CREATE A PLAN (1) Many people quit halfway through the decluttering process because they get overwhelmed. They have convinced themselves that it is too hard, there is too much to do, too many rooms to declutter and not enough time to do so. When I started decluttering, I didn't have a plan. I decluttered here and there without ever making real progress. I felt frustrated and almost quit as a result. How do we prevent this from happening? - We get organized - We cut the tasks into smaller chunks - We work with a schedule - We create an easy-to-follow, yet solid and actionable plan. There are so many reasons why creating a plan BEFORE you start is critical. Here are a few: - take the guess work out of decluttering (ready to execute instead) - help you make real progress - give you a much higher chance of seeing the process through to the end - keep you on track and schedule to achieve your WHY.
CREATE A PLAN (2) TAKE ACTION 1/ Print out the form on the next page 2/ Assess how long it will take you to complete the whole process Based on the size of your house and how much clutter you have you should be able to estimate how long it will take you. Below is an estimate - feel free to adjust it to your own needs). 1-2 bedroom apartment = 4-5 weeks Medium size city flat = 5-6 weeks Average size house = 8-10 weeks Large house = 10-12 weeks 3/ Write down your frustrations in for each category. Example: for category 1, go to your closet and take inventory of what frustrates you. Write it down in the observations column. Do the same for all the other categories. Look at the example below for inspiration. 4/ Based on your frustrations, put together a goal or action step and enter it in the action step column. For example, if your frustration is that you have too many clothes that no longer fit you, your action step should be to get rid of those clothes that are too big or too small or a wrong fit. 5/ Enter your dates in the timeline column. Based on the size of your house, determine how long it will take to tackle each category. For example, it should take you 1 to 2 weeks to declutter all the closets in a medium size home. That means you should enter under timing for closet : week 1-2. Do the same for all the other categories. 6/ Once all your columns are filled out, pin your plan to the wall where you are sure to see it every day. Make sure you follow it to ensure maximum success!
DECLUTTERING PLAN + SCHEDULE (1) CLOSET BOOKS
DECLUTTERING PLAN + SCHEDULE (2) PAPERWORK PHASE 1* PAPERWORK PHASE 2** *Paperwork phase 1 : miscellaneous items such as invoices, insurance documents, contracts and documents that don't fall under phase 2 ** Paperwork phase 2 : includes personal communication (postcards, letters, etc.) and important personal papers such as passport, national identity cards, driver's licence and other important insurance documents.
DECLUTTERING PLAN + SCHEDULE (3) Kitchen items Appliances Make up Self-care items
DECLUTTERING PLAN + SCHEDULE (4) electrical equipment electrical equipment household equipment + supplies