Every year when that big yellow bus pulls away for the last time, school children everywhere fly home with that exhilarated feeling of freedom. It’s time to toss away the backpacks and drag out the pool floaties and other hot-weather essentials.
Summer stuff, as I call it. Outdoor grilling, beach trips, and epic water gun wars make for a huge pile in the garage (on top of last year’s cornhole game, sports equipment, and the treadmill you plan to sell).
Or the looming family reunion that sends you up into the attic, digging through boxes to find photos for the slide show you’re in charge of.
And what about all the bins of clothing you stored last year, in hopes that your growing kids (or their younger siblings) could get some wear out of shorts sets and swimsuits.
Any of these projects can make you forget just how far you’ve come, even if your living room is 90% clutter free and you’re tackling that kitchen counter daily as part of your evening routine. But before you get discouraged, we’ve got five tips to help you keep your momentum going on your decluttering journey.
Be okay where you are.
There are a lot of shame-inducing circumstances we find ourselves in surrounding our clutter. Even if we’ve been decluttering for a long time, we can discover an area that’s overrun by stuff we no longer need, or stuff that goes someplace else, like all those boxes in the attic we stuffed there “for now” (years ago).
Or, perhaps during a busy season, we let our routines go and now we’re faced with having to re-conquer areas we had worked so hard to declutter. That one dresser that you let pile up, or the bin of toys in the playroom.
Whatever the reason for your dismay, the worst thing you can do is to allow shame to pile up like clutter. Be gentle with yourself as you assess your situation and accept it. Wasting time and energy beating yourself up takes away from your ability to remedy the situation.
Remember, all you have to do is set a timer for 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done in that short time. Set a timer on your phone, and then rinse and repeat the next day, and the next.
Before you know it, that area will be decluttered and feeling like new again.
Set small goals.
Instead of dreading that big job in the garage, tackle one shelf or one corner. If we wait for a whole day to magically open up on our calendar for garage cleaning, we might see a couple different presidential administrations before it happens.
You want to choose an area that’s small enough to complete in 15 minutes. In some cases, that may be only one box, one drawer, or half of a shelf. If you have more than 15 minutes to work on it, great! Keep setting the timer until you’ve either finished that area or run out of time.
Accomplishing small goals adds up to big goals achieved. Task by task, decluttering a bit at a time will eventually lead to an entire closet or garage completely decluttered.
Remember your “why.”
Why did you want to declutter in the first place? Often there’s an event that makes a cluttery person finally decide to get rid of all their unnecessary stuff. It could be the death of a parent (and the clean-out process of that parent’s house), or it might be an embarrassing visit when someone appraised the dresser with raised eyebrows. (Ahem…Not that any of us here at Clutter Free Academy have experienced any of those things personally, mind you.)
We may have had a unique catalyst for our clutter-free journey, but one big reason for us all to keep at it is this: God created each of us for a unique purpose and getting rid of the clutter frees you up to do what He made you to do.
Celebrate your wins.
Who doesn’t love a good celebration? Looking forward to a fun moment (or three) when you accomplish a decluttering project will help you across the finish line.
If you’ve finished clearing off the game shelf and gotten rid of those Hi-Ho Cherrio and Chutes and Ladders (and your kids are in middle school), play a game your family still enjoys, maybe one you rediscover after reclaiming that space.
Or reward the kids with a trip to the pool for helping you bag up winter clothes that are too small. It doesn’t have to be a big deal—just something to mark the accomplishment.
Keep your 15-minute decluttering routines.
In the summertime, it’s easy to lose our school year routines. But the future you—the one packing next year’s school lunches and buying backpacks filled with #2 pencils will thank you for the 15 minutes you spend each day decluttering.
It may not seem like much, but your efforts add up to a big payoff.
Like Jen Babakhan says in her new book, Detoured, “All the little things you do over and over every day are seen by God. If you could watch your life like a movie on fast-forward, you would see that the dishes, laundry, books, snuggles, tantrums (by you or the children), and even the socks you pull out of the corners of the couch on a much-too-regular basis add up to a life of authenticity and love.”
Giveaway Time!
Thanks to our fabulous friends over at Harvest House, we are able to give a few of you a free copy of Detoured! 5 people will win a copy of Detoured!
And one Grand Prize winner will receive:
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- Detoured
- Lunch Tote Bag
- Reusable Ice Packs
- Outdoor Blanket
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Leave a comment below to be entered to win. What is the summer decluttering job on your list?
* Giveaway for US residents only.
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I keep trying to declutter my kids room but I have realized, I need to take control of my own dresser drawers and closet before anything else. A new twist on ‘if mama ain’t happy then nobody is happy’. Declutter me first!
My summer decluttering project is our bedroom! It has become the hub for all things not bedroom-related. As well, we have never purged clothes, only thrown them out when they get holes or shoved old styles to the back of the closet or drawer. We are looking for a fresh start and a home with breathing room.
