One of my constant, ongoing goals is to find new ways to prevent clutter. I hate clutter. I would much rather have a neat and orderly home so I do all that I can to make sure that happens. These ways to prevent clutter are things I have learned and try to apply daily in my own home.
1 Declutter Daily
One of the best ways to prevent clutter is to declutter daily. Do not make getting rid of clutter something you do every now and then. If you do that, it will build up to enormous proportions and be completely overwhelming. Take the initiative to be constantly on guard for clutter. This makes fighting the clutter fight so much easier.
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2 Handle Mail Once
This is a great tip that I love and try my best to follow. Handle mail one time. When you receive your mail, sort it immediately. Place it into piles of mail to be kept for enjoyment, important mail to be stashed in a certain place and mail to be trashed. This will prevent you from having piles of mail building.
3 Throw Magazines Away
Old magazines have a place. They belong in the recycling bin! Unless you are going to pass your magazines on to someone else or need the magazine for some reason, get rid of it. Old magazines cause clutter. As soon as I read a magazine, I either place it somewhere to hand on to someone else or put it in the recycling.
4 Have Organizational Systems in Place
One of my life goals is to have a perfectly organized home. That has not happened yet but I am working toward it. It is a great thing to have organizational systems in place. This will help your home to run more efficiently. You can organize so many things, from coupons to out of season clothing.
5 File Important Papers
If you want your home to run efficiently, you need to have a good filing system in place. What sorts of things should you keep and file? Tax papers are always important, as well as check stubs, retirement account information, banking papers and insurance and guarantees. Basically, if you feel like a paper is worth keeping, it should be filed. While it is best to not keep things you don’t need in most situations, it is better to be safe than sorry with paperwork.
6 Don’t Be a Pack Rat
I am not a pack rat, thankfully. While I do have some things that I am sentimental about and keep for that reason, the biggest majority of my belongings regularly go through a use it or lose it test. If I have not worn an article of clothing in a year, it finds a new home. Similarly, after I read a book, I try to pass it on to someone else who can enjoy it. The less clutter, the better in my book.
7 Clean out Closets Regularly
If you want to prevent clutter, don’t wait until you are moving before you clean out your closet. Try to do this twice a year, when you swap out your winter and spring clothing. Don’t just go through clothing. Remember to go through your shoes and accessories, too. When you clean your closet out regularly, you will find that you enjoy your clothing more because you can actually see what you have.
If you follow these tips, you will have much less clutter in your home. But there are many more tips out there to help you. What are your best tips for preventing clutter?
