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Our Step-By-Step Guide To Decluttering
You want your home to be a sanctuary—a place where you can rest and recharge. While we aren’t about to tell you that your house should be spotless, the goal should be to create a space where you can feel calm and centered after even the craziest day.
We turned to professional organizer (and a barre3 client!) Emily Kurzweil for tips on how to get started. Her first piece of advice? Don’t try to tackle the whole house at once. “Start with that one area you would love to have organized,” she suggests. “Carve out a chunk of time, take deep breaths, and keep coming back to that one area until you’re satisfied with it.”
Read on for more of Kurzweil’s totally approachable tips on decluttering your home, one space at a time.
Let it go.
As you begin the process, be OK with the concept of let it go. “Many of us feel obliged to keep objects/clothes/furniture we’ve spent a lot of money on, or gifts that we’ve received from someone we care about,” says Kurzweil. “We may not like the aesthetics and space those gifts take up, but we feel guilted into keeping them. Free yourself from this notion. Give yourself permission to let go of objects that no longer serve you, your life, or your home. When you give those things away, you can imagine them bringing someone else joy.”
Divide and conquer.
Once you’ve honed in on the area in your home that you’re going to organize, Kurzweil recommends that you carve out some time and space to sort your things. “This is your opportunity to let go of what no longer serves you,” she explains. Get out four bags: one for recycling, one for trash, one for things to give away, and one for things to keep. When you’re finished sorting your space, you’re ready to put the things that you’ve decided to keep back. But don’t just put them anywhere. Kurzweil suggests ‘creating homes’ for your possessions.
Start small.
Most of us love the idea of our homes looking put-together and feeling organized and functional, but sometimes life gets in the way. If you know you’re ready to make some changes but also feel overwhelmed by the process, begin with a small, manageable area. Maybe it’s your bathroom’s medicine cabinet or the top drawer of your desk. Sort your space, and find the right tray, container, or vessel to store what you decide to keep. When you’re happy with the way your freshly organized space looks, you’ll be more likely to keep it tidy.
Find a place for everything.
Kurzweil is a big proponent of using mason jars to store small items. “If it’s on the smaller side, you can probably put it in a jar,” she says. “This is a simple, inexpensive, and attractive way to group, store, and display your things.” For larger items like blankets, towels, and even magazines and scarves, a basket is a great way to go. From modern and metal to bohemian and natural, there’s a basket that’s going to look fab in every room of your home.
Stick to the plan.
A final “must” from our organization expert: Put things away! This can be a hard thing to put into practice, especially if space is at a premium. Kurzweil’s advice: “Consider keeping out only the items you currently need.” This might mean putting out-of-season things in bins in your attic, in a closet, or under the bed—it requires a little extra effort every few months, but it’s totally worth the feeling of calm you’ll get every time you walk into your house!
A calming environment is the perfect backdrop to a barre3 online workout. Join us with a 15-day free trial today!
You want your home to be a sanctuary—a place where you can rest and recharge. While we aren’t about to tell you that your house should be spotless, the goal should be to create a space where you can feel calm and centered after even the craziest day.
We turned to professional organizer (and a barre3 client!) Emily Kurzweil for tips on how to get started. Her first piece of advice? Don’t try to tackle the whole house at once. “Start with that one area you would love to have organized,” she suggests. “Carve out a chunk of time, take deep breaths, and keep coming back to that one area until you’re satisfied with it.”
Read on for more of Kurzweil’s totally approachable tips on decluttering your home, one space at a time.
Let it go.
As you begin the process, be OK with the concept of let it go. “Many of us feel obliged to keep objects/clothes/furniture we’ve spent a lot of money on, or gifts that we’ve received from someone we care about,” says Kurzweil. “We may not like the aesthetics and space those gifts take up, but we feel guilted into keeping them. Free yourself from this notion. Give yourself permission to let go of objects that no longer serve you, your life, or your home. When you give those things away, you can imagine them bringing someone else joy.”
Divide and conquer.
Once you’ve honed in on the area in your home that you’re going to organize, Kurzweil recommends that you carve out some time and space to sort your things. “This is your opportunity to let go of what no longer serves you,” she explains. Get out four bags: one for recycling, one for trash, one for things to give away, and one for things to keep. When you’re finished sorting your space, you’re ready to put the things that you’ve decided to keep back. But don’t just put them anywhere. Kurzweil suggests ‘creating homes’ for your possessions.
Start small.
Most of us love the idea of our homes looking put-together and feeling organized and functional, but sometimes life gets in the way. If you know you’re ready to make some changes but also feel overwhelmed by the process, begin with a small, manageable area. Maybe it’s your bathroom’s medicine cabinet or the top drawer of your desk. Sort your space, and find the right tray, container, or vessel to store what you decide to keep. When you’re happy with the way your freshly organized space looks, you’ll be more likely to keep it tidy.
Find a place for everything.
Kurzweil is a big proponent of using mason jars to store small items. “If it’s on the smaller side, you can probably put it in a jar,” she says. “This is a simple, inexpensive, and attractive way to group, store, and display your things.” For larger items like blankets, towels, and even magazines and scarves, a basket is a great way to go. From modern and metal to bohemian and natural, there’s a basket that’s going to look fab in every room of your home.
Stick to the plan.
A final “must” from our organization expert: Put things away! This can be a hard thing to put into practice, especially if space is at a premium. Kurzweil’s advice: “Consider keeping out only the items you currently need.” This might mean putting out-of-season things in bins in your attic, in a closet, or under the bed—it requires a little extra effort every few months, but it’s totally worth the feeling of calm you’ll get every time you walk into your house!
A calming environment is the perfect backdrop to a barre3 online workout. Join us with a 15-day free trial today!