My kitchen is on my summer decluttering list!!
The garage! We want to eventually make the garage into a livable space for company or someone who needs a place short-term, but it’s full of stuff, half of which we probably don’t use!
Congratulations Lidia, you are a winner! Please check your email for more information. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
I am trying to focus on public areas and my kitchen cupboards. Being a teacher my summer is almost over so it’s flight of the bumblebee for me!
My garage…still! Thank you for your inspiration and humor 🙂
My entire downstairs is my summer goal. The square footage is relatively small, so it’s not as scary as it sounds 🙂 The living room is almost done, then there’s the closet (yikes!). My kitchen has baskets and baskets of stuff on the counters… So I’ll go through one basket at a time!
Decluttering my bookshelves!
De cluttering/purging my fabric and sewing stuff.
Every summer I tell myself that I’ll tackle the garage. I always start it, but I have never finished it. We have a smaller home and I would love to give my girls a little space in the garage for their American Girl dolls. They’ve been waiting a couple of years for me to make it happen. ??????
My whole life is a mess. I have struggled for years with finding a teaching job, but the truth is I suck at being a working mom. I want to declutter the negativity in my mind. My whole house needs a serious decluttering too. I have my kitchen almost decluttered. So I’m slowly making progress.
I recently decided to change careers after being a stay-at-home mom, and went back to school to get my teaching license. I am now on a mission to find my first teaching position doing what I love – teach children!!
The garage was my goal, and it’s so close to being finished!
We are moving (again) and am going through clothing, toys, household, books, linens that we probably should have gotten rid of 2-years ago when we moved cross-country. I spend about 15-30” every other day. AmVets comes on Monday for another very large donation. I will continue to keep at it if I can continue to make additional donations this month until we list our current home or I run out of steam; whichever occurs first!
Our kitchen island…again!
I have been working on decluttering and organizing my garage for the past 6 weeks, a little bit at a time. As of this morning, I have about 30 more boxes/bags/containers to empty! It can be done! My motivation has been two part: 1. I was just tired of seeing the piles of stuff and not being able to find things. 2. When this project is finished, my hubby is going to get an electric garage door opener installed, and I will be parking my car in the garage!
I am working on the clutter on my shelves in my bedroom. My room is the catch all.
Congratulations, Melody! You are the Grand Prize Winner! Please check your email for more details. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
Closets, again.
Clothes is on the summer declutter list, again.
My summer decluttering project is getting rid of the last of my baby things!
I’ m starting with the kitchen. I had all KINDS of things piled up in there…but I’m finally getting some counter space back!
My garage. It’s full of stuff my kids outgrew and wedding stuff from 3 years ago!
We homeschool and I need to get the shelf and the school area cleaned up for sure. I struggle with the aforementioned shame. Thank you for the encouragement.
My dining room also houses a counter from my kitchen as well my homeschooling area. I am so looking forward to a clean and organized area to dine in as well as school in.
We have Lots of organizing and decluttering projects going on this summer I love to learn more, that’s why I love this podcast. Hard to get into the mindset of getting rid of stuff
My basement. it has been the dropping place – if you don’t know what to do with it, take it to the basement. FYI it is not a good plan.
The garage so we can walk through it, the shed -need to build shelves, storage room (everything just gets thrown in there), and master bedroom!
We homeschool. We have to declutter the shelf and the school area. It is overwhelming but 15minutes a day might help. I struggle with the aforementioned shame. Thank you for the encouragement.
Congratulations, Stacy! You are a winner! Please check your email for more info. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
My basement. The the place everything gets put in when making space throughout the house.
The basement. The kids hang out there and things are just left by the door by the backyard. Over the last month the pile is getting large
My summer decluttering project is my craft room. It had become the “throw it all in there to hide it” room!
So many projects *could* be done over summer it’s hard to choose: the shed, the garage, the attic, 4 year old’s room & closet, master bedroom & closet…how about the entire house?! This is the first time in 10 years that we don’t have a toddler or baby to keep us busy and suddenly there is all this outgrown stuff to declutter! Where to begin?
Thank you so much for the awesome reminder of just 15 min a day! That is doable! Unlike the whole day I am waiting for when the kids are back in school;)!
The “set small goals” method really works for me. It instantly removes the overwhelmed feeling, which is a huge part of my emotional clutter. Once I’ve accomplished my small goal, I have something to celebrate.
This is such a great idea. I keep waiting for a big chunk of time and it’s not happening. Everyone can find 15 minutes!!! Thank you so much.
I will be working on decluttering my living room so we can enjoy it more as a family.
Congratulations, Erin. You are a winner! Please check your email for more details. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
Our garage is a mess, but we have several cabinets. I’m going to do one cabinet at a time for 15 minutes a day and break it up, instead of doing it all in one day.
