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It can happen to the best of us. Life gets in the way, families need our attention, and we just can’t find the time to organize everything in our homes. The issue can build and build until it becomes a huge problem that seems insurmountable. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed in this scenario, especially when you’re looking at all the clutter you’ve accumulated. Here we’ll look at how to manage a major clutter problem so that you can get your life back on track.
Don’t Rush
Your first instinct will tell you that you need to clean everything all at once to get it out of the way quickly. This will burn you out way faster than you think. The better option is to take things slowly and methodically. A good way to begin is to designate a small area of your home as a “no-clutter” zone. Each week, you can continually clean around this zone, slowly making it larger and larger. This way, you don’t have to do everything all at once, but you can still feel like you’re making progress.
Stop Waiting for the “Right Time”
There will probably never be a perfect time to begin getting rid of your home’s clutter. What you need to do is block out small portions of time—every day if you can manage it—to declutter just a few things. Waiting for the “right time” to start will only exacerbate the problem, as you’ll never really find it. Start today by throwing away just a few small things.
Get Some Outside Assistance
We all need a little help every now and then. Other people can look at your clutter in a different light, perhaps revealing why you needed to keep certain things and what you can get rid of. If your clutter problem is time-sensitive—say you’re moving or renovating your house—junk removal services and roll-off dumpster rentals can smooth over the process and take some weight off your shoulders.
Only Handle It Once
Also known as the OHIO rule, this can be a huge step forward when it comes to cleaning up clutter. The premise is that once you pick up something once, you must decide what to do with it immediately and not handle it again. This will help you make quick decisions about where certain things must go and what you can toss in the trash.
Now that you know how to manage major clutter issues, you can rest easier knowing it isn’t some huge project you must do in one day. Keep plugging away at it little by little, and you’ll gradually see your home open back up into what it once was.
Sincerely,