DeCluttering Your Home FASTER | How to Get Rid of Your Stuff

Simplifying your life by letting go of belongings that are no longer needed or used is the idea of decluttering. But this process of removing excess items from your life and your home can create a more simple and functional space. But on the other hand, when not done properly, decluttering can take forever. So in this video, I'm going to show you the right way to declutter your current home and create a calm, organized living space. So if you're new to this channel, my name is Jerry Pincus, and I'm here to help you to avoid those pitfalls that are costly. So if you're watching this video, more than likely you're moving or you got some decluttering on your mind, right? But I want you to take an extra step back. Just reconsider whether this decluttering is your solution or not, because decluttering is not a fix-all solution. You know, decluttering could be an irreversible process. And now that you got that part set, I'm going to reveal to you a step-by-step guide. So give me a thumbs up if you're good with that. So let's jump into this. So step one, decluttering is not about getting rid of everything, guys. You want to get rid of the excess stuff, the stuff that you no longer use or you need. And you want to surround yourself with things that are actually serving a purpose. So step two is to set the goals and your timeline. Now, take a look at your time and decide whether you're decluttering your whole house or just a specific room or an area of your house, like a drawer or a shelf. And then you want to set an estimated timeframe for how long you think this might take to declutter. And this is going to help you stay motivated because this can be overwhelming, especially when you're moving. And when you set a goal and a timeline, you can see that progress quickly. And then when you get that task done within that reasonable timeframe, you feel good about it. Otherwise, you're going to feel like it's taken forever. Now you want to create a list of places where you're going to declutter your house or don't overwhelm yourself and try to do it all at one time. So if you map this out as a step-by-step plan in detail and you target those places or those items that you neglected or you need to work on, you start with the messiest place in your house first. Well, why do you do that? Well, when you see this progress, it's going to motivate yourself to do even more. Step three, you're going to create piles. Now, once you've decided where to start from and sort those items into multiple piles. Now for most people, it's the keep, the donate, and the sell items. But you can add more piles such as the trash, that's stuff that's gone, or revisit later or even gift it forward. Now you personalize these piles according to your personal game plan. So you may find that items that need to be recycled into something new, you don't want to let that slow you down. So trust me, you want to save that DIY project for another weekend. Then step four, once you've got these piles, you want to sort those out because once you have those piles ready, you can get into the sorting of those things out and you can decide whether you want to keep an item or not. Now, there's many different methods that help you decide on what to keep and what to throw away. And I'm going to mention the quickest and the easiest one. It's called the touch it once. And it's the touch it once method. I personally like to do this when I'm sorting things out. It's where you pick up an item and you go through several questions like number one, does this really make me happy? And this will apply to both, you know, sedimental or practical items. And then number two, when's the last time you actually use this item? And then number three is, if this thing gets lost today, could you try to buy it back again? So you get that idea. So if your answer is no to any of that, then consider letting that item go. Now in your keep pile, this is the keep section, you should have those household items which you're going to use regularly or something that could bring you joy or has a significant sediment of value to you. But be honest with yourself here, because if you haven't used it in years, there's no sedimental value to it. You should ask yourself, does this really belong in the keep pile? How about the donate? Now, this category, this is for items that are still in decent, solid, good condition. You no longer need them or you no longer use them. This can be like clothes that no longer fit you. If they're too big, too small, they're out of style or books that you've read multiple times and you're not going to read again or kitchen accessories that you never reach for or you never use them. Now, if you look at these items and they're in good condition, you no longer need them. Consider donating them to a charity or a shelter or a resale shop, because this is going to give that item a second life and it may actually even help somebody else that's in need and you're going to let someone else enjoy it too. Now, how about the sell pile? Now, this is where you put your items in a resale value. Now, you consider the sell pile for items that are in good condition, you no longer need. They might have a value to someone else. So you think if it's a stylish piece of furniture or a functional piece of furniture, it doesn't quite match your current or your future moving decor. Think about it. If you have a modern lifestyle and you have some traditional furniture, it may not fit. So think about the functional electronics as well. What are you going to be using or that designer clothing that you don't wear anymore because you're not going to those places. You're not going out to the night clubs, right? This is something that could treasure for somebody else to use. Now, how about this trash? We all know what trash is, but do you think you know what that is? I mean, that's the stuff that you're going to pitch out. That's broken. It's not repaired. It's expired stuff and it's completely unusable. So that's the stuff you want to dispose all of in your local dump. But I mean, check out the laws because things like paint cans and stuff like that, you may want to check into what's going on there too. Step five, you want to start organizing. Now, this is where you sort out all those items and you can finally get to organizing these piles into something that makes it easier to manage. Now, here's some things that get fun guys, because when you see the progress, you tackle each pile one by one and show how to turn those mountains of stuff into some kind of a calm space or an organized space, it does make you feel good. So number one in the organized, the keep pile that is, these are the items that are the most useful to you and you're going to use those regularly. And you want to subcategorize that because the subcategorizing is things that you can easily get accessible, like a separate clothes pile for a different shirts that goes with shirts or pants that goes with pants or books that go by genre or organized tools by their function. Now, here's where you look at stuff and you say, Hey, this is a duplicate. I've got two of these same shirts. You know what to do with them, right? Now this way, it's super easy to find what you need. Everything just stays very neat at that point. Then if you're not planning on moving, here's where you will want to utilize the corners and the walls of your house. So for storage, like use shelves and cabinets and save floor space. Now think about floating shelves on a wall or for books, decorations, even small plants. It'll make the place look nice. Hanging shelves like behind closet doors are perfect for shoes or scarves or cleaning supplies or anything else that you really want to just keep out of sight. And number two, the donated items. So this is where you want to get rid of the excess stuff that you really don't want anymore. You want to reach out to the donation centers that are near you and you want to give them the clothes, the furniture, the housewares, the books, even toys and electronics, but you want to read their donation guidelines because you want to make sure that everything that you give away is okay with what they do. You know, each organization may have a search for different things and things that they need or they don't need. So you want to make sure it's a good fit for them. Number three, selling items. Now this can be a great way to declutter and make some extra cash towards things that you truly need or you want. And this is especially true if you're moving, you know, putting a yard sale out or a garage sale. Some people like doing that, but if you're not into that, where people are arguing you with prices on your front lawn on a Saturday morning, you may want to consider selling them online on platforms like Facebook marketplace or some consignment shop. And I'm going to make a separate video on how to sell these decluttered items easily. So stay tuned for that soon. Number four is dealing with the trash. Now, if you've decluttered your whole house, you're, you're probably going to be left with a lot of trash and junk, right? But your trash cans may be full already and you're just waiting for that trash pickup, or you may want to haul that stuff off, you know, to the dump or the recycle center. On the other hand, depending on where you live, you may want to consider using a service like Home Depot's Bagster. Now this is a large heavy duty bag that you can fill with unwanted items. And once it gets full, you can schedule a pickup and they'll haul it away for you. All right, guys. So there's my tips on decluttering. So let me know in the comments, if you found any of this stuff helpful, but if you did, please like it and share it with somebody that you know, that could use this. And Hey, I know you're feeling overwhelmed with the clutter. So don't worry. I've been there as well. You just want to take one step at a time. You just want to, of course, subscribe. So you get more helpful videos like this. And if you didn't already know it, I'm Jerry with Jerry Pincus Real Estate Experts. My real estate team is here to help you give us a call at 843-839-9870. We're here to help you find your hidden gem and to avoid the pitfalls that are costly. So until next time, stay happy, stay educated, and I'll talk to you soon. Take care.