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Bonos Decluttering Blog
Guess what! I’ve added a bonus to our decluttering series. There's just so much to say about decluttering, and it’s been a challenge to fit everything in. I truly hope this series has been helpful to you because I’m on a mission to help as many people as possible live clutter-free lives.
Recap
Before we dive into the bonus part, let’s recap the journey we've been on:
· Part 1: We discussed how clutter impacts our daily lives and the challenges it creates.
· Part 2: We explored why decluttering is difficult, both emotionally and practically.
· Part 3: I shared the Ultimate Guide to decluttering your home—covering how to decide what to keep and what to let go of.
· Part 4: We focused on creating steps for decluttering your space and staying on track.
How to Stay Decluttered
Now that you've done the work of decluttering your space, we need to talk about how to keep it that way. This bonus post is all about creating a clutter-free lifestyle—so you don’t fall back into old habits of chaos.
I know this journey may have seemed daunting, but once you build a routine and stick to it, it becomes second nature—a lifestyle. While some experts say it takes 21 days to form a habit, I’ve found this doesn’t always hold true. Many people fall back into old patterns after those 21 days.
That’s why I challenge you to commit to 13 weeks (90 days). In 13 weeks, you’re more likely to have truly established a new lifestyle. By then, the clutter-free life will feel natural, and going back to clutter will be unthinkable.
Sustaining Your Progress: Create a Plan
As Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” Creating a plan is essential for maintaining your clutter-free space.
Here are 5 key things to include in your plan:
1. Laundry Day(s): Your laundry routine is one of the most important tasks that you have in your day to day or week to week routine. Decide what day(s) you'll wash, dry, fold, and put away clothes.
· No matter how many people are in your household, avoid going more than a week without doing laundry.
· For families of 3 or more, consider doing laundry twice a week if your schedule allows.
2. Create a “Tidy Nighty” Routine: Set aside 5–10 minutes each night to tidy up any displaced items before bed. You can even set a nightly alarm to remind everyone in your household to participate.
3. Keep Surfaces Clear: Make a habit of clearing daily-used surfaces like counters, tables, and bathroom sinks, and tackle less-used surfaces like nightstands and dressers weekly. These areas attract clutter quickly, and if left unattended, they can overwhelm you. Keeping surfaces clear brings peace and makes clean-up easier.
4. Donate Regularly: Practice the law of reciprocity—before big events like back-to-school shopping, birthdays and holidays, assess what you no longer need and donate items. I used to remind my kids that there were children who would love to have toys they no longer played with. Today, my oldest has unconsciously embrace the minimalist lifestyle and don’t hold on to unnecessary things.
5. Adapt: Life changes, and so will your routines. Adjust your plan as needed, but keep the consistency. For instance, my laundry schedule changed several times as my life evolved, from doing laundry on my day off when I worked retail to doing it on Sundays after church when my boys were involved in travel sports.
A Clutter-Free Lifestyle for Life
In closing, I want to leave you with this thought: You must do what works best for you in the season of life you’re in. What worked for you a year ago may not work now, and that's okay. Flexibility is key, but maintaining consistency in your decluttering habits will keep your life organized and your space peaceful.
Remember, decluttering isn’t just a one-time project—it’s a commitment to an organized, peaceful, and productive life. You've worked hard to clear your space, and now you have the tools to keep it that way. Embrace your clutter-free journey, and don’t be afraid to tweak your plan as life changes. I’m confident that with dedication, you’ll find living without clutter not only possible but enjoyable.
Thank you for being part of this series, and here’s to a life of sustained organization!
Decluttering Tools
Don’t forget about your decluttering tools. I have linked some tools that will help you on your decluttering journey. These tools are meant to aid you on your decluttering journey and can also be useful for other things.
1. Planner – The planner is a tool you can utilize to help you come up with your plan on how you are going to get to your end goal. It has space for you to plan out into the future and be detailed with those plans.
2. Calendar – The is a magnet calendar that can be visibly placed on the refrigerator in your kitchen and if you don’t like that one or would like to put it in a less visible space just find something similar that you can hang on the wall.
3. White trash bags (for trash) – When starting the full decluttering session, you want to be sure you have enough trash bags and different color trash bags for different things. I recommended white for trash because most households use white trash bags in their home already.
4. Black trash bags (for donations) – Since you can’t see through the black trash bags, I recommend using them for donations. This way, once they are in the bag they are officially gone from your life. When you put them in the car and hand them off you cannot see what’s in the bags to change your mind.
5. Permanent Donation box – The permanent donation box is meant to create a lifestyle of keeping your life free of clutter and chaos. Place the box in your garage, by the back door or in a closet but be sure to label it, that everyone in the family knows where it is and what it’s for. Also add a quarterly day in your calendar to donate the donations.
(This post contains affiliate links to Amazon that I make a small commission from with no extra costs added to you.)
Until Next Time,
TakillaRene
The Life Organizing Strategist
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