Eliminating Clutter and Organizing Your Living Space

 
In my recent post Moving, What a Pain in the Arse we discussed the fact that I’m facing a move. One of the best parts about moving from one house to another is you are getting the perfect opportunity to downsize and to get rid of clutter.
 
We’ve got so much stuff to go through and to pack, but there’s also a lot of stuff to get rid of. First off, we’re planning to have a big garage sale this weekend. Hopefully we’ll be able to get rid of some of the things we’ve been toting around all these years and never using. Plus it may help us raise a little money to go toward the expense of hiring a moving crew.
 
But all of this brought about some thoughts I was having about minimizing clutter and cleaning out the closets so to speak. Having to do these things can bring a lot of stress on yourself and your family. But it’s something that has to be done, so why not take full advantage of it? Fortunately we’re moving into a little bit larger house, so we’ll acquire quite a bit more storage space and living space. But what about those that are making a move to a smaller dwelling? This is where the nightmare comes in.
 
So with that thought in mind, let’s go over a few tips that will help you downsize your living space and work on clearing clutter.
 

6 Tips for Eliminating Clutter

1. Make Plans Early

This is the most important step of all. Don’t put things off until the last second, begin making plans immediately. If you are married or have a family, it’s very important that everyone be together on these plans. If everyone is going in different directions, it’s almost impossible to get anything accomplished.

 

2. Discovering your Needs

Take the time to sit down either by yourself or with your family and ask yourselves a few questions. It’s important to discover your needs based on what sort of lifestyle you intend to live in your new dwelling. This will help to realize what kind of organization you need to put into place.

A few questions you may ask yourself are:

• How much room does your new house have, can it accommodate large and bulky furniture, or do you need to downsize to smaller pieces?
• Take note of the square footage of the new home in comparison to your old one.
• Is it important to you to hang on to things merely because they were expensive? Or does the need for a nice neat new space outweigh the hoarder syndrome?

 

3. Finding Purpose in Your Space

Most people find themselves having trouble in finding the ideal purpose for their living space. Ever little nook and cranny has a purpose. What may appear as a simple corner in a room may make a great spot for your home office or maybe even a small art studio.

 

Remember if there are things that you have to get rid of that may hold some sentimental value, then pictures are a great way to preserve the memories of such things. This is especially handy when a child doesn’t want to let go of that special teddy bear or stuffed animal.

 

4. Eliminating Extra Clutter

Clutter may come in all different forms and fashions. I’m not just talking about old bills piled up or a stack of magazines that seems to follow you everywhere you go. But things like electronics wiring and computer equipment can really create clutter in a small space.

 

One thing that I intend to do in our new home is set up my network as a wireless system. Connecting your computers, printers and other wifi enabled devices wirelessly can really help eliminate cluttered cables and wires. Plus it just makes everything seem cleaner and with that comes less things to collect dust and also eliminates trip hazzards.

 

Also furniture can play a big part in getting rid of clutter and crowded spaces. If you have large pieces of furniture you may be able to sell in a garage sale and replace them with multi-purpose items it can save you a ton of space. Things such as nightstands that have opening storage compartments, tables with hidden storage or even ottomans that have removable tops that you can store extra blankets or pillows in can really help.

 

5. Think Quality not Quantity

When picking out new furniture to go in your new house, try to focus on a few great pieces that make a powerful statement. This is a much better option than try to stuff as many pieces you can into your rooms.

 

Also as mentioned before, try to pick out the kind of furniture that serves more than one purpose. Plus choosing furniture items that are strong and have durable fabrics is a must for a smaller space. A smaller space will usually warrant the furniture getting more traffic and wear than the stray pieces in a larger home. This is especially true if your furniture is doubling up for more than one purpose.

 

6. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help

This is a big one… Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to help you get organized. Sometimes an outside opinion on what to keep and what not to keep can help seal the deal. There are also many professional organizers available for hire if you want an unbiased opinion on things.

 

It’s also helpful to get help when the time comes to pack and move your stuff. It never hurts to have someone to offer an opinion on how to arrange things or ways to create a more organized space.

 
Well, these are just a few tips that I’ve thought about that could save you a lot of trouble when it comes to moving into that new place. These are not just limited to downsizing either, there’s nothing wrong with compacting things even if you’re moving into a larger place. Because remember, the more space you have, the more stuff you will acquire. So start early in getting it under control, this will make your house look neater and will help make those future moves that much easier.
 
Anymore great organizing ideas? Please share with us in the comments below.
 

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