10 Ways to Make More Time For Decluttering
The idea is that after you have decluttered your home you will have more time to do the things you enjoy; yet we can’t seem to make more time to declutter! Very frustrating I know…
When you work full time, go to school, have children (spouses included, lol), or have a huge home that has never known what being clutter-free feels like, then you know how difficult it is to make any time for decluttering.
It really is a shame because the benefits you get from a decluttered home and life are pretty substantial!
If you are struggling with trying to fit decluttering into your already busy schedule then you have come to the right place!
Sometimes we must find clever little ways to utilize our time better. Some of these ideas will work for you and some will not, but the idea is to try new things to find the result your seeking.
Are you ready to see how you make make more time for decluttering? Check out these brilliant 10 ideas!
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01 | INVITE THE FAMILY
I praise you for wanting to tackle it all on your own, but at the same time if you do have some family members that can go through some rooms or at least their own belongings then why not ask for help? Sure, it might not be as thorough as you wish but it’s a start when time is limited!
02 | LET IT GO UNTIL YOU HAVE TIME
Maybe the truth of the matter is that you just can’t fit in decluttering regularly. That’s fine! Sometimes you just have to work with what you got, but in the meantime let yourself off the hook. Let the thought of decluttering your home go until you have carved out some time for the project.
03 | 10 ITEMS PER ROOM
Make a large impact by decluttering 10 items per room a day. Can you image, by the end of the month you will have trash bags filled with donatable goods! With only taking 10-15 minutes a day, it may be the easiest way to declutter when you’re short on time.
04 | PICK A WEEKEND
We luckily get 4-5 weekends a month. Unless you are jam-packed with extra-curricular activities there is always that one weekend where you might be able to squeeze in some home maintenance. Pick one weekend a month to dedicate to a full house declutter and add it to your calendar.
05 | CUT A TIME WASTER FROM YOUR LIFE
There are always a few things we do that just simply waste our time. We delete dozens of emails a day, scroll mindlessly through social media, or spend an afternoon getting through the mail that piled up. Take back this precious time by unsubscribing from emails, turning off our phones, and tackling the mail the second it comes in the house.
Those minutes can turn into hours of free time your giving yourself to declutter your home when needed.
Related Read
The Most Helpful Decluttering Guide Ever
06 | HAVE A DONATION BOX OPEN ALL THE TIME
Get a large box that always is open for anyone at any time to toss in items they wish to donate. At the end of the month take that box to your donation center and get another one ready in its place.
07 | MAKE SMALLER GOALS
Wanting to tackle decluttering the entire kitchen in one day seems like a great goal, but sometimes when our goals are too large we start to cut corners to achieve sub-par success. Make some smaller decluttering goals that won’t take an entire day. Why not declutter the pantry one day and the freezer another?
08 | PLAN IT OUT
Get a blank calendar for the month and write down one small section you will declutter every day. Think small, for example, the right bathroom drawer on Monday and the left on Tuesday. You will know exactly what to declutter every day so there is no room for procrastination.
09 | SEND AWAY YOUR FAMILY FOR THE DAY
Maybe what you really need is a day where your spouse and children are just out of the house so you can really focus on decluttering. If that’s what you need then make it happen! Have your spouse take the kids to a movie or set up a playdate for the day. There is nothing wrong with needing to limit your distractions to get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
10 | FOCUS ON JUST DECLUTTERING
Not cleaning and rearranging what you’re keeping. Our actual decluttering efforts slow down because we want to stop and add two other extremely long tasks and then blame time for why we couldn’t get through the clutter! If you break it all down, cleaning takes all day, re-organizing takes all day, and decluttering takes all day. There is no way you can fit three days of work into one! So for now, just focus on decluttering your stuff.
Time management is a beast we all have to face. There is just not enough time in the day, but we do have control over one thing. How we use it.
That concept we have all heard is true and timeless. Work smarter, not harder.
Isn’t that the truth?!
We have to get clever to find ways to fit in things like decluttering, exercising, and taking time out for self-care. We push these things off because we do not prioritize ourselves enough.
We are no good to ourselves, our work, our spouse, our children if we don’t take care of things that cause us physical and mental stress; in this case a cluttered environment.
So clear the clutter, clear your mind, and make the time work smarter for you.
Happy Decluttering!
