Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling your home, or even staying put for a few more years, it’s never a bad time to start decluttering. It’s safe to say that clutter can accumulate quickly. Half finished projects, old toys, paperwork, gifted items, remnants from old hobbies… the list goes on.
If you’re thinking of downsizing your home, staging your space or even if you would just like to bring more focus to your daily life, mindful decluttering is a great place to start. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to guide you on your journey to have less, so you can live more.
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- Honour The Journey: Especially if you are downsizing to a smaller home, reducing the amount of items you own can be an emotional experience. If it were easy, we would all live artfully minimal lives. So honour your feelings and remember that it is an emotional experience when you get rid of things. Remember that feelings are not held in things, but rather in our hearts. Take photos of items that you’d like to get rid of but still remember. Only keep items that truly bring you joy and add value to your life.
- Get Some Resources: The Home Edit, Marie Kondo and The Minimalists have great documentaries and books that you can reference for support and inspiration. There are also tons of great podcasts available to help guide your path to less.
- Start Small: We always tell our clients to start the decluttering process early. If you’re contemplating a move, don’t leave it to the last minute. Give yourself lots of time to tackle one room at a time. We recommend starting with one small area of your home. For instance, take an hour or two to clean out your bathroom cupboards. You’ll be surprised at how many bottles, medicine, makeup and more can be accumulated over time. Once you complete one task, you’ll feel empowered to tackle more.
- Involve Your Whole Family: Invite members of your household to take part in the decluttering process. Ask your kids to put toys they no longer play with in a pile and explain how those toys will go to other kids so they can have a chance to enjoy them. If you’re struggling with getting rid of items, lean on your family to help you. Remember, be kind to yourself and trust the process. By encouraging everyone to take initiative and work together, you will not only make the process easier, but it will be a great bonding moment for your whole household.
- Know When To Ask For Help: If you need extra help with organizing, decluttering and cleaning, that’s okay too. Our team can put you in touch with local service providers to help get you on track. It’s important to keep in mind that there is no shame in asking for help. In fact, we ourselves have had cleaners and organizers come to our homes for their expertise. Sometimes an outside expert with new ideas is just the thing you need!
At the Kim Phillips Real Estate Team, we provide more than just Real Estate trading services, we provide our clients with a personal and full-service experience. We are here to help you every step of the way. We’ve helped countless families navigate life transitions and work hard to make your Real Estate journey as comfortable as possible. We can’t promise that a big life change will be 100% stress-free, however, we can promise to be there to help every step of the way.