Monday 26 February, 2018

10 Common Decluttering Mistakes, Part 2


When it comes to decluttering your house fast, there are a lot of mistakes you need to avoid. The more determined you are to rush through the activity, the more likely it actually is that you will end up putting up barriers to your own success. In Part 1, I shared these common decluttering mistakes […]


When it comes to decluttering your house fast, there are a lot of mistakes you need to avoid. The more determined you are to rush through the activity, the more likely it actually is that you will end up putting up barriers to your own success. In Part 1, I shared these common decluttering mistakes with you:

1. Trying to declutter everything in your house all at once.
2. Never starting at all because you are so daunted by the work.
3. Scheduling too much or too little time for each decluttering session (or not scheduling at all).

Now let’s go over some more.

4. Failing to have a plan for what you are going to do with all the rejected items.

What are you going to do with the items you decide to get rid of? Throw them away? Donate them? Put them in storage? Gift them? Deliberate for a month and then make a decision?

If you do not have a plan, you will simply take piles of stuff from one area of your house and move them to another. You will then find yourself stuck with another intimidating task—sorting through all that stuff and getting it out of your house. You could put that off for a long time.

For that reason, it is wise to have a solution ready. I recommend a set of plastic storage boxes with labels like “Donate, Gift, Thrift,” and so on. Sort the items into the bins immediately as you declutter them. That way that chore is done.

5. Not scheduling regular runs to the thrift store.

That set of plastic storage bins could sit around for a long time untouched however, which is why you should make sure you have actual scheduled thrift store runs in your calendar. Head out once every couple weeks or once every month. That way you will be able to empty the bins and fill them again.

6. Throwing out usable items instead of donating them.

Another mistake is to throw away items instead of taking them to the thrift store. Unless an item is broken beyond repair and/or dangerous, there is no reason not to thrift it. Yes, it takes a little extra time, but it is worth it to fight against poverty and waste.

7. Buying organizing supplies before you have actually finished decluttering the relevant parts of your house.

One more mistake to avoid is the temptation to buy home organization supplies before you have done at least some of your decluttering. You will probably overestimate what you need if you have not decluttered yet, leading to unnecessary purchasing. Wait until you have removed the unwanted clutter before you take stock. That way you get only what you need.

You now know more mistakes you should avoid while you are decluttering your home. By avoiding these mistakes, you will stay on schedule and on budget toward your decluttering goals. Read on to Part 3 to discover even more common decluttering mistakes.

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