5 Ways to De-clutter During the Holidays

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We will show you 5 ways to de-clutter during the holidays! To-do lists are long and there is never enough time in the day. As a result, the last thing you want to do during the holidays is to de-clutter.

First of all, you’re probably telling yourself, “I don’t have the time,” or “next year, I’m going to start planning early.” As a result, the gifts will be piling up (along with the dishes) on top of what you already have, all the while life keeps moving forward and you never seem to find the time.

“The truth is, this is the perfect time of year to de-clutter.”

So, it really is that simple. If you are planning to stay around town or are getting out of dodge and heading to the sunshine, you will be spending time sorting, unpacking or packing away your stuff. Why not declutter along the way? Clear out the excess and make space in your life.

Most noteworthy ways to start:

• Don’t know where to start? This is a common theme from the over-cluttered. A good rule of thumb is if it gets in your way, you can’t get to what you need or you want to turn and run for the hills… that usually means you’ve found your starting point. Above all, adapt the Nike motto, just do it.

• Maybe, the low hanging fruit should always be the first to go. This is a good first step in tackling the easy stuff. Hence, things that are broken, incomplete, you no longer like or a duplicate should be recycled, donated or discarded. Tackling the easy stuff helps to motivate you in the decluttering process.

• Sort as you go. As you are prepping for the holidays, sort while you work. It might be just enough to lighten your load. You don’t have to do a comprehensive sort, again, doing a little is better than doing nothing at all. Here’s what I mean, if you are:
  • setting up the guest bed = sort the linen closet.
  • making cookies = sort through your baking supplies.
  • putting laundry away = sort through your drawer.
  • decorating the tree = sort through the ornaments.
  • setting the table = sort through your serve ware.

• Set a limit to how much to keep. Maybe it’s a shelf in the closet or the five totes of decor in the attic. Regardless of what your limit is, just set it and live within those boundaries. As a result, you’re more likely to de-cluttering annually. A simple rule to help you stay within your boundaries is: one in one out (if you bring in one new item, one item has to go out).

• Set yourself up for success. To make de-cluttering easier, you need to have a process in place for recycling, donations, and discards. Once you’ve made the decision to either recycle, donate or discard you need to know know what to do with it. Set up a place in the home (the mud room or garage is a great place for this), that you can have a box for those things that need to be donated and recycling and discards should be easy to drop into the curbside. Finally, you want it to be accessible and easy, not to slow you down.

We know it’s hard to find the energy to de-clutter during the holidays, that’s why we do what we do. Of course, we are always here to help. You’d be surprised to see what we can accomplish in just a few hours.

Once you’ve made a little more room in your home (especially during the holidays), you’ve not only opened up space to easily bring in something new, but you will feel a little lighter going into the new year. We hope that sharing 5 ways to de-clutter during the holidays has been helpful, share your thoughts with us.