“Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye”- Part 2

The Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye Series

Welcome to Part 2 of the “Kiss Your Clutter Goodbye” series. In this series, we are exploring some organizing concepts that will help you declutter and maintain your newly organized spaces.

I’ve always believed that “we fill the space we have”. Do you agree? But at some point, we all reach a tipping point and things start to become cluttered, and clutter just slows you down and takes up space.

I love today’s concept and can’t wait to share it with you. Even though I haven’t moved in over 30 years I use this decluttering exercise in my own home all the time.

Act Like You Are Moving

What if you found out you had to move tomorrow? What would you take with you? And what would you leave behind? Studies show that you use only 20% of what you own. What about the other 80%? Gather one type of item, maybe the towels in your crowded linen closet. Take out the bath towels you use often. Consider why you have the rest. Would you pay to have the extras packed up and moved to your new home? How about something heavier, like books or tools? Try to:

  • Think like a Home Stager. Uncluttered spaces make the best impression. Why not make the best impression for yourself?
  • Imagine someone going through your closets or storage spaces. What would you not want people to see?
  • Resist buying containers until after you have decluttered and you have a sense of what you need.

It works because you will determine what you need and not feel pressured to get rid of things you love or use. It’s also great practice if you ever have to move.

Even though I haven't moved in over 30 years I use this decluttering exercise in my own home all the time. Click To Tweet

As I said before, clearing clutter is not “One Solution Fits All.” This is just one decluttering option that may work for you. Follow along with the series for different strategies to get rid of what is holding you back.

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

18 Comments

  1. Janet Barclay on February 5, 2024 at 8:18 am

    I really like this suggestion! I’m going to keep it in mind the next time I’m decluttering.

  2. Jonda Sue Beattie on February 5, 2024 at 8:28 am

    I like this idea of thinking about moving. I go through everything in my home once a year. I do this zone by zone, so it is never overwhelming. I do hold on to some things I am not currently using but I have at least thought about it and know that I will revisit that decision again next year.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 6:29 am

      That’s great Jonda. I like to know that items have a purpose in my house, that way buying and keeping what’s really needed versus what’s wanted.

  3. Diane Quintana on February 5, 2024 at 8:50 am

    Both are great strategies for decluttering.
    My favorite is thinking about what you would pay to move. I ask clients what they would want to unpack – if they were moving. You never want to unpack and put away something you don’t want to have in the first place.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 6:33 am

      I agree and love the way you see it “never want to unpack and put away something you don’t want”, yes never but I see it all the time with clients.

  4. Seana Turner on February 5, 2024 at 9:26 am

    Assuming this mindset would definitely change the way I think about my stuff. In fact, were I moving, I think I would leave a lot of my furniture behind because it is old and dated LOL.

    This is a great approach because, in general, I think we tend to underestimate the “carrying costs” of clutter. We think we have space, so it isn’t costing us anything. But it actually is, and you can easily see that when you think about paying a mover to pack, load, haul, and unload it.

    I have no plans to move, but I can see how looking at my belongings through this lens will encourage me to get rid of more. I think I need to get my husband on board – he tends to keep a lot more than Ido.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 9:03 pm

      This is a great perspective. A lot of clients get attached to their furniture because it used to belong to their family and they don’t want to let go of it because the guilt starts kicking in. But I agree, if you don’t like it, leave it behind, no one wants to pay for moving it.
      I have no plans to move either but if I do, I’ll get all new items.

  5. Sabrina Quairoli on February 5, 2024 at 10:41 am

    Painting our main floor and stairwell made me downsize the things I had in there. Since I had an open floor plan, I could get rid of so much stuff in my kitchen, living room, dining room, and foyer, and reduce/rearrange my artwork, too!

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 9:05 pm

      That is absolutely true. Because you have to move everything out in order to make it easy for the painters, so you realize that a lot of items should not make it back to your kitchen or any other room.

  6. Julie Bestry on February 5, 2024 at 8:43 pm

    This really resonates with me. about 30 years ago, in my prior career, I had a spectacularly bad day at work. I went home, and all that night and all that weekend, I got rid of all my clutter as well as thing that I didn’t think I’d miss if I moved. I wasn’t planning on quitting and moving, but I wasn’t quite NOT planning to do those things. I just liked how freeing it was. I also went into my office and took down all of the decor, figuring that would help me figure out what to keep.

    However, my boss stopped by the office that Sunday, saw that my office had been emptied of all of its charm, and thought I was quitting because of that bad Friday. He greeted me on Monday morning VERY apologetically, and reversed almost all the bad things that he’d done on that Friday. (Apparently he went home, told his wife he thought I was quitting, which meant he had to tell her all about the stupid things he’d done the prior week, and she got on his case!)

    My point is that living like you’re going to move is powerful; it reduces the excess that holds you in place and gives you opportunities so that you can move (not necessarily move homes, but move *around* literally and figuratively), and the whole process might just make those around you appreciate you more! 😉

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 9:12 pm

      That is so true. What a way to get back at things by removing items and decor you don’t want anymore, it does free you from any pressure. In a way it helped your case with your boss, and made him feel guilty without him knowing what the plan was.
      Thanks for sharing your story.

  7. Phaedra Studt on February 6, 2024 at 12:41 pm

    As someone who recently moved, this is a great frame of reference for getting stuff out of the home. I was finally doing something with the piles of stuff we decided we didn’t want anymore but had yet to take action. We questioned if we really needed to take certain things with us. It was great to lighten our load a bit.

    Have you heard of the more extreme version of the packing party? I heard of it through The Minimalists. They pack everything in the home and then unpack only what they want/ need. After some time, everything still in boxes goes to the nearest donation center. A bit intense for me, but an interesting concept to think about for decluttering for sure.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 9:19 pm

      This would be great for extra frames, kitchen items, decor etc. that you’re not sure you’ll ever use again. Bit extreme but haven’t had anyone do this concept before, very interesting for sure.

  8. Julie Stobbe on February 6, 2024 at 2:09 pm

    I have tried this concept with clients who want to downsize because they will be moving in a couple of years. I tell them to start emptying rooms and live with them empty to get used to living in a smaller space. You are exactly right that if we have space why empty it if we don’t need to?

    • Janet Schiesl on February 6, 2024 at 9:06 pm

      This is great to get them ready to downsize. Thanks for this tip Julie.

  9. Linda Samuels on February 7, 2024 at 12:14 pm

    I love your approach! It’s a perspective reframe, which can help when you get stuck letting go. Recognizing that most of us only use 20% of everything we own is a sobering statistic. And using that knowledge, along with wearing the “moving” hat, can really help to facilitate owning less stuff.

    • Janet Schiesl on February 7, 2024 at 5:20 pm

      I’ve come to a point where I buy things I know I will use and let go of what’s sitting there. It’s really easy to have our homes filled with so much when so many stores offer a lot. Thanks for commenting.

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