Woot!! You’ve made it to the fun part… Day 3 is Decluttering Day.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a summary of where we are up to so far:
Day 1 – Choose one area to declutter & organise over the next 7 days
If you’re in catch-up mode… Welcome! It’s never too late to start decluttering. You can read the previous days’ posts in full below. Just keep scrollin’ or use the links above.
For the rest of us, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get stuck into today’s step.
Step 3.
Declutter. It’s important to declutter before you organise so you know the volume and type of items you’ll be needing to find homes for. Make sure you have some tubs or baskets at hand to help contain each item as you determine its new destination.
TOP TIP: It’s best to plant yourself in the room and focus just on the task of deciding about each item, rather than wandering from room to room putting things away as you go.
Pick up one item at a time, decide whether to “Keep”, “Donate” or “Discard” it and pop it in the designated container. Or if you’re an overachiever like me, you may like a few more categories to reduce having to re-sort items later on, such as:
- “Move” (i.e. it needs to stay but not in this space)
- “Sell” (but be very picky and realistic about what goes in here)
- “Recycle” (kerbside)
- “Redcycle” (soft plastics)
- “Shred”
- “Landfill”
You may also have a variety of destinations in mind for your donatable items in which case it’s good to separate them into their own boxes or bags as you go for easy distribution later on. If you need some help on where you can take the various items you’ve decided to pass on, check out the Resources Page on my blog.
You may notice I don’t have an “I’m not sure/maybe/let me think about it pile”.
That is deliberate.
They are illegal.
You’ll thank me later.
In all seriousness though, if you’re debating over whether an item should stay or go, this is the time to revisit the answers to your questions from Day 2. If the item in your hand adds to the Vision you have for the space, it can stay. If it detracts from the Vision, move it on.
Keep going with your sorting & decluttering until either:
- You’ve finished
- Your “Move” container is full
- You’ve been going for a while and would benefit from a short break
Grab your “Move” container and drop off the items requiring re-homing to their proper rooms before returning to restart the sorting & decluttering process with an empty container.
Repeat this process until the job’s done, then:
- Give the area a good clean
- Bag up the items leaving your home and wherever possible load them straight into your car so they’re one step closer to gone
- Choose a reasonable deadline for completing any selling activities and dropping off donations and add it to your diary or calendar to help keep you accountable
- Stand back and admire your work!
That completes Day 3 of the 7 Day Organising Challenge. Well done you! Now, go and put your feet up because tomorrow, we Organise!
