My Vision of Domestic Order

The idea of living in a clutter-free, orderly home is very appealing. I can envision it: closets that have room to spare, drawers that are free of junk, and consistently empty counter space. There would be a place for everything, and everything would be in it’s place. Things would be easy to find. Clutter would quickly be removed from the home as trash, recycling, or donations. The only things left in the home would be useful or treasured. It sounds wonderful.

I want my vision of domestic order to become my reality. So I’m embarking on a 30-day personal challenge to create a clutter-free home. I’m breathing deep sighs of relief just imagining my home with less stuff and more space.

If you’re already a master at clutter-free living, please share your secrets, systems, and skills with me. I’d love to learn how you maintain order within your home. Or if you’re like me, and would like to reduce the amount of clutter in your home, I encourage you to declutter along with me this month.

My House is Reasonably Orderly, but I’d Like to Reduce Clutter

Currently, my house is reasonably orderly with a moderate amount of clutter, but there is absolutely room for improvement. I really feel a need to declutter. I’m frustrated with having to search for important things and sort through things I never use. I think the house I share with my husband and toddler son has too much stuff in it. If half of my possessions disappeared, I know I wouldn’t miss most of them. In fact, I’d prefer to say good-bye to half of my belongings and just keep the items I really need and want, so that’s my plan this month.

In a Nutshell, Here’s How I See My Current Clutter Problem:

• Natural pack rat: I bring too many things into my house and let them accumulate.
• Difficulty discarding things: I delay trashing, recycling, and donating things.
• Mild hoarding tendencies: I often think “I need this” about items that I never use.
• Clutter fills up space: I have a closet full of clothes, and I probably wear 25% of its contents.
• Unneeded possessions: The other closets and cupboards contain many items we don’t use.
• Packed garage: The garage is full of stuff and lacks organization.
• Occasional lost items: Sometimes it’s difficult to find things.
• Messiness: I have a few troubling junk drawers.
• Visible clutter: Seeing stuff sitting on surfaces and floors stresses me out.

So that’s my unglamorous assessment of my clutter situation. This month, I plan to turn it all around. At the least, I’d like to dramatically improve the space, order, and functionality of our house. My goal isn’t perfection; it’s improvement.

Here’s How I Plan to Create a Clutter-Free Home:

• Declutter daily: I’ll prioritize time to sort through and discard items. My 30-day challenge spans March 2nd-31st.
• Attack hot spots: I’ll dive into decluttering the junk drawers and closets I normally avoid.
• Create space: I’ll aggressively trash, recycle, and donate items I don’t use or treasure to create space.
• Return borrowed items: If I find things that belong to others, I’ll return them to their owners.
• Organize remaining items: Once spaces are decluttered, I’ll organize the remaining items in a simple way.
• Minimize new clutter: I’ll be very cautious about bringing new items into the house.
• Keep my strategy flexible: I’ll learn as I go and seek advice as needed.
• Respect for others: I’ll let my husband handle his own decluttering. I’ll be thoughtful in handling my son’s things. I check for concensus in shared areas.
• Create goals: I’ll create and fulfill small goals all month to make consistent progress.
• Use a timer: I’ll sharpen my focus by setting my cell phone timer, for 5 to 30 minutes at a time.
• Focus: I’ll declutter one area, drawer, or closet at a time.
• Finish: I’ll accept that my results won’t be perfect. I’ll be happy with progress and results that are “good enough.”

My 30-Day Challenge Decluttering Checklist

Here are areas of my home that I want to declutter. I’m more effective with checklists, where I can cross off finished items. It’s very satisfying and keeps me on track. So it seems like a good idea. I’ll print this checklist and refer to it often. The following list might seem lengthy, but I feel it’s necessary for me to think through the entire situation to get control of it.

Master Bedroom:

• My closet
• Chest of drawers in my closet
• Chest of drawers outside my closet
• My bedside stand
• My son’s basket
• Floor
• Under bed
• Mini fridge

Master Bathroom:

• Countertop
• Medicine Cabinet
• Shower
• Cupboards
• Drawer
• Floor

Hallway Linen Closet:

• Linens
• Toiletries
• Other items

My Son’s Room:

• Closet
• Changing table
• Book shelf
• Chest of drawers
• Top of chest of drawers
• Floor

Spare Bedroom:

• Desk surface
• Desk drawers
• Computer cords
• Under bed
• Floor
• TV stand
• Closet
• Filing cabinet
• Other files

Living room:

• Toys
• Bookshelves
• Baskets
• Surfaces
• Floors
• Plants

Kitchen:

• Fridge
• Top of fridge
• Top of microwave
• Under sink
• Sink
• Cupboards
• Drawers
• Plants
• Countertops
• Floor

Dining Room:

• Dining room table
• Plants
• Inside furniture
• Floor

Downstairs Bathroom:

• Countertop
• Cupboard
• Floor

Garage:

• Tool bench
• Clothes washing area
• Shelves
• Cupboards
• Trash bin
• Recycling bins
• Floor
• Use labeled boxes

I’d also like to do a little decluttering outside my home and in the attic, if there’s time. This may be overly-ambitious, but I’m really craving order throughout my entire life.

Attic:

• Sort through everything
• Use labeled boxes

Cars:

• Seats
• Floors
• Hatchbacks
• Storage areas
• Glove boxes
• Nooks and crannies

Purse:

• Interior
• Wallet

Computers:

• Personal email inboxes
• Built-in hard drive storage
• Desktops

Work Space:

• Desktop
• Filing cabinet
• Plants
• Floor
• Walls

Storage unit:

• Sort through everything
• Use labeled boxes

I’m Excited to Create Progress Toward a Clutter-Free Home

My decluttering checklist is long, and this challenge is only 30 days. But I’m happy that I’ve thought it all through, and I’m ready to tackle my clutter problem. I don’t expect perfection. I want to be realistic. But I expect myself to make progress in most areas that I listed above. I’ll just focus on one thing at a time whenever I can find a few minutes, and cross items off the list, until I’m done. I’ll use my timer, and declutter for 5-30 minutes at a time. I’ll let you know how it goes, and I’ll share any insights I stumble across at the end of the month.

If you’d like to create a clutter-free home too, I wish you all the best in creating the space, orderliness, and peaceful domestic environment you envision. Please let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear your decluttering tips, tricks, and success stories.

NEXT WEEK: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BOOK REVIEW – “EAT TO LIVE” BY DR. JOEL FUHRMAN