Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff

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To efficiently declutter, designate three separate areas for items ‘to keep’, ‘to discard’ and ‘to donate’. Start going through each item, asking yourself if it brings you joy or has been in frequent use. This process should be swift, only allowing for minimal contemplation time. Practice Mindful Decluttering- Make it a lifestyle where you only keep items that resonate with your present taste and needs. Allow room for growth and change. Living for now became my new goal: living in the house we have, in the city where we are, and in the moment when we’re alive.

Decluttering At The Speed Of Life Review - Organised Pretty Home

Throw away trash. Get rid of stuff you hate. Clear visible spaces of stuff that has an established, nonemotional place elsewhere in the home pg.212 Step 3: Duh Clutter (things that are not a problem to donate because you either didn't realize you still had them or always hated them or have no problem getting rid of them) Now, some readers complain of redundancy, saying that she just goes to different areas of the house and applies the exact same steps. But I thought that especially when she is talking about kitchens and storage areas and clothing, there needed to be a specific discussion because those spaces have unique challenges.

I thought the purpose of containers was to hold stuff. That’s why I kept buying more when the ones I had were full and I still had stuff that needed to be held. Even if you have your home "under control" and find it easy to declutter and organize I can guarantee you that reading this book and learning from Dana will give you new insights for yourself." - Gina W. There’s a constant rotation of dishes and newspapers and school projects going onto and off of our table, but that table can’t be the permanent resting place of anything that doesn’t directly contribute to eating dinner as a family. Cute vase, napkin holder, and a salt and pepper set? Great. Printer, paper shredder, and jewelry tree? Nope. But once I understood the purpose of containers, I was freed from my overthinking. Once I understood that the purpose of a container is to contain, I saw that though the container held the scarves, its most important purpose was to limit the number of scarves I kept. Once the scarf container was full, I knew how many scarves I could keep. When it comes to sorting items, adopt practical principles like the ‘one-year’ rule – if it hasn’t been used or worn in a year, it’s a candidate for removal. Avoid judgement and be patient as they make decisions.

Decluttering at the Speed of Life - Audible UK Decluttering at the Speed of Life - Audible UK

So, for years we had a Bible study at our house and we served dinner, for sometimes up to 22 people. Now this meant I needed a lot of cooking equipment, dishes, napkins, coffee mugs, dessert plates and silverware.Still, onto the book: it starts with finding the decluttering mindset and its realizations. Next we move through many rooms (or parts of the room, if your hobby-place is not a room but a corner in a (living) room), then talk about helping others - which should come after you've done your own decluttering, helps to make people see you can do it - and what to do when you're about to move, or are cleaning your loved one's home after their death. Finally we get to the useful points on how to keep going doing the occasional decluttering etc., after you have finished your big decluttering life-paced project on your home. A lot of the clutter came into my house this way. I had an eye for finding bargain furniture that need repairing (with the idea of reselling it). Except the finding became a lot more fun and easier than the restoration work. At first glance, there seems to be no reason to even think about how many scarves you have. Scarves are small. They can be hung or folded or dropped carelessly into a box with other scarves.

Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending

I have trialed and I have errored and I have succeeded. I’ve used every imaginable way to get stuff out of my house, and I know what works and what doesn’t. I’ve experienced the joy of an after photo and the agony of another disaster reappearing in that same space. And I’ve decluttered again.If like me, you have ever looked at all your clutter and felt utter despair; had no idea where to start because it all looks far too daunting…buy this book." Bedrooms should promote rest. Reduce clothing to only the pieces you love and wear, organise your closet by category and keep your bedside table minimal. Even though the Konmari method has been very influential on my own decluttering journey, Decluttering At The Speed Of Life feels like its written by someone who actually has struggled with letting go of clutter. By following a set of simple, practical steps, you can transform your cluttered space into a tidy, functional living area.

Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending

This is where Decluttering At The Speed of Life gets really practical. After talking about a decluttering mindset, Dana then gives you step by step decluttering instructions for every room in your home as well as decluttering tips pertinent to that specific space. Begin sorting items into three categories: keep, discard, or donate. Keep what is functional and brings you joy, toss or recycle what is broken or outdated, and donate items in good condition but no longer useful to you.

I’m super proud that the book truly delivers on the promise of its title. The marketing spiel is, “Whether you have five minutes, five hours, or five days to spend decluttering, you can make real progress in your home.”