How to Declutter Your Home in 15 Minutes a Day

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By budgetmom
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Declutter for an organized life

If clutter is taking over your home and your life, chances are you are feeling very overwhelmed. If you are feeling so overwhelmed that you don't know where to start then sit back, take a deep breath and read these steps to declutter your home for a more organized life in just 15 minutes a day.

Once your have a decluttered home you will find that daily maintenance and even your weekly deep cleaning will be a breeze to keep up with.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Cleaning is fun!

Have a talk with your family. Unless you live alone you are not the only one responsible for the clutter. You didn't make the mess yourself so you shouldn't have to clean it yourself. Children should be responsible for picking up after themselves. Even preschoolers will pick up their toys if you make a fun game of it such as picking up all the blue toys first or maybe having a race with them to see who can pick up the most.
Step 2

Set a staging area. Designate a room in your home for sorting. Start with a box for items that you wish to donate and a box for items you wish to keep. If you are planning to sell unwanted items on eBay or a garage sale have a third box for that. You will most likely need more boxes before you are finished but this is a good start. Also have plenty of garbage bags on hand.

This step can be very difficult since we all tend to hold on to things that we think we are going to need someday. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't used it in a year get rid of it.
Step 3

Break jobs down into small steps. If you want an organized life once and for all you have to work consistently and set easy goals such as decluttering just one room at a time. For example: week 1: Declutter your kitchen , week 2: Declutter the livingroom, etc.
Step 4

Set your timer. By decluttering for just 15 minutes a day you won't feel overwhelmed. If you do this six days a week that is 90 minutes of decluttering per week.
Step 5

Practice daily maintenance. While you are decluttering you don't want to let daily chores go. Every morning give the bathroom a quick 5 minute clean up, throw a load of laundry in the wash and make sure beds are made. Take out the garbage daily if needed, do a quick feather dusting and spot sweep or vacuum as needed (older children can help). Vow to never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.