5 Ways to Control Clutter so it doesn’t come back!

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Have you recently, decluttered? That initial feeling of a clutter free home is wonderful, but you have probably realized that decluttering doesn’t stop the clutter from coming back.

In fact, if you aren’t intentional, you’ll soon find that your home is starting to fill up with clutter again. So in this post, I’m going to share the 5 habits that will keep your clutter under control.

This is part of a clutter free series. You can read the other posts in this series here:  Reasons behind our clutter and how to deal with daily clutter.

Now, let’s figure out how to keep that clutter from coming back!

1. Don’t save everything.

In the book Clutter Free with Kids* the author,  Joshua Becker, says that when we keep everything we are really keeping nothing. Let that sink in for a moment.

If everything gets our attention, then nothing is really that special. Here’s an example in my own life. I used to keep every single card that I had ever been given.

  • Birthdays
  • high school graduation
  • college graduation
  • wedding showers
  • our wedding
  • baby showers

All of those cards were overflowing from a plastic storage container that I kept them in. I had kept ALL of those cards, but because there were so many, I never went through them and looked back at them.

A little over a year ago, I finally went through every single card. It took me hours.

I decided to only keep the ones that were truly special and I knew I would want to look back on. The rest I simply threw out. Saving the quality cards over the quantity of cards eliminated the clutter and made the cards more special.

Preventing Clutter Declutter Tips

2. Get offline more often.

Do you find that you purchase more items when you spend more time online? I know I do.

Whether you are scrolling through Amazon or a social media feed, you’ll most likely see something that you had no desire to purchase earlier, but all of a sudden it seems like you need it.

  • The less you’re online, the less stuff you’ll see.
  • The less stuff you see, the less likely you’ll be tempted to buy it.

3. Know yourself.

It is better to purchase a few things that you love, rather than a whole bunch of things that aren’t really you. I shared a few specific tips in this post 3 Steps to a clutter Free Home.

Take time to figure out your fashion sense and what kind of home decor you are drawn to. Don’t let trends dictate what you bring into your home.

I used to look at what bloggers, magazines, or ads were telling me I “needed” in my home and closet. However over the last few years, I’ve taken the time to figure out that I love decorating in blue and I take my time looking for what I want to decorate my home with rather than just sticking to a certain style or trend.

I’m currently reading Love the House You Are In* and the author shares practical ways to create a home that reflects you rather than the trends. I’m loving it so far!

I’ve also narrowed down the kind of clothes that I feel the most comfortable in and feel the best in. Now, when I shop for clothes, I know what to look for instead of just hitting the clearance rack to find the best price.

Prevent Clutter

4. Purge your clutter routinely.

We are constantly bringing things into our homes. It’s just part of life. But if you aren’t consistently getting rid of items that you no longer need or love, than your home will start to feel too full.

I have a box that I keep in our bonus room for donations. Whenever I find something that I no longer want or need, I just put it in the box. When the box is full, I have the DAV come pick it up or I just take it to Goodwill.

5. Develop routines for dealing with clutter.

I feel like I preach routines, but I’m telling ya. They have changed my life.

And I know they can change yours too!

Take some time to think carefully about the routines in your home. Here are some specific routines you will want to develop:

  • laundry
  • mail
  • dishes
  • meal planning
  • evening
  • morning
  • getting home from school and work

These habits won’t happen overnight or all at once. Pick one or two to start. Once those routines become a habit, move on to another one. You can use my daily, weekly, and quarterly, checklist for easy reference.

Declutter Tips

Thank you for joining me in this series!

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