7 Tips To Declutter When You’re Too Busy
Busyness is one of the biggest challenges you face when you’re ready to start decluttering…
No one wants to organize and get rid of stuff around the house after a long day of work, family responsibilities, and other important obligations.
Naturally, sitting on the couch to relax and unwind is needed to mentally decompress.
So, how is it possible to squeeze in home organization and decluttering when your days are so busy and demanding?
Don’t worry, there are ways to find time and utilize the energy you do have to make small steps towards your ideal home and living space.
Here are 7 Tips to declutter when you’re busy!
7 Tips To Declutter When You’re Too Busy
1. Aim For One Day A Week
Even if you’re busy most days throughout the week, finding time can be challenging, but doable.
Assigning one designated decluttering day a week can help simplify your efforts and help you to establish a schedule…
Ideally, picking your least demanding day of the week (if one exists) will be your best bet.
Don’t worry about how much progress you’re making, rather take it slow and set aside small amounts of time (10-15 minutes) each declutter day, and over time you’ll see results without burning yourself out.
2. Focus On One Area At A Time
Similar to picking one day a week, instead of focusing on an entire room, pick small sections or areas of specific rooms to tackle first.
This can help to reduce the anxiety and overwhelm of tackling large decluttering projects.
3. Plan Ahead
Planning your decluttering days ahead of time can help you mentally prep for the task at hand.
The same with scheduling your workout days ahead, it helps to strip away the mental barriers that hurt your motivation.
If you try to do something like decluttering or something hard like working out in prompt to, you’re most likely to find excuses or go for something easy to do instead.
However, if you’re mentally ready to get decluttering done, you expect it and are mentally primed to make some progress.
This can actually bring some excitement if you’re focused on the end goal and the benefits you’ll gain.
Ultimately, if your life is hectic with tons of daily responsibilities, planning around this busyness to the best of your ability can help you stick to a decluttering routine.
4. Space Out Your Decision Making
Spacing out your decision making when decluttering can be a game changer.
Instead of deciding what to do with your stuff as you’re decluttering, organize your items and consider the one-box rule.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure if you want to keep something or not, save the decision for later if it’s giving you trouble and taking your time….
Keeping these “maybe” or “unsure” items in a box/bin can help organize those items and also give you time to make a solid decision.
5. Consolidate
If you’re short on time and want to get rid of some messes in your home, consider consolidating some of that clutter into a separate area or bin.
Unlike the one-box rule, where you’re unsure of what to keep, this is more about temporarily removing the mess from a room or space and consolidating the clutter into a more manageable place.
For Example: Small clutter in your office and bedroom can be placed in a box and moved to your garage or closet to be looked through at a different time.
6. Use Weekends To Your Advantage
If you’re desperate for free productive time during the week, the weekends are your biggest asset.
Even if you’re extremely busy on weekends, you can find effective downtime to set aside 15-30 minutes on Saturday or Sunday.
7. Limit/Replace Time Wasting Activities
We all need rest and mental breaks when life is very busy…
However, our tech and devices have made it easy to spend hours distracted…
These distractions at first are fine when you need mental rest, but can slowly take more time than we think.
Here are some common examples:
- TV
- Scrolling on social media
- Online games
- Aimless online shopping
When you’re trying to declutter and are already short on time, spending hours with these activities can reduce your ability to reach your decluttering goals.
Take slow steps to replace these activities…
If you have trouble, try doing your decluttering first, and enjoying some time with these activities as a reward (with the right balance of course).
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Very good tips, but I want to say to be cautious with #5, as it can lead to chronic stuff shuffling. You have to seriously commit to going through that random box, maybe even scheduling it at a specific time on your calendar. Ask me how I know….