Six Things You Should Do Before You Declutter and Organize Your House

 Written by Jenn, Contributing Writer

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Spring is here (or approaching, where I come from) and decluttering and organizing are on the minds of many, my own included!

I love all the organizing tips that I read around the blogosphere but sometimes I get overwhelmed just thinking about getting my house back in order. I find that it helps me to think things through before I tackle such a feat.

I need to plan my projects so I can be organized enough to follow through with my goals. Once I have a strategy in mind and defined reasons behind why I’m doing what I’m doing I find that projects actually get completed! If I want to have a clean and organized house this spring, there are several things I need to consider and do before I begin!

Here is my step-by-step plan to prepare for decluttering and organizing the house.

• First, think about why you are wanting to get rid of certain things or organize a certain area. Do these things clutter up your house? Are they in good condition so you want to pass them on to someone who can use them? Do you want to make it easier to be able to find the things you love? I find it helpful to evaluate the reasons for letting go of items in my home. Oftentimes there is an emotional connection to things and it makes it hard for me to let go at first. Then other days I’m just in a purging mood. So it’s good to ask yourself, “what is my motivation”?

• Consider the tasks you want to accomplish. Is it cleaning the house from top to bottom? Going through clothes closets and bins? Purging toys?  Write down a list of your all you’d like to see happen in your home. You don’t have to have a fancy planner, just a plain piece of paper will do (or the back of your daughter’s coloring pages…ahem).

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• Make a separate priority sheet with your most-needed tasks so you can be sure to at least do the most pressing things on your list. Life gets busy and the days slip away, especially when we’re caring for children! If there are a few things that you absolutely MUST do (clean out the medicine cabinet and reorganize the pantry are on my list), then give them preference over other smaller tasks.

• Pick a starting date and set aside blocks of time or minutes of time throughout the week (or weeks- ha!) that will help you accomplish your cleaning and decluttering goals. Tell Your Time is a short and to the point book that has helped me organize my day and find time for the things that are most important.

• Join an online decluttering challenge if it helps you stay motivated. Throughout the month of March, I’ll be participating in Simple Mom’s Project Simplify, where we’ll be tackling an area of our house each week. I’ll be posting some “before” and “after” pictures if you want to join in!

• Most importantly, remind yourself that stuff is just stuff. It’s not a person, it’s not a memory. It’s just a thing. And what isn’t useful to you today (or in the near future) is not worth saving until tomorrow. (At least that’s what I try to tell myself!)

What are some methods of organizing and decluttering that have worked for you?

Jenn is a pastor’s wife and a mother of 3 beautiful children.

Join Jenn at The Purposeful Mom where she shares how she is learning to live with purpose in the spiritual, financial and practical areas of life. Her desire is that we would all :encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thess. 5:11