DECLUTTERING MADE EASY FOR THE NEW YEAR Dana K. White is a blogger, podcaster, and (much to her own surprise) a decluttering expert. In an attempt to get her home under control, Dana started a blog called A Slob Comes Clean and soon realized she was not alone in her housekeeping struggles and feelings of shame. She’s sharing a few of her favorite doable decluttering tips from her brand-new book, Organizing for the Rest of Us.
Use Containers as Limits I used to think containers were for putting things in. I knew organized people loved them, but when I put my stuff in containers, my house just looked junky. But a container’s purpose isn’t to hold stuff, it’s to contain that stuff. To serve as a limit. If I put my markers in a bucket and I have seventy-five markers left over, I don’t need another bucket. I need to let the size of the bucket decide how many markers I can keep. When I look at it that way, my brain realizes, “Oh, I guess I don’t actually need 125 markers.”
Time Your Tasks Time yourself doing the thi thing you put off doing. Get a reality-based understanding of how long it takes to do this thing instead of letting your mind exaggerate. I hate emptying the dishwasher and would’ve sworn it took at least fifteen to twenty minutes. It doesn’t. It takes me about four minutes. It’s pretty hard to justify not emptying my dishwasher when I have four minutes available. 38
