How to complete a successful weekend decluttering project!!
Congratulations! You have made a commitment to get serious about creating a clutter-free life and home and you have set aside a weekend to focus on your goals! Below are our expert tips for making sure that you come away as excited as you were when you began.
Please don’t make the common mistake of thinking that buying storage containers should be your first step. To complete a successful weekend project on a budget, begin by shopping in your home. You will most likely find Amazon boxes, shoe boxes and other unused storage solutions throughout your home. If you truly find no budget storage supplies in your home and feel you want to purchase some containers to help with the project, be sure to measure any shelves or storage spaces before shopping and keep the receipts in a safe place.
Professional Home Organizers Caution: Though a weekend offers a lot of time, that time is not infinite, and it can slip away quickly if you are not strategic and intentional about how you use it. I myself have overestimated the amount that I can do in a day or even two days and so have MANY of my clients! Follow the steps below to maximize your time and efforts.
How to maximize your weekend success!
Work as a team (or not!) A weekend is a fantastic time to get everyone in the household together to work as a team. You might get everyone together ahead of time to brainstorm and choose a space to transform that will make everyone feel more productive and happier living in the home. Caveat: It is not advisable to drag household of family members into the project if they are adamantly opposed to being a part of it. If you can sweeten the pot by promising a treat afterwards and can get their honest agreement to help joyfully, then by all means go for it. But if you know in your heart that they will only slow you down and sap your joy, it is best to send them away so that you can be free from any energetic drains.
Mind your energy Be careful not to go too fast and furious for too long. You may be excited to get this project done and that is great, but don’t overdo it at the beginning or you may lose your enthusiasm and energy before you reach your goals.
Be realistic and have fun!
How to know what is realistic to do in a weekend
It is very helpful to have realistic expectations. There are many factors that can influence how long a given project will take. A few include how much is in the space, how long it has been there, and whether there are any emotional attachments to the items.
Since it is very tricky to estimate how long decluttering and organizing a particular space will actually take, we have compiled a chart that not only outlines the 8 factors that can influence how long your project will actually take, but includes a compilation of estimates from well-respected professional home organizers.
Download the chart to support you in having a much better idea of what you can reasonably expect to accomplish in a weekend
If you feel overwhelmed after looking at the chart, don’t despair!
For a limited time, you can get the decluttering and organizing support you deserve with combined personal and group virtual organizing support. Our Decluttering Success Bundle combines 2 one hour individual sessions on Zoom where we will break down your tasks into manageable steps and give you the confidence you need to get started with those overwhelming projects. 🙂
Then the community support and decluttering power hours will help you get across the finish line!
And if you still want to DIY it, here are the steps to follow!
How to choose where to begin
I suggest that you begin in an area that is creating stress for you or stress for others in your household. If there are NO areas that are creating stress, first celebrate that! Then choose an area that you have a clear and realistic vision of how to improve.
A few good areas to choose for a weekend organizing project are larger spaces like attics, basements or garages. Other sound choices might be large closets or guest room that have become storage spaces full of postponed decisions.
Decluttering and organizing a garage
If the weather is nice, a garage can be a fantastic choice for a weekend decluttering project.
First take before pictures and walk around and observe what is working. Notice whether there are already some logical groupings of things, or “stations’ that make sense to you. If so, you can build on these successes.
If it is possible to take everything out and spread it out on a sheet or old blanket in the driveway, you will have the joy of seeing the space empty and only putting back what you really want to give up the space to.
This also allows for cleaning before reorganizing, which is an excellent Feng Shui move!
But if your garage is packed and that feels overwhelming, you might choose one side of the garage or one category of items to begin. A common category that is often found in garages is tools. Other categories that I often find stored in garages are seasonal objects, clothes, toys and decorative objects that have no other place to go.
You might find it helpful to jot down the categories of things that you find in your garage as a helpful way to begin to declutter and organize. Whether or not you choose to work by category, be mindful that garages, attics and basements are very often prime spaces for postponed decisions. If you only reorganize and are not brave and bold enough to make some of those postponed decisions, you will not have made the best use of your precious time.
For more tips and strategies for organizing a garage check out our blog post on “How to declutter your garage in four steps”
Decluttering and organizing an attic or basement
Once again, take before pictures and notice what is working in your attic or basement. Take a quick mental or paper inventory of what you see. Where is the “low hanging fruit,” the things that it is obvious you no longer need to keep. I’m talking outgrown clothes, craft supplies from old school projects long ago completed and graded, camping and exercise gear form your younger more supple years, or other aspirational clutter. Doing this will give you a quick feeling of success, which will help you to keep going. For more on attic and basement feng shui meanings and decluttering guidance, check out our blog post on “Three steps to declutter your spooky attic or basement.”
The choice is yours!
Clearly this is not a complete list of all of the rooms or areas that one might choose to tackle in a weekend. Choose the space that it will bring you the most joy to transform or that is most likely to reduce conflicts and stress in your household.
You don’t have to do this alone. 🙂
You really don’t have to travel the sometimes stressful journey to a clutter-free life alone. If at any time you wish to move forward more quickly and take advantage of the many tools and tricks that I have learned by supporting hundreds of mindful clients since 2005, let’s jump on a Zoom and explore ways to jumpstart your process and get the job done!
I love that you mention “joy” several times in your post. A wonderful reminder that getting organized needn’t be viewed as a dreaded chore, but as an activity that will improve your life and, if approached with a positive attitude, can be pleasurable in itself!
Thanks, Janet! I totally agree that the words we use and the spirit with which we enter into our decluttering tasks will make a huge difference and how successful we feel.