8 ways to declutter fast
If you’ve got the pre-holiday, post-back-to-school, run-around-with-a-trash-bag and put old toys in a bag BUG 🪲like me, but are short on time and not quite sure where to get started, here are 8 ways to declutter fast.
And if you’d rather watch than read, check out the full video (with a bonus tip 🏆here):
1.Sell your stuff online
I use Poshmark to sell clothes and FBMP and Craigslist for all the other things. When thinking about selling your stuff, remember that your time is valuable. I like to set a $20 minimum for each item. Meaning, unless its worth at least $20 then its not worth the time it takes to photograph, list and package for sale. More on FBMP tips can be found here.
2. Schedule a donation pick up
If you don’t have time, don’t want to or the items you need to declutter aren’t worth your time to sell online, donate them. I like to use the Arc donation pick up service. Its a national company that allows you to schedule front door donate picks (and get a tax refund receipt) online.
3. Clear your surfaces
Visual clutter creates subconscious stress in our homes. A quick way to decrease the visual clutter in your home is to clear your countertops. Remember clutter attracts more clutter like a moth to a flame. Usually the kitchen is prime real estate for a clutter party. Start by picking your surface, clearing EVERYTHING off and only replacing with things you use on a daily basis.
4. Create a gather basket
A gather basket is just a middle ground for your stuff until you have time to put it away properly. In short, find or buy a large basket for the main living areas of your home. Call it a gather basket. Put stuff in it and enjoy not stepping on rouge legos. I have a full post about the magic of a gather basket here. In fact, if you only buy one organizing product in your entire life, I recommend this one!
5. Collect + Toss all trash
This is another sneak attack on visual clutter. Grab a trash bag and walk through the house gathering all stray papers, old receipts, tissues, and anything that is trash.
6. Get rid of duplicates
Do you have ten white tshirts and a lot of them have stains on them? Do you have multiple spatulas? Do you have a crock pot and an instant pot? This can be more challenging than it seems so if you are struggling with what to keep and what to let go, I share three questions to simplify this difficult decision here.
7. Discard broken items
Similar to the supermarket-sweep-style mad dash with a trash bag, go around your house and gather up all broken items. This can be anything from a two-wheeled monster truck toy to a shirt with a rip that you know you are never actually going to repair.
8. Do a brain dump
As a busy mom, we have so many things to manage and our mental load is huge! I’ve found that doing a brain dump is the quickest way for me to clear mental clutter. Grab a paper and a pen and write down everything that is going through your head. Review the list and prioirtize what is actually important vs what doesn’t deserve your head space and what needs to be done now vs can be done later.
Will you try any of these methods to declutter quickly? More declutter tips can be found here.