One of the best ways to greet the new year when preparing to downsize or move to your dream home is to “ keep what you love ” and “ say goodbye to STUFF ." These tips are great to start your planning for a future change or just enjoy where you live today !
Start with a Success Plan Set yourself up for success by creating a “ small job / one
room ” plan in a logical pattern in a designated area . Do not try to do the whole garage in one hour !
Use a Sorting System
The “ 4 box Method ” is a great organizing tool .
Visit : tidylifehappywife . com for more details but start : 1 . Trash 2 . Put Away 3 . Donate / Sell 4 . Store
Tips to declutter your home to start the new year
Save sentimental items for last . This will be your biggest roadblock so do it after a few “ wins ”.
Ask a friend to help you on this day to be thoughtful and successful .
No keeping “ Just in Case ”
The 80 / 20 rule says we only use 20 % of our things so evaluate carefully . If you have not used it in 6 or 12 months , let it go !
Be careful of other people ’ s stuff . Box it up , move it out and help them declutter too .
Clutter leads to stress , and we all need less stress in life . The easiest way to declutter is what works best for you . Marie Kondo ’ s methods lead to a tidy home and Joshua Becker ’ s method is minimalist . The important message is “ Just Start !"
Immediately move boxes out of the house If you have donations , take them right away . If you are selling , take pictures and box it up with a date of your sale .
For further reading :
Konmari Method of Tidying Up — Marie Kondo Becoming Minimalist — Joshua Becker
Start in a small , specific area .
Try the 12-12-12 challenge from Joshua Becker of “ Becoming
Minimalist .” 1 . Locate 12 items to throw away . 2 . Box 12 items to donate . 3 . Return 12 items that you love back to your home .
8 WINTER 2024 gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... gmhtoday . com