clutter busting

Solutions for Decluttering Mistakes

August 5, 2023 by DeclutterDivva Leave a Comment

In a previous post I shared some decluttering mistakes.

Here are some potential solutions to a few of those mistakes:

Schedule regular maintenance sessions once you have decluttered.
Have daily routines to keep clutter controlled.
Begin your declutter journey with easy items such as obvious trash and declutter the hard things later such as sentimental clutter.
If the clutter belongs to someone else, you need to involve the person in the decluttering process.
Do not keep something “just in case” especially if you can repurchase it.
Prepare in advance for a decluttering session.
Deal immediately with the declutter items.
Decluttering means purging not organizing. You must let go of things, downsize and then organize what is left. Even if it is organized it can still be clutter.

So, how can you reframe the way you think about decluttering so that you can avoid some common mistakes?

Decluttering Mistakes

July 15, 2023 by DeclutterDivva Leave a Comment

Is there such a thing as making mistakes when decluttering?

Yes. There are several mistakes we can make that can keep us stuck, leave us overwhelmed or unenthusiastic.

Do you make any of these mistakes?

Not scheduling regular maintenance sessions once you have decluttered.
Not have daily routines to keep clutter at bay.
Trying to declutter the hard things first such as sentimental clutter.
Trying to declutter someone else’s stuff.
Keeping too much “just in case” items.
Not preparing in advance for a decluttering session.
Not dealing immediately with the declutter items.
Organizing instead of decluttering.

Life coaching can support you during you decluttering. Contact me to find out how.

Freedom from Clutter

July 1, 2023 by DeclutterDivva Leave a Comment

It is easy to be intimidated by the amount of time and energy it will take to achieve freedom from clutter.

Clutter creates negative emotions. It weighs us down and keeps us stuck.

To free yourself of negative emotions as well as the weight of any possessions that don’t serve you now or restrict you from greater health and happiness consider decluttering.

Possessions carry emotional energy and constantly talk to you, so you want to let go of objects that you don’t love, even if they’re practical.

Clutter isn’t just draining. It can accumulate dust, mold, and mildew and cause respiratory illnesses. You’ll literally have trouble breathing because of all the old stuff you’ve been carrying around. That’s why it’s very important to let it go—along with any old emotions attached to it.

In addition, piles of stuff in your home are one of the greatest stress triggers. Clutter literally increases your cortisol level! When you have a lot of clutter in your home, it has the effect of distracting you and can even cause chronic restlessness. When you reduce the noise of the things around you, you can focus on creating your life.

No matter how small your space, no matter what limitations you feel you have in your life, open up to possibilities by letting your grief, anger, and shame flow out and your joy flow in. Emotional release and physical decluttering open you up for living agelessly, with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

As we celebrate Independence Day in a few days, I wish you the freedom from your clutter.

Things to Let Go of with No Regrets

June 17, 2023 by DeclutterDivva Leave a Comment

Letting go of items is easier the more often you exercise that “muscle.” Here are a few items that you can “easily” donate, give away or toss so that you can start living a more uncluttered life and to strengthen that muscle.

Throw away or recycle:

Anything that is obvious trash
Hangers from the dry cleaners
Anything that is broken and hasn’t been repaired or will not be repaired in two weeks
Bad photos, duplicates or ones out of focus
Junk mail
Unrecognizable business cards
Grocery store receipts
Clothes that a have holes or stains
Old maps or travel brochures
Invitations from past events

Donate or give away:

Clothes you haven’t worn in two years
Shoes that hurt your feet
Extra mugs, glasses or dishes
Books that you will never read or read again
Duplicate utensils
Cookbooks with difficult/time consuming recipes or that never have been used
Craft supplies for hobbies you are no longer interested in or haven’t touched in years
Holiday or home décor items that you haven’t used in two years
Baskets or storage containers you haven’t used in two years
Duplicate tools

Which items can you declutter today?

Note: get anything that you decluttered out of the house as soon as possible!

Feel Good About Decluttering

June 3, 2023 by DeclutterDivva Leave a Comment

Cross off a few of these decluttering to-dos in as little as 15 minutes and you’ll create more harmony in your home and possibly contribute to a cause or make some money too!

Purge pens and pencils. Collect all writing utensils around the house in one area. Test them out and toss the ones that don’t work. If you have children have them help with this and then place the working extras in their backpack to donate to the school (or drop them off yourself). Then assign a few pens and pencils to live in each room so they will be there when needed.
Go through toiletries. Remove everything form the medicine cabinet, bathroom drawers and cabinets. Sort like items together and look for multiples and expired items. Toss old items (take old prescriptions to the appropriate medication disposal location). Send hardly used or never-opened products to an organization like Project Beauty Share or donate to a local shelter.
Round up plastic bags. Limit your stash of bags to one drawer or bin or shopping bag. If there is anything more than that, take them to a local store that has a plastic bag receptacle which you can locate via Plastic Film Recycling.
Recycle electronics. Trade in your unwanted technology through sites like Sell My Stuff | Sell Stuff Online | Decluttr.
Thin out your refrigerator and/or pantry. Pull out items that you haven’t used and that aren’t expired. For unexpired and unopened non-perishable items donate to your local food pantry. And, of course, purge the expired items.