This is the first week in my Plan More, Stress Less Holiday Preparation Countdown Series. In it I will give you 7 simple steps for dealing with the clutter as we countdown our way to the holidays.
Stay tuned over the next 8 weeks. We will dive into ways that planning can help you have less stress during this holiday season. You’ll learn a bunch of neat tips and tricks you can actually use to get ready for the upcoming holidays
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Each week of this Countdown I’ll be highlight strategies, tips, or techniques here on the blog. They will help you prepare for the holidays, get your home clean and in order, and start thinking about what the season means to you.
Since this is our first week, I want to start with my top strategy for taking things from cluttered to clean in just 60 minutes.
Goal: Prep for Holidays. Objective: Less Clutter.
If you’ve been following my blog, I’ve been sharing a method for breaking down big goals into smaller manageable pieces. Or if you missed it, check it out here or this one too. Using those methods, I’ve defined our overall goal to be prepared for the upcoming holiday season.The specific objective we’re working on is to have less clutter.
Preparing for the holidays, any holiday, is a BIG goal. Lots of moving pieces, lots of decisions, lots of stress. And you have to fit all this on top of your everyday life too.
Why Focus on Clutter?
Clutter is insidious. It pops up on every surface. No sooner do you clean than someone walks by and sets something down. The clutter starts building up again.
We’ll start with clutter because with less clutter it is easier to clean, simpler to decorate, and better for your wellbeing. And who doesn’t want that?
Why Only 60 Minutes?
Not because you can get it all done in an hour, that’s for sure. Unless you’ve mastered the minimalist approach to living, you probably have more clutter than time.
What you need is a time-saving strategy. One that is short enough you can fit it into your evening but structured enough to actually make an impact.
That’s why 60 minutes. You’ll only tackle part of the overall problem at a time. It’ll be enough to see a difference but not enough to overwhelm you. Repeat a few times a week in trouble spots to see the best results.
What is the Strategy for Less Clutter?
You’ve probably heard of this approach, or something like it, under various names. I just call it Tidying Up. The way I’ve structured it there are 7 steps that break down the 60 minutes in a specific way and purpose. It also works on the concept that everything in your home having have a place.
If you haven’t made places for each type of thing you are decluttering, plan a little extra time to put things away. Or keep a ”homeless items” bin to keep things corralled until you make time to make them a home. Then schedule a specific time to do that so it doesn’t just make the clutter worse.
To use this strategy, I recommend you pick a room or a certain part of a room, like the office desk. If things are really messy you can even just start with part of it to start with. Now pick your spot and follow the steps below.
Gather Your Supplies
Before you begin, you’ll want to gather your supplies. You will need trash bags to gather trash and recyclables. Also, some sort of bin, basket or box — I generally snag a laundry basket — to corral things that don’t belong. Additionally, you will need a duster, some cleaning wipes, and/or a damp rag suitable for the type of surfaces you are decluttering. And finally, you will want to decide how you want to manage your time. Use your phone, your trusty kitchen timer, or a curated music playlist with 5 minute long songs like this Classic Rock playlist on Spotify.
Toss Trash & Recyclables
Set the timer for 10 minutes/2 songs. This is where you go through the space quickly focusing only on gathering up any trash or recyclables. When you are done set them to the side but still accessible, in case you come across any more trash as you go.
Think About Purpose & Function
Reset the timer for 10 minutes/2 songs. Look at the space and think about its purpose. Is everything in the right place, does it serve a function there, or would it be better somewhere else?
If you cleaning your desk, are the pens and pencils you always use within arms reach? What is in arms reach and does it need to be there?
You could spend a lot of time planning this out so don’t get too bogged down with it.
Sort into Piles
Reset timer for 15 minutes/3 songs. Start sorting the clutter, separating out things that don’t belong or that are not properly in their home. Rather than try to put everything away right now, just start putting things into piles.
If an item doesn’t belong in this space, set it in your box/bin/laundry basket and move on. You will deal with this later.
Put the Piles Away
Reset the timer for 10 minutes/2 songs. Now put the piles away, accounting for the function and purpose of the space that you thought about earlier.
Try to organize as you go. But if it this looks like it will take too long, prioritize putting things back over having them be perfectly organized. You can come back to that later if needed.
Deal with the Other Stuff
Reset the timer for 10 minutes/2 songs. Now it time to deal with the laundry basket stuff. If you know where it belongs, go put it there. Doesn’t have a home yet? See if you can make one and if not, add this to your to do list for later. Keep it in the ”homeless items” area temporarily.
Clean and Enjoy Less Clutter
In the last 5 minutes/final song, dust/wipe down your freshly decluttered space. Then put away your cleaning supplies and take out the trash and recyclables. Finally, take a break and reward yourself with a glass of water, a cup of tea or something else that makes you feel good. You deserve it!
What’s next
That’s all there is to it. If there was too much clutter or you have other areas that you need to do, you’ll just repeat the steps. Make this into a regular habit and you’ll find that it will not only get easier but also will take lest time to complete.
Did you like this strategy? Want to know how this fits into the plan to get your whole house decluttered, decorated, and clean for the Holidays? Sign up for a Ko-fi subscription to get the full 8 week planning workbook with all the exercises, checklists, and week-by-week plan to getting stuff done and stressing less this holiday season.
