit the tips below on a regular basis when deciding how to move forward with your decluttering process. They will help you avoid common pitfalls and build momentum.

From your closet to a pile of papers or wherever you have too much stuff, you’ll find the guidance and perspective you need for slow and steady decluttering below.

1. Stop the clutter from coming in.

Challenge yourself and your family to three months of only buying the essentials and/or getting rid of something whenever a new item comes into your home. Incoming items include purchases, gifts, and objects from school or the office. In other words, everything counts. If you buy a new pair of shoes, donate an old pair. If you buy a new cosmetic product, toss the remnants of old ones that are probably expired anyway. If you buy new dishes, donate the ones you were using before. This will help prevent clutter creep while you are decluttering.

2. Clearly define the mission.

There is a big difference between organizing and decluttering. Organizing means you’re just moving stuff from one place to another. Instead of working so hard to find the perfect spot for something, recognize that it might not have a place in your home or your heart at all anymore. This shift in how you think about the stuff in your living space will allow you to create a clutter-free home.

3. Forget about it.

If you keep things in storage, you’ve probably written the contents on the outside of each box. Otherwise, how would you know what was inside? Remembering what’s in the box without a label is a true test of how important the stuff is to you. Fill a box with things you aren’t quite ready to part with, but aren’t sure you really need. Mark the box “trash or donation after 30 days.” Then move the box out of sight. After 30 days, if you can’t remember what’s in the box or don’t miss the contents, donate it all without opening.

4. Ask For Help.

Sometimes, we are so attached to our stuff that it’s hard to know when to hold on and when to let go. Wading through the mess of our own clutter, we can’t see the forest through the trees. Consider decluttering tips or ask a friend or family member to help you. Create a checklist and let this person vote “yes” or “no” to clothing, decorative pieces, and other items. Even better, swap services, and agree to go to your friend’s home next to reciprocate. Even though it feels hard, the easiest way to make progress is to ask for help.

5. Invite everyone to the party.

When you begin decluttering, invite your family to join in. Don’t force, invite. Remember, though, that while the easiest place to look for clutter is in someone else’s space, your family may resent the pressure. So, start with your own personal items. Let family members work on decluttering their own things at their own pace. If you want people to see the joy in less, live joyfully with less yourself.

6. Declutter In Stages.

Even though you may be excited to declutter your entire house, start with the easy stuff to build your decluttering muscles. Items such as duplicates, decorative items, kitchen equipment you haven’t used in years, things you don’t use or enjoy, and things in storage that haven’t been part of your life for a long time will be easier to release. Each thing you let go of will give you the strength and motivation to let go of the next.

7. Travel with less.

Apply your practical decluttering strategies when you travel, and lighten up your suitcase. Packing lightly is a great practice for living lightly. On your next trip, pack for half the length of your vacation. Leave the “just in case” items at home, and notice how light you feel when walking through the airport, unpacking at the hotel, and exploring a new location without worrying about all of your stuff. How does it feel when you aren’t managing all of the stuff you normally do? If you enjoy your time with less, carry the inspiration home with you and let go with more ease.

8. Rethink sentimentality.

The last stage of decluttering is usually saved for the more challenging items, including the expensive things and stuff with sentimental value. If the expensive things have no meaning or purpose in your life, sell them, and use the proceeds to pay down debt or donate to charity.

If you are saving items to pass down to your children, consider that they probably don’t want it. A Washington Post article called “Stuff it: Millennials Nix their Parent’s Treasures” paints a compelling picture for parents who are holding on: “As baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, start cleaning out attics and basements, many are discovering that millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, are not so interested in the lifestyle trappings or nostalgic memorabilia they were so lovingly raised with. Downsizing experts and professional organizers are comforting parents whose children appear to have lost any sentimental attachment to their adorable baby shoes and family heirloom quilts.” In other words, your kid’s don’t want your stuff, so you can let go of it now.

If you aren’t sure about what your adult children want, ask them. Then believe them. Your children know real treasures are not in the attic or contained in any physical thing.

9. Release negative emotions.

When you let go of items that you’ve held on to because you spent too much money to buy them or made a significant investment in them, strive to also let go of the guilt of bad purchasing decisions and overspending. If you struggle with guilt about letting go, holding on, money spent, or time wasted, it’s time to shift every guilty thought to one of gratitude. If you are thinking, “I shouldn’t have spent that money,” trade that thought for “I’m grateful that I recognize what’s most important to me now.”

You have already paid enough. If you don’t let go of the guilt now, you will continue to pay with your time, attention, energy, and heart. The true cost of the items you are holding is much higher than the numbers on the price tag.

10. Make room for more of the good stuff.

Decluttering begins when you want less; less clutter, less debt, and fewer distractions, but eventually, you’ll start to crave more. Make room for more of what you really want from your life, room for how you want to contribute to the world, and room for what matters to your heart. Make room for more of the good stuff. There maybe some time where you have extra space before you clarify what you want more of and that can feel uncomfortable. Resist filling all the spaces because there are often answers in the discomfort. Take all the time you need.

Through the decluttering process, you’ll discover that the “more” you are in search of isn’t about your belongings  and material possessions. Each of these slow and steady strategies for practical decluttering will help you create more space, time, and love with ease instead of struggle, and joy instead of heartache. Keep in mind that this new approach isn’t a quick fix but a long lasting change and a new way of looking at your life.

Whether you are simply decluttering spaces like a bookshelf, junk drawer, living room or bathroom or diving head first into minimalism, be kind to yourself and to your family as you learn to let go of the clutter, and hold on to the love.

