You have dedicated yourself to spending at least 15 minutes a day as recommended in Part 1 of Resolve to Conquer Your Clutter for the New Year, and you might even be seeing some results, but you can’t stop now.
Once Clear, It Stays Clear
When you manage to clear off a counter, shelf, or surface area, make sure it stays clear. Mercilessly patrol these areas and remove the items that don’t belong to where they belong or into the temporary “box, basket, or trash can.”
Reduce the Flow
New stuff enters our homes daily, and it can be hard to keep up with. Make an iron-clad rule that you get rid of at least two items each time you bring one new thing into the house. So if you buy a new book, browse through your bookshelves and find two books to give away. Reducing the flow of clutter into the home is an excellent way to help prevent undoing any of your progress.
Go Digital for Music, Video, and Gaming
Entertainment media such as music CDs, videotapes, DVDs, video games, etc., take up a lot of space. Strongly consider converting them to a digital format. It is a simple matter to convert your music into MP3s, but if you don’t want the hassle, why not sign up for a music subscription service such as Amazon Music or Spotify.
For video media, chances are one of the major streaming content providers–Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, Disney+, etc.–has it available for you to watch on-demand right now. Do you really need to have a copy of Ferris Buehler’s Day Off ready to watch at a moment’s notice? It is probably not, and when you get the urge to watch it again–that is, if you get the urge to watch it again–you can probably find it on a streaming network.
As for video games, all of the major game platforms (XBOX, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PCs) allow you to download their games directly from their networks. There is no need to buy a game and find a place to store it.
Go Digital for Books and Photos
Let’s face it. Books take up a lot of space, especially if you are an avid reader. But if you can live without paper, why not begin to build a collection of digital books. You can store thousands of books on a device the size of one book, so why not consider it?
Photos can be a bit trickier. But if they only exist on paper, they can easily get lost, damaged, or destroyed. They also take up a lot of space stored in boxes, envelopes, and (occasionally) photo albums. Why not use a high-resolution scanner to make digital copies of your favorite photos? People use digital cameras for new photos anyway, so why not go completely digital? Taking some time to label your digital photos will make it easier to find them later.
Too Much Clutter?
You know that conquering clutter may require extreme measures, especially when getting rid of the junk that is no longer needed. Why not get an affordable dumpster rental from Circle J Roll-Offs Inc. We are a full-service company that can provide different sizes and types of dumpsters to meet your specific cleanup situation. Give us a call at (215) 661-0001 or fill out our online form to get the process started today.
