The Most Important Step You Don't Want To Skip Before Decluttering And Why

Every now and then, parts of the house will need some organizing. It's easy for stuff to pile up, whether clothing, toys, or tools, and diving headfirst into the cleanup can be stressful, even if you have a good decluttering strategy for your home. However, there is one easy step you could take before jumping in that will make the entire process go faster and feel far less daunting: sorting everything into groups. That's right! Rather than organize one random item at a time, group similar items together and start sorting.

Why does this method work? Sorting and consolidating items before you start to declutter will show you every item in a group at once. You can then make an informed decision when it comes to the next organization phase of donating, selling, keeping, or just tossing things in the trash. By contrast, when you jump straight to decluttering, you might throw out one item thinking you have a better version of it somewhere, only to find out later that you don't. Or, you may keep several identical items that you don't need, adding to the clutter. It's super frustrating.

With this method, you'll conveniently see everything that was in your hallway closet, junk drawer, or workbench area and be certain you have all the items with you before you make any final verdicts. The approach works best with large general categories, which you can then break up into smaller, more tailored categories as you work. Plus, you could try pairing this concept with similarly effective tidying strategies, like the boundary technique, another organization method that will revolutionize how you declutter your home.

One of the easiest ways to approach the sorting and consolidating process is with clear bins and easy-to-remove labels (e.g., Post-it notes or painter's tape). Try to cluster similar types of items together, and categorize them as you go. When you declutter the garage, for example, your groups may include tools, cleaning supplies, craft materials, or sports gear. A "miscellaneous" pile for random, tough-to-group items also helps; you can tackle any leftovers afterward and skip stressing about them until then.

If you are simply reorganizing your stuff without donating or selling any of it, clear organizer tubs are the way to go. Once you finish, put these on a shelf or in a closet for easy access and a tidy arrangement. You could even snag some stunning organizing and storage products for anything you'll put on display, too. Meanwhile, cheap cardboard boxes are a better choice for any items you choose to donate or sell.

One of the perks of sorting stuff into categorized tubs or boxes is that, once things are separated into these groups, you can go through and organize them at your leisure instead of feeling rushed and overwhelmed; it is a much more relaxing approach. The first step of parsing them is done, and now, you just need to decide what to do with them. Heck, you might even grab a couple boxes and sit on the couch with a movie while you work. And the boxes you haven't gotten to yet? They can be stored out of sight until you have time to properly sort them out.