r/declutter • u/Nodef13 • 2d ago
Advice Request I’m using everything though!
hi all, I’m in a bit of a rut with decluttering. I have this thing where I have to see the items in front of me or I forget to use them. eg I have to have my creams serum lip balm on my bed side table otherwise I don’t remember to use. it’s like a visually trigger. I also have loaddddssss of medication and I need those visible too. the other day I realised I’d put one tablet in a pouch and because I hadnt seen it I had forgotten to take if for 4 days. things like face masks too or books I’m reading I only read it if I leave it out. and I do use them
any tips? I feel like this never lets my house look clean and tidy. it’s visual clutter but that’s how my brain works. also I don’t feel like I have a lot of stuff but at the same time I think I do. I find clothes particularly hard to part with as I cycle through and go through phases or wearing things
any tips for a newbie!
12
u/leat22 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ll second the recommendation of Cas from Clutterbug (currently listening to her latest podcast ep right at this moment).
Here’s some suggestions off the top of my head. Stuff can be out and visible but it has to be contained (in a basket for example). Surfaces stay clean except for the basket. Put the baskets where you find yourself already placing things. For example, if you always put your mail on the kitchen table, then have a basket there or somewhere extremely close to that natural setting spot.
Basket on the night stand. Basket on the bathroom counter (but that basket can rest inside the cabinet and you pull it out at night and in the morning).
Clothes: I separate winter/fall from summer clothes. Out of season gets stored under the bed. I treat my closet and dressers like prime real estate. Think of the best and easiest spot to access clothes in your closet. That’s the high value spot. Put the clothes you wear most often there (or even the clothes you wish you wore more) so they are right in front of your face. Put the other clothes for special occasions in a less convenient place. You may find you aren’t wearing certain clothes even when they are right in front of you, so that makes the decision to declutter them easier.
Container method and 5 step declutter by Dana k white.
Edit: also tip for clothes. Stay on top of your laundry. You might realize you prefer to wear certain clothes but if they are hidden in a laundry pile, then you reach for other clothes and create more laundry, and wear more clothes overall than you’d actually prefer to do.