Happy New Year to all of you, my fabulous readers! 2023 is a promise of a new start, and I can't wait to see what this year has to offer. If you've been here awhile, you know I love a good declutter, and that doesn't stop at the New Year.
If you missed our post back in November about decluttering overlooked spaces, you'll get a closer look into a concentrated project in today's post! You can also check out this post where I organized my own closet.
This past weekend, we tackled our youngest kid's closet because we has been complaining about its state of disarray for ages - only to be called out by said kid because we had been using that closet for hiding Christmas presents and family paperwork well before he moved into the room a few years ago. Whoopsie.
In fact, we found delicate vintage Christmas decor from my in-laws, hard copy photos from the pre-2008 era when printing pictures was all the rage, and old framed pieces I had kept for future use! Needless to say, it was a hot mess express, and he needed more room to have an actual closet for just his belongings, instead of sharing it with all of this extra stuff.
Lessons Learned from a Weekend Cleaning Out Just One Closet
We'll be a lot more productive if we set aside a weekend day or a full weekend every month to tackle cluttered spaces like this because let's face it, you accumulate a lot of stuff especially when you're raising children. While we did make progress, it was a spur of the moment thing and we only had time to take on one section of his closet. For big or overcluttered spaces, you'll want to make a game plan before hand.
Clear the calendar for as much of the process as possible! The actual decluttering, bagging and boxing up of what is going and what is staying, plus drive time to get items you're passing on to where they need to go. I try to move items to their new destinations whether that be a donation center, a recycling center, or the trash bin, at the end of every decluttering day.
Focus on one space, big or small, at a time. If it's not the whole closet, maybe it's the top shelf. Pick the size of your project that will ensure finishing within your weekend. The satisfaction of that will keep you inspired for the next time!
Remember that things sitting in a closet aren't serving you, or anyone else. You have a way better shot of serving someone if these items are available for someone to take home and use. I have a rule that if I don't wear or touch something for a year it needs to go. I'd rather bless someone else than have stuff sit around unused. After all, clutter = chaos in my humble opinion.
What space are you planning to tackle? Let us know down in the comments!