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Now as we approach the holiday season I always like to declutter and downsize my possessions because I like to enter the New Year feeling
refreshed
But I also like to take my time getting there I much prefer to break down daunting tasks into smaller steps
Instead of overwhelming myself by jumping in all at once
In this video we'll explore what small things you can do each day to become more of a minimalist to come new year
I'm gonna start with the easier categories first and move my way to the more complex items
Just so that we can ease into it, but you take this at whatever pace
you'd like and also choose whatever order you like I've
created a little
Checklist to help guide you along and if you'd like to get your own copy just see the link in the description box below
Now let's begin the first category. We're gonna look at is clothing and we're gonna start off day one with the bags purses and wallets
We all hate digging to find our keys or credit cards so once you've emptied it out
Try keeping it maintained by completely clearing it out every few days day two is for the clothes themselves
Now this might take more than one day and again. That's okay. Take it at your own pace
I personally like to use one of Marie Kondos methods
Which is to clean by category focusing on just one item at a time so in this case?
I'm focusing on just the shirts so pulling them out from all possible locations
Whether it's hung or folded and now that they're all in one pile. It's easier to see how many of that one
item I might have I then create my
yes-no
and mamie pile
The no pile gets donated and the maybe pile gets tucked away in a bag or a box
For a few months if I haven't found the need to go and retrieve any of the items after the few months have passed then
These items get donated as well
I then repeat this for other categories of clothing like
jeans
And then pajamas tank tops and so on day three is for the undergarments for those underwears
Boxers briefs bras or socks with holes missing pairs or that are stretched or too tight the next day
We'll look at shoes the ones that are uncomfortable or worn out
And day five is for the beauty products this includes makeup perfume hair products skin products worn out hair ties
useless bobby pins and nail polish
Remember that your face and body deserve the best so don't put anything on there that isn't something you love the next day
We'll look at accessories like broken watches or belts
Earrings that are missing a pair or broken
Sunglasses the second category is office and Media supplies so for day seven we're gonna look at things like
Magazines and newspapers and manuals these days everything can be found online
Whether it's news updates or fashion photos or manuals for our electronic devices the next day. I looked at notebooks and textbooks
Now I'm guilty of having kept my textbooks for a few years after I graduated hardly ever cracking it open because again
I was able to find most of the things I was looking for online
I chose to sell it and I donated the rest day 9 is for CDs
DVDs and books if they don't spark joy anymore or aren't getting any use I let them go if it's a book
I've already read or I'm not getting around to I remind myself that the library has it for whenever
I'm ready, and if you still are using a dictionary
It's now called Google Day 10 is for the old or unused
electronics this includes computers TVs tablets phones and their cables
Maybe even old cameras if it's outdated try to sell it and if it won't be bought remember to recycle responsibly the next day
We'll sort through the receipts bills and documents keeping only the items we really need like for tax or warranty purposes
And I find that storing the necessary items in an expanding file folder can really help to keep things less cluttered day 12 is for
stationery supplies
I'm talking all over the house
Throwing away markers and pens that no longer have ink and donating excess supplies and removing pages and old notebooks
That are no longer needed the third category is for general household items and on day 13
We're gonna look at things like linens and towels if you have worn-out sheets pillowcases
Towels, or washcloths either toss them or what I often
Do is turn them into rags that then can be used in cleaning in the future day 14 is for the cleaning products?
Getting rid of the unused ones
And I eliminated even more when I switched to using natural cleaning products instead like baking soda vinegar and simple castile soap
The next day we're looking at the junk drawer. We all have them
Let's find it a home or let it go day 16 is for the tops of shelves and drawers
now the tops of furniture pieces tend to accumulate items over the year leave some of the decorative or practical pieces that spark joy and
remove the rest
This will also make cleaning so much easier when the space is less cluttered day 17 is for furniture those items that are useless
Broken or that just don't go with our style
I think we tend to let certain furniture pieces hang around often not even noticing them anymore
Just because we've gotten so used to them being there so on this day
I want you to look at your space with some fresh eyes and ask yourself if it was my first time seeing this particular item
What I love it
Or would I purchase it if the answer is no it might be time to let it go and the fourth category
We're gonna look at is the kitchen items so for day 18
We're looking specifically at the fridge and the freezer clearing out items that are old unused
Rotting expired or items that you just don't enjoy eating I've now gotten into the habit of doing this before I load the fridge each
time with new groceries the next day
We'll look at the pantry or medicine and supplement cabinets again clearing out any unused or expired items
And it also helps if you can organize the contents of your pantry into
Upcycle jars to keep the items visible which then helps to keep it more organized day 20 is for the kitchen cabinets now
I've been guilty of hanging on to cracked or smelly Tupperware containers or containers without lids or more butter knives than I need
Clear it out and send the reusable items to the thrift store the fixed category is for the phone and computer
So day 21 is looking specifically at the apps deleting the ones we no longer you the next day
we'll look at the stored media like pictures videos and
messages
Clearing out the unnecessary
Items and backing up the items we want to keep this should also help to keep our phone running a bit more smoothly
Day 23 is for the inbox this can be a behemoth to start, but once you've finished. It's easier to maintain
I always try to keep my inbox near zero deleting the items I no longer need and
Placing the emails I do need into their respective folders day 24 is a simple one just
unsubscribing from any email lists or mailing services that no longer serve me the sixth and final category is
Personal and miscellaneous items so for day 25 we're looking at photos now
I'm all for keeping cherished photos, but sometimes we keep the blurry ones or the multiples that look virtually the same
Take a moment and really enjoy flipping through your pictures and remove any of the ones that are just taking up space
This is both in hard copy form or the ones that are stored on your electronic devices day 26 is for Hobby supplies now
It's wonderful to have a hobby and by all means keep everything you need to continue with this creative outlet our focus is just to
rid of the items that are no longer useful so for example paint supplies that have dried out or
sports equipment that doesn't perform optimally anymore day 27 is for the
Sentimental items and this can be the hardest category in my opinion
These are things like gifts
souvenirs stuffed animals or other sorts of collectibles
What helps for me again is marine condos method of holding it in my hands and asking myself
Does this item spark joy if the answer is no I then donated in hopes that it might spark joy for somebody else
Day 28 is for holiday decorations
for those tacky or broken or unused Christmas Halloween or Thanksgiving decorations
Day 29 is for your card if you have one just removing things in the glove compartment
Or the trunk or giving it a good wipe down
And I've saved the best for last day 30 is for our minds
Decluttering it and taking this time for ourselves
I really want you to schedule this day as a little staycation of sorts where you'll distance yourself from anything
That's not adding to your fuel good vibes
you've just gone through a whole of decluttering so reward yourself with something relaxing and
Enjoyable and once you're done the 30 days you might find that you've entered a flow state so you might be interested in decluttering some
Other categories as well like chipping away at your basement or your attic or your toolshed. I'm gonna leave this up to you
I just wanted to let you know that the PDF you can find in the description below
Also has space for you to add your own customized categories as well
Now if you found this video helpful
Be sure to give it a thumbs up it always means a lot to me when you do and I again wanted to thank Squarespace
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I'm gonna let you go now, so you can start decluttering and thanks a lot for watching. We'll see you next week