Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your use of these links is greatly appreciated!
Last updated on April 10th, 2022 at 08:57 pm
We’ve had a long couple of months getting my husband’s new practice in order. There’s been a lot of rearranging, assembling, and buying things to improve organization and systems. This week, we worked on organizing individual glasses cases and frames so they’re quicker and easier to find. But that also meant making a big mess in the process. It’s what to expect when you’re decluttering and organizing.
Making a mess is part of the decluttering process. Yes, it can be daunting. But it’s also very, very normal.
If you’re wondering if you’re decluttering the right way, here are 5 things you can expect when you declutter.
It ALWAYS looks worse before it gets better.
If you’re worried about making a big mess while decluttering, it’s inevitable. This week I got trapped in the corner of a closet because I was surrounded by glasses cases. I couldn’t leave until I put them away. If you’re in the middle of organizing and find yourself surrounded by chaos, breathe and know it’s NORMAL.
Things have to come out to be sorted before they can go back into a space. The mess is unavoidable.
Things will have to get moved out of the house.
I encourage clients and students to create a Clutter Removal Plan before beginning a project. Deciding ahead of time about when, how, and where discards will go makes it easier to follow through and actually get the clutter out of your house.
You can write out a Clutter Removal Plan inside the 30-Minute Decluttering Plan, which you can find here.
You’ll have extra trash.
Decluttering requires a lot of throwing things away, whether those are broken items or boxes. Be prepared to have your trash bins a little more full than usual. Or plan an extra trip to remove the trash immediately.
It will take time.
It takes time to put things in order. There’s no way around it. But the time you put in is well spent if it can save you hours of searching for lost items or replacing things you’ve lost.
You’ll also spend a lot less time worrying about and thinking about having to get organized.
It takes effort to keep it organized.
Once you’ve finished decluttering and organizing, it won’t automatically stay that way. To keep it organized, build good habits such as putting items away when you’re done using them.
You can get a habit tracker with suggested habits to build to stay organized here.
There are 5 things to expect when you’re decluttering:
- It ALWAYS looks worse before it gets better.
- Things will have to get moved out of the house.
- You’ll have extra trash.
- It will take time.
- It takes effort to keep it organized.
If you’re uneasy about decluttering, check out my 1-on-1 organizing services or check the RNL Shop for organizing guides and resources.
Leave a Reply