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Avoid These Mistakes When Decluttering Your Home
By MICHELLE MILEY
Emotion
Don’t throw things out because you’re angry at the clutter, as you could lose things you need. Wait until you’re in a frame of mind to make decisions you won’t regret later.
Speed
To avoid just moving clutter around, work quickly and apply the OHIO or “only handle it once” method — decide on first impulse what to do with each item when you pick it up.
In your closet, face all hangers backward, then face them forward when replacing washed clothing. After a year, any clothing on backward-facing hangers is unworn and can be tossed.
Selling
While you can use apps like Vinted and sites like Amazon and Facebook Marketplace to earn by selling your used items, it’s only really worthwhile to sell valuable items.
The time and effort involved in selling old stuff for less than $10 each online or at a yard sale is not worth the return, so discarding or donating such items makes more sense.
Focus
Don't try to do more than you can handle, or you’ll get frustrated and give up. Set a realistic deadline to complete the task, and break it down into small, manageable steps.
Cleaning
Don’t clean as you declutter because this prolongs the process, making it likely for you to get distracted by the cleaning and lose sight of your current priority.