Decluttering checklists are a terrific tool for tackling the clutter, big and small, in your home. They keep us on track, motivate us, and generally make the whole process go more smoothly. And they help us steer clear of common decluttering mistakes. One of the easiest ways to become frustrated is to take a random approach to clearing the clutter from your house. A little here and a little there leaves you feeling like you’re not making much progress. But a list gives you an easy reminder of what you’ve done and what you still need to do.
The Room-by-Room Decluttering Checklist
It’s a great tool to use when:
- You’re not sure where to start
- You want a more organized approach to decluttering
- You want to keep track of your decluttering efforts
When you’re deciding how to declutter your home, it makes sense that working room-by-room is the best way to attack such a big job. But even one room can feel overwhelming. Where should you start? And what all should you be looking for?
Our checklist helps you work through your house and declutter in an organized way.
Unless you’re decluttering an entire room in one day (kudos to you if that’s the case!), it’s easy to lose your place and forget where you’re at in the process. Having a list means you don’t have to remember, just pick up where you left off.
This list is a simple solution for tracking our decluttering efforts. Just keep it handy and check of each item as you complete it. You’ll find it’s a big help with staying organized and not having to remember everything.
Figuring out how and where to start decluttering is probably the #1 hurdle that people face. And not only when you first begin, but on many days during the process. So the less we have to think about it the better. It’s one less decision that can hinder our progress.
Our room-by-room checklist helps you get past ‘getting started’. Just go to the next item on the list and get busy. Or, if you didn’t finish an item last time, you can simply pick up where you left off. Knowing what to do next makes the job feel less difficult.
The No-Regret Decluttering Checklist
It’s a great tool to keep on hand for days when:
- You just don’t know where to start
- You only have a little time (or energy) to spare
- You’re just not up to full-on decluttering but still want to make some progress
The key is focusing on ‘low-hanging fruit’. When it comes to decluttering, the simplest task is to identify items that just need to be thrown away. You don’t need to make big decisions, because every one of the items goes right into the trash (or recycling).
This type of clutter plagues all of us, but it’s one of the easiest to deal with. You know what I mean. It could be all those dead batteries that keep accumulating. Or expired medications that should be pitched for safety reasons. Or all the plastic store hangers and wire dry cleaning hangers that are cramming our closet.
The checklist includes 80+ things that you may overlook every day but are easy decluttering targets.
One of the benefits, of course, is that you’re still working toward your bigger goals. Removing the things that just need to be thrown away will make the job easier when you do get around to deeper decluttering.
Tips for using this checklist.
- Throw things away immediately.
Part of the beauty of this method is that you don’t have to make decisions. The list only contains things that should be disposed of. These items can go right from where they’re ‘living’ in your home directly to the garbage, the trash, or recycling.
- Go item by item, not room by room.
I think this works well because of the way the checklist is organized. For example, if you’re getting rid of pens that are empty/dry, go to all the places in your house when they would be and round them all up. Then when you check them off, you know that item has been dealt with.
- Track your progress.
This is one of the reasons why checklists rock. It’s easy to see what you’ve done and what you still need to do.
Wrap Up
Checklists are one of the best decluttering tools you can use. And you’re not limited to just one type, which is good, because they each have their own advantages. Try different lists for different purposes and get the benefits of them all.
Is there another type of decluttering checklist that you’d like to see? Please share it in a comment below!