Learn How to Declutter Your House: What is Your Clutter Personality?

Are you drowning in clutter?

What is your clutter personality? Are you a hoarder? A Procrastinator? A Perfectionist? Or A Rebel? Follow these tips to learn how to declutter your house.

• Hoarders are gripped by fear of letting go of possessions in case they might need them someday;
• Procrastinators don’t like to make decisions so things are not dealt with right away;
• Perfectionists want to make it all perfect or they won’t even start the job;
• Rebels just keep something because it is theirs, and they want it even if it serves no purpose

Here are some quick tips for each type to get you started.

Clutter personality 1: Hoarders

If you have the tendencies of a hoarder, try these tips to declutter your house:

1. Think about selling items on consignment. That way, although you are getting rid of the item, you are getting something for it.
2. Cut back on collections. Do you have every picture your child has ever drawn? Pick one from each year that is special and make a scrap book. Treasure that memory book.
3. Put unused items in a box. If you don’t use it for six months, toss the whole box.

Clutter personality 2: Procrastinators

Procrastinators set everything aside for later…dishes in the sink…piles of newspapers…mail left unopened. These are procrastinators. Here’s how you can declutter your house.

1. Accept that tomorrow has no more time than today. Just start dealing with things and you will gain momentum.
2. Create a bag of clothes you don’t use and put them in your trunk. You will get sick of that bag and go to a recycle bin.
3. Deal with things right away. Have papers to file, bills to pay? Do it right away and don’t let things pile up.

Clutter personality 3: Perfectionist

Perfectionists want it all done perfectly or they won’t do it at all and this is how they get their clutter. You would think a perfectionist would have everything perfect but the all or nothing thinking is where they get tripped up and it leads to clutter.

If this is you, try these tips to decultter your house:

1. Force yourself to just do something. Clear one junk drawer, organize just one shelf in your cabinet. Letting yourself do things that are “good enough” with your clutter will help you in other areas too.
2. Donating helps for perfectionists. Put things you have not worn in the last year in a bag and bring them to a donation bin.
3. Set a timeframe for magazines and newspapers. Perfectionists want to go through them cover to cover. They will keep them until they have done just that. Set a timeframe for yourself and if you have not reviewed them, give them to a friend or throw them away.

Clutter personality 4: Rebels

Rebels keep things because they want to be in control and not told what to do by others. “It’s mine and I can keep it.”

If this is you, maybe this will help to declutter your house:

1. Decide how you want your closet to look – and make it happen.
2. Find a productive, less cluttered way of holding on to things. Make a collage of old birthday cards that are special.
3. If you have to keep it, become an organization Queen. Get things organized and labeled so that you are not surrounded by stressful clutter. Once you take the step to organize, you may decide on your own that some things are just not worth the effort.

These tips will also help reduce stress in your life. Having too much waiting for tomorrow can be very stressful and more things always come up the next day!