Declutter Your Life

Does your life feel too cluttered? Is your schedule bursting at the seams, making you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do? Does it feel like you own too much stuff and it’s just piling up around you instead of improving your life?

Most people would benefit from at least a little decluttering, but how do you get started?

Decluttering your space:

Limit your decluttering to one small area at a time. That way, you’ll really be able to see some progress. Focus on a room, a closet, or a shelf.
Pick up each item in this space and ask yourself, “Do I use this? Do I love this?” If the answer to both questions is “no” then put the item in a box to be sold, donated, or thrown away. Put each item you keep in its proper place.
If you have a lot of stuff, this might seem overwhelming, so set a timer and work for just 10 minutes. Working on decluttering for 10 minutes a day for a month is a lot better than overloading yourself and quitting after 2 days.
Go a little further each day. Finish one area then move on to the next.
Your enemy is perfection. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Simply do a good job in a reasonable amount of time. Any work you put into this will result in progress.
Get some help. If you have trouble letting go of things, having a reasonable friend by your side can help.
Try to get others in your home on board. Lead by example showing them the benefits of decluttering your space.
Take time to enjoy the new clutter-free spaces you’ve created to help keep the momentum going!

Decluttering your calendar and digital life:

Learn that it is okay to say “no” to commitments that you don’t find that important.
Make a list of your upcoming commitments and put them in order from most to least important.
Keep the top few and cancel the rest.
Prioritize the blogs, newsletters, social networks, and email notifications you subscribe to. Unsubscribe from whatever no longer matters to you.
Take 10 minutes a day to delete all unimportant emails in your inbox.
Create folders to organize your email correspondence and drag new correspondence to the appropriate location after you open it.

Clutter weighs on your mind 24/7, whether you realize it or not. Decluttering gives you time to breathe and adequate space to put everything in its proper place.

Sarah Pinto

Sarah Pinto is a certified fundraising executive and chartered advisor in philanthropy with over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. In addition to being a full-time fundraiser, Sarah serves as contributing editor to Giving Tomorrow magazine.

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Declutter Your Life

Decluttering your space:

Decluttering your calendar and digital life:

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