5 Power Tips to Help You Declutter More Efficiently

Thanks to the ever-inspiring and adorable Marie Kondo and her popular Tidying Up series on Netflix, there is definite “spark” (see what I did there 😉 ) of interest in decluttering, resulting in many people embarking on fresh decluttering journeys.

And while there certainly is no “wrong” way to declutter, there is more than one way to get the job done too. And some may be more realistic for a busy mom strapped for time.

So if you are the aforementioned busy, time-strapped mom, here are a few strategies you can utilize to declutter efficiently and avoid a big, overwhelming pile of stuff haunting your living room.

High Impact Decluttering Tip #1: Break your big organizing goal into smaller milestones

My first tip to help you make your efforts as efficient and impactful as possible is to break your big organizing goal down into smaller milestones. This is going to help you stay motivated and avoid becoming overwhelmed or frustrated.

To start, choose one room or space at a time where you will be focusing your decluttering efforts.

In order to really get the most benefit, make sure you focus your attention on a specific area that causes you to lose time in your daily life.

That may not even be a singular space for you — it could be that you spend way more time than you want doing dishes every day, or dealing with the laundry. Focusing your efforts on decluttering and developing a better system to manage time eaters like these will be well worth it. Anything that can give you more time is a wise investment. 🙂

This is part of what makes the “Zone & Zack Morris Method” you’ll learn in the starter guide so effective, and easy to implement.

You’re taking your big goals, like decluttering your home, and breaking it into bite-sized chunks (or zones) that align with the amount of time you have available to work. So for example, if your overall goal is to declutter your main living space, first you’d break it down into smaller zones.

You might start with the kitchen, and then break that down into smaller zones like this:

Main Living Space (Big Goal)

• The Kitchen (Smaller Milestone)
  • Day one: dishes (Small Zone)
  • Day two: appliances/gadgets (Small Zone)
  • Day three: Bakeware & Pots/Pans (Small Zone)
  • Day four: Drawers & Pantry (Small Zone)

That’s what Brooke, a SAHM mom of 4 did during a recent mini challenge. She decluttered and organized all of her kid clothes and hand-me-downs that comprised an entire storage shelf in her basement.

Here’s what she shared after Day 1:

“In 15 minutes this AM, I sorted thru 2 boxes (with help from my 2yr old). Found a lot to donate and now just need to repackage these clothes and put a CLEAR & UP TO DATE label on the box.”

And by the end…

“Hallelujah! I did a little more than 15 minutes a day, but thank you, Kristin, for keeping me accountable to finishing this project.”

High Impact Decluttering Tip #2: Define your space.

Define your space.

I know it sounds so basic, but honestly, the cause of a lot of those junk drawers and miscellaneous clutter piles is that those spaces don’t have a defined purpose.

When you give a space, even something as small as a drawer, a specific purpose, it becomes much easier to decide what belongs and what doesn’t. And by doing this, you’re also identifying where those miscellaneous items should live.

For example, your hot glue gun and glue sticks that were jumbled in a drawer with coupons, tape, scissors and some random mail, would be better kept (and used when you need it) with your craft supplies. You can read more about that in this featured post I wrote for Mom Life, Happy Life.

High Impact Decluttering Tip #3: Schedule your decluttering appointments

Schedule decluttering appointments.

When we make an appointment for something, we plan to show up.

It goes on the calendar and we don’t plan to do other things during that time. It becomes a priority.

Actually scheduling a 15-minute appointment for yourself by adding it to your planner or calendar makes it a lot more important than just something you’ll squeeze in if you have the time.

So if clearing out the clutter is a true priority of yours, treat it that way. Book the appointments, reserve the time you’ll need to get the job done, and you’ll be more likely to complete it.

To do this, I highly encourage you to time block your schedule. Write down all your appointments  and obligations for the week, and then see where you have 15 minutes to schedule your decluttering appointments. But make sure you write them down on your calendar, in your planner, or both,  just as you would any other important obligation.

If you want to learn more about that, and how to utilize your time to be most productive, click here to learn more about my upcoming time management mini-course.

Here’s what Alicja  (a SAHM mom of 3) had to say about scheduling her decluttering appointments during a recent 5-day challenge:

“I started this challenge with no specific project in mind. But just the one bookcase I showed you on pictures was enough to show me how much can one do in 15 minutes. I now have 15 minutes blocks scheduled in my planner EVERYday to just do something decluttering/cleaning.

I have a box in my car where I systematically put in things that I can leave in the church for people in need. And I will empty it every Sunday since I’m there anyway.

Those are huge, little changes 🙂

Thank you, Kristin, for opening my eyes! I do have my vision and a plan for clean place to live.”

High Impact Decluttering Tip #4: Place donate boxes near the main areas of your home

This is another way to make your decluttering time more efficient and to utilize every opportunity to tackle clutter.

We live in a colonial so I like to keep one box for donations on our main level in our garage, and one box upstairs in our guest room closet.

Whenever I’m picking up and come across something that I know we don’t need anymore (like an article of clothing my kids have outgrown) I just toss it in the donate box. When it’s full, I drop it at the donation center.

Easy peasy.

High Impact Decluttering Tip #5: Develop a process to systemize your decluttering, and maintenance routines to maximize your efficiency.

That’s exactly what the Essential Decluttering Bundle provides for you.

If you’re ready to stop living in chaos and mess, ready to stop feeling buried in dirty dishes and laundry mountains, if you’re over feeling like you can’t ever have anyone over because your house is a disaster…if you’re ready to start taking actionable steps toward a real and lasting change, get started now with the Essential Decluttering Bundle for busy moms.

By investing in this complete decluttering guide and custom workbook planner, you’ll be:

• Getting a  step-by-step decluttering process you can apply to any space.
• Learning how to realistically prioritize and find the time in your busy schedule to actually get started and see impactful results (in as little as 15 minutes a day), just like Alicja and Brooke.
• Developing practical, mom-tested systems for managing paper clutter, toys, the never-ending laundry pile, and even methods for managing sentimental items (that allow you to  better honor those memories)
• Gaining more time for what you truly enjoy, instead of losing time picking up your house (again).

Click here to learn more.