The Art of Everyday Living - The Peaceful Nursery

Clearing Clutter
By Alison Forbes and Laura Forbes Carlin

The amount of "stuff" in people’s lives today is overwhelming and frequently un-necessary and there is no better motivation for re-evaluating than becoming a parent. Babies may be small, but they come with a lot of stuff! If your home and life already feels cluttered and full, just think about what it will be like when you add all of your baby's things into the mix.

As an expectant parent, you want to simplify as much as possible before your baby arrives. The most beneficial reason to new parents is to maximize personal time and preserve much-needed energy. Clearing clutter will actually help you save time because the fewer objects you have, the less you have to take care of, fix, maintain, clean, store, repair, dry clean, buy, order, return, tailor, etc…

This clearing will make time and space for the activities that are really important to you. Take a moment to anticipate the reality of parenting and as you look at each object in your home ask yourself, “I am a parent now – do I have time for this?” If something is covered with dust, get rid of it. If you haven't found time to use it before you were parent, chances are you won't find the time once the baby arrives.

By taking time to prioritize and evaluate your things, and your lifestyle, you are making space for your baby both emotionally and physically.

Ten Steps to Clutter Clearing:

Start small. Begin with one drawer, one shelf, or one cabinet. Successful completion of one area will motivate you for the challenging areas.
Go room-by-room. Start with the easiest and perhaps smallest room. Once you’ve picked a room, stick with it and complete it before moving onto the next.
Leave yourself a realistic amount of time. It sometimes gets worse before it gets better, so don't begin de-cluttering your kitchen an hour before you plan to make dinner.
Take everything out first. Everything. This step will ensure that you address each item.
Clean each drawer, shelf, cabinet or closet before putting things back inside. You will be less apt to place anything that is less than excellent in your now clean and fresh space.
In her book, Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach encourages us to let go of anything that is not useful or beautiful. We would also add loved. Give each item the useful, beautiful, or loved test. If the item matches one or more of these criteria -- keep it. If not, it's time to let it go.
Put your selected items back. Take your time. Find a perfect place for each of your possessions and neatly stack, hang, or fold, making sure each item is appropriately accessible. You may wish to organize a closet by color, season, or some personal system of your choice- whatever supports you in an efficient and easy routine. This is a good time to make a separate pile for anything that needs a little care. For example, any clothes that may need altering or shoes that need repair. Do not put anything back that does not reflect order and simplicity.
Organize the things you are ready to let go of into three piles. 1. Donations. Both the Salvation Army and Goodwill will come to your home for a pick-up. 2. Friends and Family. Maybe you bought something and it never quite fit you, or the color just isn’t right, but it might be perfect for your friend- chances are they will appreciate it and return the favor. 3. Salable items. Garage sales or E-Bay are two ways to sell things. If you are never going to use your great grandmother’s china, first offer it to other members of the family and if no one claims it, then by all means sell it. Use garbage bags and boxes to contain the piles. Make sure you schedule a pick-up or plan on getting items to whoever you are giving them to right away. Leave the boxes and bags out in the open, so you will be motivated to clear them out faster.
One Year rule. If you haven't used it in the last year, let it go. Or if you just can’t make a decision about certain items- don’t spend hours deliberating. It's important to keep moving throughout this process. Create a purgatory box. Pack these items neatly in a box and store them in an organized space for one year. If you haven’t missed these things in a year- let them go. Don't open the box, just give it away.
Go through each room in your house. Each closet, each drawer, each shelf, until your whole space is completely streamlined. If you start feeling like there are some things you “need,” make a list, but do not buy anything for one month. Writing the items down on paper will satisfy the part of you that feels the need to hold on. If you revisit the list at the end of the month, you might be surprised to find that you can’t remember why these things seemed so important to have.

Maintenance:

The nice thing about a huge overhaul is that it will last indefinitely with maintenance. Every week go through your home and check each drawer, closet or space for clutter. Make sure everything is in place and clear out anything that doesn’t belong. This doesn't have to be a long process, try committing to ten minutes a day doing a different room each day, or an hour once a week, to clear accumulated clutter.

Also keep in mind how much stuff you got rid of last time you cleared your clutter. Often clutter clearing makes us realize how much excess we have in our lives. If you're interested in green living, remember being truly eco-friendly isn't always about buying green products, it’s about buying less.