A decluttering challenge can make the sometimes mundane process of decluttering a little more fun.

I’m all for the slow and steady approach to change and simplifying. It took me years to completely declutter our home, donate our stuff, empty our closets and drawers, become debt-free, resist filling our calendars and over scheduling myself each week. Each change took longer than I thought and there always seemed to be more piles of paper and clutter to sort through. Once it was complete though, I knew it happened at just the right pace.

Simplicity experiments and a decluttering challenge

Even though my usual pace when it came to decluttering and simplifying was slow, I did add in a few simplicity experiments and a decluttering challenge here and there. Interspersed in all the slow and steady were little bursts of fast and furious action. While it was the exception, these little bursts helped me maintain motivation to stick with my tiny shifts that were contributing to years of massive change in all categories of my life.

My little bursts of fast and furious …

• While we were decluttering, we had our “last yard sale ever” and donated everything we didn’t sell that day instead of dragging it back in the house to sell at another yard sale.
• Instead of TV free nights, we called the cable company and cancelled our account.
• When I got a bonus from work, instead of shopping or treating myself to a weekend getaway, I applied it all to debt.
• I started minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 instead of slowly decluttering my closet.

The bursts weren’t the norm. The norm was day by day, dollar by dollar, shirt by coffee cup by book, inch by inch progress.

Decluttering Burst: Let go of one hundred things in less than an hour

This decluttering challenge is going to help you move closer to your clutter-free goals. Unlike a 30-day declutter challenge, I recommend trying this decluttering burst once a month instead of every day.

If you are in the long process of simplifying your life, try this decluttering burst. Set your timer for 60 minutes and get rid of 100 things from various areas of your home. Grab trash bags, and a box for donations. Next, choose from the recommended areas and items below that resonate with you (or create your own) to equal 100 items. Write down what areas you are going to attack and how many items you will declutter from each. When you start the timer, use your list so you don’t have to waste time thinking about where to start.

Declutter 10 things from your bathroom

Suggested items: expired makeup and medications, products you never use in the medicine cabinet or other bathroom cabinets, extra towels and toiletries. Recycle or dispose of items in a safe way. If you find unopened boxes of toothpaste, soap, shampoo or toothbrushes that you won’t use, donate them to a local homeless shelter or distribute in your homeless community. This decluttering challenge may help you serve your community too!

Declutter 10 things from your junk drawer

Suggested items: If you haven’t used it in months, don’t know what it is, or are saving it “just in case” (because just in case means never). Old receipts, notes, paper clips, keys and things you don’t care about can go in the garbage. If there are things that don’t belong in the trash, donate to Goodwill or a neighborhood facebook group.

Declutter 10 things from your kitchen

Suggested items: duplicate measuring cups, small appliances you don’t use, clutter from the kitchen counter, cabinets, bins, fridge, etc. Go through old condiments and spices too. Declutter the cleaning supplies you may store under the sink. Look for extras: dishes, cups, dish towels. Even if they are in good condition, if you don’t use them, you don’t need them. Food: trash expired food from the refrigerator and freezer and donate anything unopened from the pantry you never use.

If you have extra time, remove these 10 things too.

Declutter 10 things from your car

Suggested items: shoes and clothes you stashed just in case but never wear. Travel cups and paper clutter. Your car is not a storage facility. Check the trunk. If there is a box of stuff that you put in your trunk to donate but instead just drive it around, this is a sign that now is the time to actually donate it.

You might not have a car or find other categories of this decluttering challenge that aren’t a match for you. Adjust to make it work for you. Choose other areas or more items in some areas than others.

Declutter 10 things from your computer

Suggested items: Junk email like sales offers or newsletters you never read. Documents, printables and downloads you haven’t opened (ever). Blurry and duplicate photos, people you follow on Facebook or Instagram,  Clutter isn’t always visible.

Declutter 10 things from your coat closet, linen closet or laundry room

Suggested items: Linens, towels, sheets blankets, coats you never wear, accessories you haven’t seen in forever, extra hats, scarves and gloves stuffed in a basket. Old laundry soap and other products you never use.

Declutter 20 things from your arts/crafts/hobby room or office

Suggested items: Anything you aren’t using that is taking up the space you need to create.

Declutter 10 things from your bedroom or living room

Suggested items: extra books, decorative items you don’t enjoy, extra furniture, nightstand clutter.

Declutter 20 things from your closet

Suggested items: Clothes that don’t fit, shoes that give you blisters, anything with a price tag on it and things you don’t like to wear. Include jewelry, accessories and a purse or ten too. If you are ready to end closet chaos, try Project 333.

20 things from your kid’s room

Suggested items: Clothes they don’t wear and toys they don’t play with. Include your children and ask them to fill a box with things they’d like to donate to children who have much less than they do. Ask them to help you pickup the things they love and keep them in an area that’s easy for them to maintain.

20 things from storage (garage, attic, storage shed …)

Suggested items: anything in a box that you don’t use, miss or remember. Things you are saving “just in case” and aspirational items – get rid of things you a bought for a life you thought you wanted but don’t.

More about this decluttering challenge

Try a different decluttering challenge when you feel like your efforts are stalled. Try one of these room by room methods or one of these tips.

Try the decluttering burst to inspire long-lasting change in your life. If this decluttering challenge goes faster than you thought it would, consider using the motivation and inspiration you created to do another round.

Big change takes time and can sometimes feel heavy and frustrating. Find ways to have fun along the way. You’ll be so glad you took time to enjoy the journey.

I hope this decluttering burst helps!