Declutter Your Way To Clarity

People who visit my house and writing/coaching office often say, “I wish I could have a comfortably decluttered space like yours.” I offer to organize their clutter and lately, due to moves, deaths, or a desire to downscale, more people have enlisted me to help them reduce the extras in their homes and offices.

Why Decluttering Is So Emotional

As a long-term minimalist, when I’m invited into someone’s home or personal space, I respect their process and that their memories and attachments are different than mine. With over 30 years’ experience in the home and office organization business, I’ve learned how emotional people become when it comes to stuff.

Learning effective decluttering tips isn’t just about organizing-it’s about creating space for clarity, peace, and what truly matters in your life.

How to Declutter: The Two-Session Strategy

When someone hires me to declutter, we schedule two initial sessions. The first one is to assess what needs to go and what stays. Sometimes the first session involves one closet. Sometimes it’s one room, but either way, once we clear the initial unnecessary items, we can assess what’s needed for session two.

This process of finding clarity by slowing down applies to physical spaces just as much as mental spaces.

We address the obvious throw and keep items. We leave the “I’m not sure yet” items for session two.

Decluttering Tips: The One Bag, Three Box Method

I schedule 3-7 days between session one and two so my client has time to live with fewer items. Session two includes my “One Garbage Bag/Three-Box Strategy: Throw. Yes. No. Maybe so. We return to the declutter site with one garbage bag and three similar-sized boxes and label each item: throw, definite yes, definite no, and maybe so.

The “maybe so” decisions are where many clients struggle. These moments require pausing to listen to what your heart truly needs-not just what you think you should keep. The “maybe so” uncertainty is often a source of powerful emotions and rich memories. They wonder, “Do I sell this?” “Should I donate it?” “Throw this?” “Give it to family or friend?” “Does anyone even want it?”

The yes, no and throw decisions are relatively quick and easy. As soon as we fill one garbage bag, we take it outside to the trash bin. We put each item from the “yes box” in its proper space. We drop off the “no box” at a donation site when we finish session two.

Based on our progress, the client chooses to finish the declutter process on their own or we schedule as many sessions as we need to accomplish their organizational goals.

This is an extremely abbreviated approach to how I address mess and muddle. Like embracing a slow and steady approach to life, decluttering works best when done thoughtfully rather than rushed. If you’d like assistance in your organization process or want to consider new priorities for your life, we can schedule a phone consult to discuss your specific situation. I invite you to contact me here.

Questions to Ask When Decluttering

For now, this is a freebie checklist to consider when you’re ready to reduce your clutter. These reflection questions work like Christian writing prompts that help you discover deeper truths about what really matters.

Ask yourself:

• Who gave x, y, z to me? What might that person tell me to do with it?
• What memory do I associate with this item?
• What value does it have to me now?
• If I keep x, y, z, what benefits do I anticipate?
• If I get rid of x, y, z, what do I gain without it?

After you answer some of these questions, I trust you’ll make the wisest decision for what you need for today.

Sending you with free flowing, clutter free wishes,
Christina

“Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys (Luke 12:33).

This wisdom about choosing God’s treasures over worldly possessions guides both our spiritual lives and our physical spaces.