No need to overdecorate each holiday
Starting with a home run, because this is especially hard, especially during Christmas time. I have had to train myself to control decor. And my kids, too, because they love Christmas just as much as I do.
But I hate clutter more. I try to focus on simple, effective decorating. For example, my fall decor matches the color scheme of my home and is limited to a tablecloth that coordinates with the pillow in my foyer. All the pumpkins around my house are Dollar Tree wood ones that I painted the same color as my walls. There are a few scattered fall leaves throughout the main level. Then, a few larger pumpkins to give it dimension.
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Intentional home decor means less to maintain, less to tidy/clean, less storage needed, and faster decorating time or changes with the season.
Stop organizing clutter
Moving a pile of stuff off the counter into a bin isn’t actually decluttering, my dear friend. That is actually called DOOM. Didn’t organize, only moved. So stop it! With love, of course, I say this! Pare down your belongings and only put things in a bin that you are actually going to use; donate the rest.
Don’t make impulsive purchases
But it was a good deal! I know you may think that, but the marketing job is to make you think you are getting a deal, such as the buy-one-get-one or buy-two-get-one offer. To really know if you are getting a deal, do the math first. If the original price comes out to the same thing, well, it wasn’t a deal; it was a marketing technique.
Dan Arley discusses how our behavior of perceiving something as “FREE” causes us to stop reasoning. This is why people who shop frequently and grab dollar deals or free offers often end up with excessive clutter.
Stop using counters as storage or drop zones
Clutter attracts clutter, and the minute you start using the counters as a catch-all when you get home from being out at the store or anything else, it quickly becomes a magnet for more. Then, in a flash, three days later, you have a mess of things on counters that are homeless.
Instead, create basket systems or easy-to-follow systems that allow you to drop things down in the moment and put them away later without cluttering up your counters.
Remember, the goal is to make it easy to follow through with and maintain the clutter
Don’t hold on to guilt clutter
I discuss this extensively in my decluttering ebook, but if an item is given to you by someone, it comes from a place of love and thought. The thought is usefulness, pleasure, or simplifying life. If that item no longer serves its purpose, then out it goes.
Stop holding on to things you think you might need one day
We live in an era of instant gratification. Amazon’s same-day delivery is enough to say that anything I own can be replaced within hours. So there is no need to hold on to things. And chances are someone in your life probably already owns it, and you can borrow it if you only need it once a year.
No more junk drawers
That drawer is just the adult version of Toy Story. Items tossed in the attic or on the back shelves are never to be used again and are often buried underneath other items. Your future self will thank you if you don’t own one. It will force you to find proper homes for things.
No more keeping broken items
Chances are, you have corners in your home that have items you intended to fix one day. Here are some hard rules to live by: if you didn’t need the item this past year, then it no longer has use. The cost of storing the item might be costing you more than if you replace it with a new one.