Overcoming the Winter Blues: Easy Steps to Start Decluttering

OVERCOMING THE WINTER BLUES: EASY STEPS TO START DECLUTTERING

Overcoming the winter blues hits me every year. The sun is scarce and temperatures are cold here in Indiana.

With being indoors more often, I find myself feeling slightly confined and unaccomplished. Tinkering with my apartment is something I love to do regardless of the time of year, but especially in the winter.

Part of overcoming the winter blues is keeping busy. Decluttering is one way to do so. It may feel overwhelming at first, but breaking it down step by step will make for a smoother process and worthwhile results.

Read on to discover how to start decluttering to help overcome the winter blues.

START WITH YOUR WHY

Why declutter? What do you hope to feel after decluttering? What are the benefits of doing it

Decluttering has been proven to ease the mind and offer a sense of accomplishment. A study conducted by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, it was found that having multiple visual stimuli present within one’s view will result in those competing against each other. In other words, the more items within one’s view, the more distracted the person will likely be.

Maybe it’s less about distraction and more about future plans. Will you be renovating? Having a baby? Planning for visitors?

MAKE A LONG-TERM PLAN

Establish goals and stick to a time frame. Room by room is a good place to start.

MAKE A SHORT-TERM PLAN

Within each room, list out what needs decluttering. Is it the pantry in the kitchen? Or the closet in your bedroom?

START IMMEDIATELY & PACE YOURSELF

Start with 5 minutes a day. Throw away trash first then discard expired items.

Next, make donate pile. What do you use less frequently that could be donated?

SET GROUND RULES TO HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

Things will always come in and out of the home, but sticking to your own ground rules will maintain your progress.

An example includes opening mail within the same day and placing it in its coordinating pile such as trash, urgent, and non-urgent.

In contrast, establishing what is needed is equally important as discarding.

REMEMBER SMALL PROGRESS IS STILL PROGRESS

I used to feel defeated when I didn’t accomplish as much as I expected myself to. However, that mindset always set me back further.

Accepting small progress and celebrating the small wins adds up over time.

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