Reproduced with permission by Wayforth Move Management

What better time of year to tackle the clutter in your home than spring? Spring means the end of bitter cold and snow and represents new beginnings and growth. It motivates us to start fresh, clean our homes, and clear out the clutter so we can focus on warmer weather, spending time outside, and enjoying longer days.

Clearing the clutter also helps to clear our minds by finally completing tasks you’ve put off. In order to be successful, we recommend the following tips:

Gather Your Resources

Do a little research ahead of time and make a customized list of charities, organizations, and other outlets that would appreciate the items you choose to pass forward. Some of our favorites are listed below:

• Habitat For Humanity – Appreciates donations of gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, building materials and more.
• Global Literacy Project – Accepts donated books in order to foster community-based literacy initiatives throughout the world.
• Project Smile – Donated baby and children’s items are provided to emergency responders to help ease the pain and fear of children in their care.
• Freecycle – For those who are giving away items for free in their own towns and neighborhoods, Freecycle is all about reusing and keeping good stuff out of landfills. We love that!
• Dress for Success – Provides interview suits, confidence boosts, and career development to low income women in over 75 cities worldwide.
• Lions Clubs Eyeglass Recycling – Recycled glasses are distributed to people in need in low and middle income communities.
• Cell Phones for Soldiers – This non-profit helps connect our troops around the world with their families.
• Animal Shelters – Browse the internet for your local animal shelter. They are always in need of blankets, towels, sheets, and soft bedding to provide their rescues with warmth and a comfortable place to sleep during their stay.

Set Up Command Central

Choose an area in your home to set up four boxes – one for each of the following destinations: Keep, Donate, Toss, and Sell. Start filling these boxes and have a plan for when they are full. Consult your customized list.

No Bingeing – Spread It Out

You simply won’t do it in one day. Spread your project into small, manageable blocks of time over a week or two. Make appointments with yourself to tackle it and honor these appointments. A couple of hours at a time will ensure you don’t get discouraged.

Sort “Like With Like”

Gather all like items throughout your home in one spot. This really allows you to see the entire collection. For example, if you have magazines in multiple rooms, gather them all to really see how many you have. Choose to keep one or two of the best and recycle the rest. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Don’t Get DerailedDon’t let indecision derail your progress. Avoid “decision-fatigue” by creating an “I-don’t-have-a-clue” box. Put these iffy items in this box, and revisit them another day. Things may be clearer the second go-around.

Trust Your Decisions

Once you have filled a box, let it go. Move it to the porch, garage, or your car and set a time to bring it to its destination. Do not second guess. Tape the box shut and say goodbye.

Once your spring cleaning is done, the nagging little voice in your head will be silenced, and you can enjoy the rest of spring with a feeling of clarity, freedom, and accomplishment.

About Wayforth

As the nation’s largest move management provider, we eliminate the stress of moving by guiding our clients through the process step by step and delivering done-for-you moving solutions. You choose your new home, we’ll do the rest.