How to Declutter Your Mind and Your Home
How to Declutter Your Mind and Your Home
Things are so much easier when they are organized and decluttered. There are some areas in life that are easy to keep organized and decluttered, but there are many others that are a challenge! I am in no way an expert in this area, but I am working on it. See some of the simple ways I have found to declutter your mind and your home.
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Tips to Declutter Your Mind
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- Keep a Notepad and pen by your bed. When a thought comes to mind that you are afraid you will forget, write it down. There is peace in knowing it will be there in the morning. You will be able to go to sleep a little easier.
- Starting your morning off with a daily routine can help your mind stay organized and decluttered. If you need help getting started with a morning routine, take a look at “8 Tips on How To Have a More Productive Year.”
- If you haven’t used Trello, you should definitely take a look. This is an online organizational tool that allows you to jot down thoughts, ideas, etc. into categories. I don’t know how many times I have had a thought and either forgot it altogether or wrote it down somewhere – never to be seen again! With Trello, it is always at your fingertips, so you always have it.
- Have any of you heard about Brain Dumps? I have just recently heard about these from a couple of different people. I have only done this on a small scale, but it is kind of like writing things down on the notepad at night. It clears your brain to think more clearly. If you are interested in knowing more, see Shannon Gaither’s post, “How to Clear Mental Clutter: A Simple Guide to Brain Dumping.”
- My planner helps me stay organized and decluttered more than anything! It may be a little over the top, but I love it. Here is a post that helps explain the details of my planner.
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Tips to Declutter Your Home
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This is probably my biggest downfall, because I tend to not want to get rid of things. So many times I have gotten rid of something, only to need it the very next week. I still deeply regret ever getting rid of my full set of Johnson Brothers dishes!!
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I am working at getting better in this area. To help with this, I have recently started keeping a bag in my closet for things that don’t fit right. Instead of over-thinking it, I stick it in the bag and choose something else to wear. I am not revisiting the bag later to make sure I want to get rid of it! When the bag is full, I will take it to a donation drop-off and be done.
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Attic
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- Use plastic tubs instead of cardboard boxes or trash bags. Over time, boxes and bags won’t last.
- Try to have a system of some sort. At one time, I labeled all of the boxes with the contents and made a corresponding notecard to keep in the house. The system worked great until my son cleaned out his room and put all of his things in the attic. It was quite a mess up there!
- Now you can buy QR Smart Labels for your attic contents. They are labels you add to the tubs or boxes that you scan and track with your smart phone.
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Closet
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- Keep like items together:
- Shirts
- Skirts
- Pants
- Dresses
- Sweatshirts
- Cardigans and Jackets
- Within those areas, keep like colors together.
- I keep a section at the front of my closet with new items. This keeps them from getting lost in the rest of the clothes.
- Look at other ideas for closet make-overs. Look at these amazing closet ideas from Coleen Merk!
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Kitchen
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There are so many ideas and areas to work on in the kitchen. That can really be it’s own post. Here are just a couple of quick ideas:
- Clean out the refrigerator the night before the trash is picked up the next day. I used to be pretty bad at this until we got our new refrigerator. We both try to make it a habit of throwing anything out that night.
- Get rid of plastic bowls and lids that do not have matches. I have no idea how they disappear, but they do.
- Put your spices in alphabetical order. That may sound crazy, but they are so much easier to find.
- Keep recipes organized:
- Email Files
- Keep photo albums for loose recipes. Keep one for each category – Main Meals, Desserts, Appetizers, etc.
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Related Posts
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There are a lot of great sites to help in these areas. Here are a few:
An Organized Season – I follow this blog and love it!
Simple Tips to Declutter with Kids
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Whether you feel completely disorganized or fully together, staying organized and decluttered will always be a work in progress. I hope something in these ideas to declutter your mind and your home is helpful for you. If you have other tips and ideas, please share in the comments. I can use all the help I can get.
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Have a Grace & Joy-filled day!
Susan
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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19
I’m really enjoying your blog! Found you through GrammysGrid.
Thank you so much! I enjoy GrammysGrid so much! There are so many great posts and ideas!
These are such great tips! I have only recently begun cleaning out the refrigerator the night before trash pickup. I don’t know why it took me so long to do that. 🙂
This was new for me too. Same thing, I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out!
I did a lot of declutter when we moved 6 months ago to a smaller place and got rid of tons and tons of unnecessary stuff. Now that we have about 1/4 of the space (our own choice) than before I am trying to keep our place without any clutter. One item will find its way in but then 2 others need to go.
Thanks for sharing at SeniorSalonPitStop 257.
I really need to get rid of more things! My sister is having a garage sale in a couple of weeks, so I’m hoping to donate a lot of it to her! 😃
I know what you mean about getting rid of something and then needing it later. It happens to me a lot. But I still love decluttering. A room feels so much fresher and clean when it’s decluttered. I recently decluttered my kitchen and boy what a difference it made.
I need to go through my kitchen cabinets! My sister is having a garage sale soon, so I’ve got to get it done. Giving it all to her will be my motivation!
Susan, I’m working on the decluttering thing, too. But I would have to say my planner helps me keep my mind more or less decluttered.
Same here! I’m not sure how I would function without it. 😀
I think much more clearly when I live clutter free. I’m in the habit of clearing my desk or tables, countertops, etc. of clutter so I can work more effectively. I also don’t buy anything that’s made of plastic and the less I collect the less storage bins I need. I believe simplicity is key.
I’m trying to get there!! That sounds so calming!
I am happy to let you know that you will be our #2 feature this coming week on SSPS 258
Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to seeing all of the great ideas! I love being a part of this!
Susan, sounds like you know how to declutter! Your “I have recently started keeping a bag in my closet for things that don’t fit right. Instead of over-thinking it, I stick it in the bag and choose something else to wear. I am not revisiting the bag later to make sure I want to get rid of it! When the bag is full, I will take it to a donation drop-off and be done.” is such a brilliant strategy!
Thank you! It has been a challenge in the past, but the bag seems to help. I’m now determined!😃 Have a blessed day!