I know you're probably ready to jump straight into decluttering, you want to start taking action and seeing results.
But before you start, its important to first take some time to plan and prepare. A little planning goes a long way in ensuring your success.
The main reason we get stuck surface decluttering, and never seem to get the job done, is because we fail to take the time to properly plan and prepare for this massive task.
So here are the 10 things I suggest you do before you start decluttering:
Determine your why? Figure out exactly why you want to declutter and how it will benefit you. The more emotional the reason and the more benefits you can think of the more motivating it will be. Having a big why, will keep you going when you no longer want to carry on
Get a clear picture in your mind of what you want the end result to be. It's important to know what you are working towards, rather than randomly decluttering areas and hoping it will all come together in the end.
Pay attention, start to notice what you use and don't use and which items you most regularly use together, also notice just how much you have in your home.
Plan out what rooms/ areas you will declutter and in what order, assign dates and time and make decluttering a priority
Decide where unwanted items will be going . Think about the categories of items you will likely need to get rid of and decide where you will send them. storing stuff in the garage to deal with later is not decluttering, it's just moving clutter around.
Stop buying storage and organisational items, you can re-access if you need anything once you have finished decluttering. Storage and organisation is not the solution, letting go of the excess is
Physically prepare, make sure you have rubbish bags and boxes on hand for unwanted items and cleaning supplies at the ready, you are going to uncover plenty of dust.
Work on your mindset, this is probably one of the most important things to do before you start. It took years for the clutter to build and its going to take some time to clear. Look at your problem areas, or areas where you struggle to let go of items and try to work through what's holding you back mentally, so you can let go of the physical items
Get your family on board, talk through the why, the process and get started with your own areas so they can see the benefits before you tackle their areas
Change your focus from perfection to progress . Perfection just leads to procrastination, so rather focus on small consistent steps to help you achieve your goal
If you would like help working on your mindset, overcoming perfection and getting a decluttering plan together, some join us inside the Clutter Clearing Club.