The Clear-a-Thon

Working one small bite at a time, the STOP clutter method keeps you on track as you cut clutter in closets, cupboards, and drawers. But what do you do when you need to conquer disorder across the entire house? Enter the clutter clear-a-thon: a coordinated plan of attack to bring clutter under control in a larger area.

The clear-a-thon bridges the gap between small clutter-clearing sessions and the larger goal of a clutter-free home. While the actual work will be done with a series of STOP clutter sessions, the clear-a-thon coordinates storage options and provides space to shuffle your stuff, to speed up the job.

Assessing Household Storage Options

You can declutter your heart out with STOP clutter sessions, but when you’re dealing with an entire home, you need to stand back a bit to get the big picture. Assessing your storage options and crafting a whole-house plan to stow your stuff is the route to a well-organized home.

With paper and a pen, or a phone with dictation capability, size up the options for storage in your surroundings. Start at the front door and walk around your home, noting each closet, cupboard, or chest of drawers that offers storage potential. Peek inside and take note of what your storage spaces currently contain.

Chances are, you’re going to find a mix of effective storage and dysfunctional space. Make note of what’s working and what’s not. For example, the coat closet is crammed with sporting goods, the spare leaf from the dining room table, and some sacks of assorted junk mail. A STOP clutter session will bring usability back to the closet, but you’ll need to find storage space for the items you’re going to remove from the closet.

Be on the lookout for empty space. An unused shelf at the top of your child’s closet can hold winter blankets or boxes of out-of-season clothing. Black-hole areas in kitchen cabinets offer storage opportunities for holiday dishes you use only once a year. Note these empty spaces so that you remember them and can use them when needed.

Circle the house to assess all your storage space options. The goal is to get an idea of what stuff you have to be stored and what options you have to store it. Craft a quick what-goes-where plan to guide your clear-a-thon.

Setting Up Temporary Holding Areas

Your whole-house assessment will likely show that some of your storage areas are not working to capacity. An easy-to-access closet would work well as a linen closet, but right now, it’s a repository for boxes of seasonal décor. Those boxes belong in the attic…but not until after you’ve made space for them by sorting out all the children’s outgrown clothes currently taking up that space in the attic.

ROAD HAZARD

Don’t let the temporary storage places become a permanent home for items in transit! Finish the job, or you’ll face having to start all over again a few weeks or months down the road.

When you’re ready to shift items around, set up temporary holding areas designed for short-term housing of storage in transit. A section of empty wall space, a clear spot in the garage, or an unused guest room can become temporary storage central—the place where you’ll house the strays and orphans on the road to their eventual storage home.

To make the transition process run smoothly, sort storage-in-transit items by category and label them. For example, label boxes holding bedding and linens and those holding potential hand-me-downs so they don’t get intertwined. Then as you declutter and clear each permanent storage area, you’ll know where to find the contents that belong there.

SPEEDY SOLUTION

Mount an over-the-door shoe bag on the back of a door to sort and organize seasonal items. Gloves and hats in the winter, or sandals and sunscreen in the summer fit handily into shoe-size pockets and help speed the family out the door.

Sustaining the Clutter Clear-a-Thon

Now that you’ve got a pretty good idea of what stuff you have to be stored and where you want to store it, the trick is to stay the course. To make sure your noble effort doesn’t burn too bright and flare out on you, try these ideas to sustain your clutter clear-a-thon:

1.  Dive in daily. Even a 5- or 10-minute mini-session can free your desk from pens that don’t write and curling layers of faded Post-It notes. Progress begets progress, so keep your get-organized goal moving forward by tackling a STOP clutter session every day.

2.  Aim your efforts. Cutting clutter and shifting storage often goes faster if you stick to one category at a time. Tackling your own clothes closet means you’ll bring stronger energy to sorting out garments in the children’s room. Also, working by category makes it easier to craft successful storage solutions. For example, with all out-of-season clothing stored together in the same location, you’ll spend less time changing out seasonal clothing when the time comes.

3.  Cultivate your support system. Share your successes with a trusted friend or with members of a declutter support group. They will understand the satisfaction you feel when you finally get to the bottom of a mess. Accept their cheers graciously; their support will bring you a burst of energy to keep the process moving forward.

4.  Review your progress. When the pace of change slows, it can be motivating to look back and see how far you’ve come. If you find your energies flagging, tour your newly decluttered spaces. Reviewing your progress can rekindle the desire to spread the changes to every corner of the house and can hoist you over the hump.

ROAD HAZARD

Burnout is an occupational hazard for those who want to banish clutter. When we finally gear up to conquer it, we often go too far, emptying an entire closet in a single afternoon. The result is, we’re navigating piles of old prom dresses for weeks to come. Cut clutter in short, sustainable sessions, to be sure you’re able to finish what you start.