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Over the course of the last month I ran a bonus decluttering challenge where we decluttered 28 items on day 1, 27 items on day 2, 26 items on day 3 all the way down to 1 item on day 28. On the first weekend I decided to go through a shed to see what I could find and it ended up turning into a full declutter and reorganisation of the shed!
I was lucky in that it was a cold day and so I didn't get many interruptions as I got carried away with the clearing out.
This shed tends to be where I put my 'quarantined items'. Essentially things which I am not sure if we will miss should I declutter them. If you want to read more about quarantining your potential decluttered items take a look at my blog: Decisions, decisions, to stay or to go?
Because of this I knew there would be some items in here that I could add to my decluttering total.
The airfryer was one of the quarantined items. We haven't missed it or wanted to use it at all since I put it in the shed. This tells me that it is something I can safely donate or sell without any problem. On the other hand a pair of tongs and a water jug had been missed and were returned to the kitchen.
THE PROCESS
First of all when you open the door to whatever space you want to declutter don't get overwhelmed. The job does not have to be done all in one go. This is a small shed and I was pretty clear on what was in it. If you are going into a space that is large or full of items which mean something to you or you don't really know what you are going to encounter - give yourself the freedom to work in stages. As a good rule of thumb don't start pulling everything out if you only have an hour or two to work on it. Only pull out a section at a time.
Once you have taken out the items you are comfortable dealing with in this session you can start to group them. Items which are clearly going - trash/ recycle and donate. Items which are to be kept but not back in the shed / room / cupboard you are sorting through, items which you are keeping and will be going back into this area.
In this case I had old curtains, bedding and clothing which could be donated, outdoor games which could stay in the shed, spares and overspill of cleaning products which can also stay in the shed and a lot of old toys that the children have outgrown, some of which can be donated and some is broken and with missing parts and will be thrown away.
Once you have your categories sorted you can start putting things back again. If you have done a section of a room you can either put things back where you want them to go ready for the next time you have a decluttering session or you can temporarily box the returning items with a label so that you know what is in the box and can put them away properly when the whole room is completed.
This is the completed shed.
In all transparency - it isn't how the shed was left because as I write we are in a pandemic and I can't donate anything at the moment so all the donations have been put back in here! However they are at the front and can be taken to the charity shops as soon as we are allowed!
So - Don't get overwhelmed by the space you want to declutter..
Only pull out enough stuff for you to sort through in the time you have available.
Categorise items as you sort through them.
Only put back the items which are supposed to be in the space you are decluttering.
Is there an area in your home where you feel overwhelmed and think is too much for you to tackle? Is is preventing you from spending time with the people you love or doing the things you are passionate about?
I can help!
You can contact me via my email lindajharper@yahoo.com or using the chat bubble on my website, I would love to help you!
You can message me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Linda-J-Harper-Professional-Declutterer-and-Organiser-107805011001601.
I am also on Pinterest and Instagram if you need some inspiration! https://www.pinterest.co.uk/adnilenaj1314/boards/
WHILE YOU ARE HERE......
This is a link to a questionnaire I have opened for the next week I would appreciate it if you could fill it in for me? It is totally anonymous and takes a couple of minutes to complete. Thank you xxx The questionnaire will be closed on the 16th March 2021.