We are moving, by first week of August, into the parsonage. We will be renting out our home, so must purge the entire home and out buildings. We don’t have a storage building at the parsonage.
Thankful that my husband will be stepping up his assistance! Accepting prayers and encouragement!
Appreciate all of the wonderful suggestions you continue to post!
Go, girl! You can do this! Jesus is on your side! 🙂
We have had our house on the market so I have been using this “15 minute declutter” excercise a LOT! It has helped me so much. After I have decluttered an area I always think, I should have taken a before picture. lol! I still have boxes of things under my bed that I can’t decide what to do with. Most of it is pictures that just need to be organized. Thank you so much for the encouragement!
Thank you so much for this encouragement and reminder to do just 15 minutes. Very great timing for me as I am getting overwhelmed by what I need to do and how far away I am from my goals. I need to declutter my dresser in my room and stacks of paper in the office.
I needed this today!! 15 minutes seems so much less overwhelming!! It’s a tough adjustment to go from the school year to summer when everyone is home and constantly creating more messes! This will help me so much??
My summer decluttering job is to decluttering my brain. I’ve realized the sheer ‘mental load’ I carry with trying to remember all the things I need to do or schedule it buy or declutter or on and on! I got me a cute little pink moleskin Notebook I’m calling my mental dump book. I’m just dumping it all in there and I’ve already felt a huge weight lift.
My summer decluttering job is Totes Mountain—the foundation was started decades ago; this archeological dig is the result of my mother’s passing and a chronic illness.
15 minute chunks?! I can do that! Thanks for the reminder to start small:) Small chunks add up to a big result:)
My bedroom and our garage our our 2 big projects that need completed this summer.
My closet
Our garage and attic both need attention. I’ve been hoping we’d get a few full days to tackle the jobs but those days aren’t magically appearing. Thanks for the reminder to break it down to one box or 15 min chunks of time.
Congratulations Janae, you are a winner! Please check your email for more details. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
The garage–Due to a changing family situation, I need to get the car in the garage this winter. Thanks for your tips. One little bit each day should have the job done, and the garage car-ready before the snow falls!
My master bedroom. I’d like to reclaim my bedroom as an oasis, but first I need to declutter all the excess stuff that finds its way to a corner or pile instead of a permanent home.
Uggggh….the ongoing toys in the living room floor left behind by my 3&6 year old girls!!! 15 min @ the end of the day… and we’re DONE with toy clutter! (If I remember to do it daily ?)
Set a recurring reminder on your phone.
As Author Jen Babakhan says in her book DETOURED, “All the little things you do over and over every day are seen by God.” She inspires me with 15 minutes each day this Summer, in my basement decluttering and reorganizing.
My master bedroom. I’d like to reclaim my bedroom as an oasis, but first I need to declutter all the excess stuff that finds its way to a corner or pile instead of a permanent home.
The encouragement I need to tackle a pile of metal that needs to be recycled that seems overwhelming. I’ll go at it 15 minutes at a time. Thanks
Thanks for reminding me that I can do 15 min.today and keep my sanity and not shame myself. ?
I love the quote from Detoured. When I’m overwhelmed with the small daily things I often quote the poem “Do the next thing” to myself and remind myself of the truth that whatever we do is done unto the LORD ..eating .sleeping,sock hunting,decluttering.
Going to work on the garage right now! I have too much “teacher stuff” that has been unused for a few years now. Making room for the emergency water/food and other supplies that we just ordered, after the reminder earthquakes in the past few days.
I needed this encouragement right now!
The basement and the kids’ toys and books.
My husband had the closet in the spare room and he slowly took over the whole room as a “closet’ we are reorganizing and moving stuff around, using the spare room closet for his bulky jackets and sweatshirts. Now we are able to have a little more living space in a small home!
We just finished building shelves in garage and we will be getting some storage bins to store things better, easier to find and things not all piled up!
Wow! This is absolutely perfect timing!!! So excited to get a jump start on our decluttering chore/adventure/mission whatever we want to call it 😉
The front closet. It’s the first thing I see each day, and it will feel so much better to have it clean and organized!
The red room. ‘Nuff said. ?
Congratulations, Karen you are a winner! Please check your email for more info. ~Kathi Lipp Giveaway Team
All of the things we moved aside to make a nursery for my first grandbaby to live with me! This is an exciting adventure with a lot of overflow into the rest of the house.
The garage shelves and then, on rainy days(since the sun only shines here like 2-3 months a year), my downstairs closet.
The dining room table first! Then my son’s room, my room, the dining room, office, and kitchen … trying to take deep breaths and tackle the whole house a little at a time. As a natural pack rat myself, with a husband from a family of actual hoarders, it’s a huge challenge!