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A pre-holiday declutter in your home can set you up for a truly calm and joy filled holiday season. The ultimate goal is to create a home that is a haven from the hurried season “out there”.
The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, family, and friends. I like to think it’s a time to reconnect at the end of the year with the people I love. For me, it’s the perfect time to set up my home to be a haven in preparation for the busy season “out there,” so I have a place to relax, unwind and recharge at home. For most people, it’s a time of stress as they try to prepare for all the events and gatherings that they want to take part in to reconnect. One way to help reduce some of that stress is to declutter your home. Here are some tips on how to do it quickly and easily.
The holiday season is a time for family, friends, and sometimes, gift-giving. However, before you can start shopping for presents, you may need to take some time to declutter your home. A holiday declutter can be a great way to create a place in your home away from all of the rushing and doing. If you’ve ever driven around during the madness, you know. Or maybe you’ve been brave enough to get out into the malls during this time for gift shopping… by removing the clutter from your home and creating a more peaceful place to come home to, you can make your home more supportive of the outside activities you may need to take part in. So before you start your holiday hurriedness, take some time to declutter your home and create a space for respite for you and your family in the upcoming season.
The holiday season is a busy time for most people. Between work commitments, social obligations, and travel plans, it can be challenging to find time to declutter your home. However, with a little bit of planning, it is possible to declutter your home before the holiday rush begins. The key is to start early and focus on one area at a time. For example, you might start by decluttering your kitchen surfaces to gain some breathing space, or your living room to make an impact on how long it takes to get everything tidied, you might move to your bedroom to give yourself a sanctuary to start and end your busy days in. Don’t try to declutter your entire house all at once – it’s simply too much work, and you’re likely to get overwhelmed. Instead, focus on one room or area at a time and take regular breaks – I always suggest setting a timer for at least 5 minutes and focusing on a single area or grouping of items. Remember, the goal is to reduce holiday stress, not add to it! With some planning and elbow grease, you can declutter your home in time for the holiday season so that you can use your home as a haven during the hurried holiday season.
The holiday season is a busy time of year, and finding the time to declutter your home can be challenging. However, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier – I call these Hurdle Helpers in my programs.
What kind of hurdles are you facing – lack of time, lack of motivation, or feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand?
First, let’s look at the time issue; one simple Hurdle Helper can be to start by setting aside some time daily to work on decluttering – just five minutes will be enough time to make a dent in the clutter. Second, if you struggle to get motivated, look for quick wins. These are things that you can let go of that are easy and not overwhelming. When a client is struggling with not feeling very motivated, I have a whole list of strategies that we can utilize, but the one I suggest most often is the quick wins. Momentum building is easier than motivation building (which relies on willpower). Finally, if you are feeling overwhelmed, be realistic about your goals. Don’t try to declutter your entire house in one week – it’s more important to make steady progress than to try to do too much at once and end up feeling overwhelmed. Start with one small square foot on your kitchen counters. Once that’s done, move to the next square foot. Clearing the surfaces in your kitchen help give you a surface reset in the most important room of your home, and the most used during this season. By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to bust through those hurdles and declutter your home in no time.
The holiday season is a busy time of year, and it can be easy to dismiss clearing clutter in your home simply because you’re so busy. If you are busy, this is the perfect time to pick away at the excess and focus your efforts in the most impactful spaces of your home.
Consider creating your action plan based on the priority areas of your home. These are the areas where guests and members of your household share… I call these the primary zones… they are essentially the common areas in your home.
Those spaces are your priority areas to clear clutter first. Getting them functioning to their highest levels will give you some breathing space.
In addition to the main areas, I want you to consider a surface reset. This is my answer to everything family related. The simple process of clearing off all of your surfaces in your primary zones will help reset everyone’s level of clutter tolerance.
The best way to describe clutter tolerance is the level of clutter and excess that is in your home and how much it affects each person.
It almost seems like those with a higher tolerance to clutter don’t even see the messes – this is a phenomenon known as clutter blindness.
If you and your family aren’t at the same level with your tolerance/awareness of clutter, you will constantly feel the burden being the only one that sees it or seems affected by it. The Spatial Reset will help you, my friend.
By following these tips, you can declutter your home before the holidays and enjoy a home that will support you during the upcoming holiday season.
If you’re feeling stressed about the holidays, don’t worry – you’re not alone! Getting your home decluttered and organized before the hurried holiday season can seem daunting, but it’s totally doable with some advance planning. Remember to dive into these four questions to get started:
– what’s your motivation for decluttering?
– how much time can you realistically dedicate to the task?
– what’s your biggest hurdle?
– what’s your plan of action?
Once you have those answers mapped out, give me 15 minutes a day for two weeks, and I promise I’ll help you get your house back in order – just in time for the holidays! Click here to buy my Home for the Holidays Overhaul program now.