Happy February from the Brogley Team, and thanks for joining us today on our blog!
Well, 2018 is in full swing around our office, and we are really excited to share some simple decluttering tips for your next, upcoming move. Even if you have zero plans of moving at this time, you can still take full advantage of these helpful tips to get organized and decluttered. There is something here for everyone, so we really hope that you will stick around!
Ok, we’ve all experienced relocating, whether it’s moving into that lovely home of our dreams, a stylish, mid-century town home, or maybe even Grandma’s memorable basement. Each of us can easily relate to the headaches and challenges of carrying our life’s worth of belongings from one space to another.
Brogley’s provides every client a seamless transition, however, there are some easy steps that you can begin taking now to enhance your next moving adventure. So, today we want to begin to unpack those practical ways that relieve the challenges that come with moving. We want to help prepare you and your family for that wonderful journey ahead.
We’ll stick to some basic steps we’ve already been chatting about. If you follow our blog, you saw at the beginning of the new year that we posted a very simple printable calendar that offers organization tips and a few practical ways to declutter and organize for your 2018. This resource is all about helping you plan your 2018 organization projects. If you haven't already, please print a copy!
In the weeks ahead, we're going to break down and apply these simple strategies while using my own personal moving adventure as an example. Yes, that’s right, my family is preparing to move and with the help of our staff at Brogley’s I know the transition will be a wonderful one.
In order to help this be the best move possible, I need to be considering these simple decluttering tips as well. The reason? First, nobody wants to pay to have items moved from space to space when you know those things will easily be donated or trashed later. Why not do it before? Second, decluttering now will help my family get a head start on that optimized and streamlined lifestyle that we seek in our new space. It is never too early to get a head start on these projects, and a rewarding future with peace of mind will far outweigh the messes of today. So, let’s get started! Our goal is to break these down into easy steps that will encourage us to divide and conquer our projects.
Organization Tip 1: Start with small sections of larger projects. The idea behind this is to stay away from getting overwhelmed in your decluttering projects. How many of us have started a project just to quit in defeat? *Raising my hand* I know I have. We all should have a master list with a plan, but if our aim is to work off of that daily, we won’t get very far. We need to learn to break these tasks down, and to divide the large sections into smaller, bite size jobs. This way we can accomplish our goals in smaller, doable projects.
Some examples on my master list. Here are recent photos I took of the messiest and most cluttered places that need the most attention before our move. The craft cabinet, the laundry room, the bedroom corner, and the bathroom cabinets. If you look closely, there is so much disorganization, most likely trash, and items that never get used. I need to work through each space to declutter and organize.
But, if I try to tackle each of these spaces all at once, then I will most likely crash and burn. (Anyone else know what I mean?) So, in order to not do that, I have to think of these projects as items on a list to complete. I won’t accomplish them in a day, so I am going to break them down, conquering ONE at a time, in smaller tasks. I will even let myself take a break in between, maybe walk to the coffee shop, or take a fifteen minute nap. The goal here is to show myself grace, and learn to pace myself one job at a time. This will help me in the long run to accomplish all of the tasks on my master list. Stay on schedule, but don’t forget to show yourself grace or give yourself a break. This step may seem minor, but it can really help you get to where you're going in your projects. Don't skip it!
Last week, I purged the messy bathroom cabinet. First, I sorted everything into 4 small piles so that I could think through each item, make decisions, and purge.
Pile 1: Trash.
Pile 2: Keeping
Pile 3: Donations.
Pile 4: Selling.
In between sorting each pile, I took several breaks so that I could clear my head and refresh momentum. Little by little, I made head way until each pile was completely sorted and decided on. The trash was thrown out, I re-organized the cabinet with the kept items, the donations are in a bag for easy drop off, and the other pile has the items I can sell.
AND, here is the after picture!
The LARGE bag of trash,
the donations, the
CLUTTER, ALL GONE!!!
Now that I can mark off the bathroom cabinet on my master list, I have begun the next project on my list, the bedroom corner. YAY! It really is freeing to accomplish my list one day at a time, one task at a time, and to stay away from burnout. The key is to start small, take breaks, and to achieve results one task at a time. I am learning to celebrate each step of the process!
So, what about you? What are some decluttering jobs you could begin tackling today? If you start applying these simple tips now, you can soon see results, and you and your family will be be more prepared for that move coming!
Please stay tuned for Part Two of this segment on decluttering where we will discuss additional tips to help you pursue getting organized and decluttered. Remember, even if you have no plans of moving, these steps are meant to help anyone get organized today. We are on this journey with you and hope these easy steps will help you jumpstart to that healthy lifestyle that you want.
Until next time, happy decluttering, friends!
~The Brogley Team
~ NOTE: For donations, it is important to contact donation centers, such as Goodwill, women’s and homeless shelters first to find out what they will accept. This way you can divide and distribute effectively. For selling items, we recommend Offer Up or the Facebook Marketplace. These are a simple ways online to advertise your items with photos and a helpful description to find the right buyer in your area. Remember to exercise caution when meeting someone to make exchanges. Always meet in an open and public place, do not share any personal information about yourself, and take a friend. ~