horvar Take a big box and clear all if the clutter. Once the room is completely clear of the clutter you'll feel great about it and it will feel less overwhelming. Then you can tackle the box. Decide what you really need to keep out and what you can put away. Think of some ways to organize what you want to keep.
Robin W First of all, id be asking yourself why you want to keep it. Look for storage opportunities in your room with under bed boxes, shelving, and new furniture (dressers, wardrobes, etc).
AMN Maybe coming up with a better organization strategy will allow you to keep a lot of the stuff and streamline the look a bit. I'm thinking fun colored boxes or baskets or something. You'll know all your stuff is there, but it won't be taking up space you could use for other things.
THINK: Keeping something doesn't mean you have to display it.
If you have a home organization store nearby (like The Container Store), take a walk through it to get some ideas for how to increase storage and make it look nice.
You should still do a clear-out before you redo your room--just to make sure there isn't anything you can toss/put in the attic/give away/sell and make some money/etc.
That last picture makes me think, how can you use your closet? Is your closet currently configured to store stuff in a very efficient and effective manner? Does your closet layout maximize the capacity? If not, that might be a place to start. Maybe you could even turn it into a desk or craft center.
Judy M Clutter has a way of coming back UNLESS you make a "home" for the items you want to keep. So you get rid of things you don't need to keep, then organize the rest you want to keep into similiar categories. Then you find appropriate containers (as suggested above) to store them in.
If you plan to collect more items, then buy containers or baskets a bit larger to accommadate new items.
bananamonkey AMN: Well, my room has a vaulted ceiling, and so does my closet--so it's hard to hang shelves. And, I want to get rid of stuff, and for me, it's hard to give stuff up. What do I do?
horvar: I like the idea of taking a box and putting stuff in it that I don't want.
Thanks!
rwillekes: See, I want to keep everthing, even thoough I know I should give it up. What do I do?
Judy M: I don't want to keep stuff, but it's hard to let go. What do i do?
All About Closets I hope this does not come across too heavy and I have experienced these issues with clients in the past.
When it comes to de-cluttering you have to be honest with yourself and think why there is so much clutter. Is it just a simple thing like “I have not thrown away anything away due to lack of motivation or time” or is it a deeper issue such as “I cannot let go to this prom dress from 20 years ago” or “I need this because I use to play football with these cleats”. If it is the latter, you need to get yourself to a breaking point and come to terms with going through things that you know you will never use. Sometimes holding onto one thing and one thing alone will allow you to remove and donate or discard the rest of your past from your storage life.
Through your own admission you call the stuff you want to keep “clutter”. Be honest with yourself and determine if the “want” translates into a “need”. I have written an article on my blog about cleaning as we are headed for the spring. Keep in mind we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.
soberg Read "Clutter Be Gone", an amusing and also inspirational book. As George suggests, this book help you look at and challenge the thought patterns that have you holding on to things you may not use and that hamper your convenience and comfort in your bedroom. I speak as a pack rat in recovery.
feeny Here's how I think about it. I store everything I want to keep as neatly as I can (shelves and baskets or boxes) in areas of the house that aren't visible (closets, basement). Anything that doesn't fit neatly into these spaces I ask myself is keeping it important enough to be worth the cost of paying a monthly rental fee for a storage facility? I have never yet found something so worth keeping that I've answered "yes" to that question.
elklaker If you have a friend or family member who is good at organization and "purging", ask him or her to help you. They will be able to walk you through the process and see that "things" are not necessary, don't make you happy and, once finished, how liberating a clean, uncluttered and organized world can be.
Good luck!
rredpenn We just downsized, and after two years of garage sales, trips to Goodwill and giving a LOT of stuff away, here is my advice to make it a bit easier. I took pictures of everything before it went away! Furniture, special toys, collections, clothes, bookshelves full of books, etc. Everything is preserved in memory (in no space at all)! It made the de-cluttering much easier knowing I can always refer to my photos for sentimental journeys.
apple_pie_order I recommend using the ideas on http://unclutterer.com and http://www.flylady.net . Gather a half dozen inspirational photos from this site that show how you want your bedroom to look. Identify a charity that you want to donate to. Then try the unclutterer and flylady websites.
Robin W Ask yourself what would happen if you got rid of the item and what makes the item special. I love the idea of taking a digital photo of the items.
Sometimes despite the difficulty, you just have to let it go before it becomes too much.
Remember that things do not define who or what you are.
Judy M For me, it's simple. I hate looking at clutter, so if I don't have a place to properly store something, I have 2 choices. Get rid of it or get rid of something else to make the space.
Clutter makes you waste time. You move five things just to find the one thing you're looking for. Clutter makes it harder to concentrate. Do these items have sentimental value? are they collectibles?
If you haven't used something in a while, chances are you won't need it anytime soon. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but really can you keep everything you've bought for your entire life?
If that's what you want to do, you better get a bigger house. Better yet, watch the TV series "hoarders", it always makes me want to clean something after I've watched an episode or two.
rickster88 My designer told me something I won't forget. He said the rule of thumb is that if you don't use an item within 3 years it's unlikely that you'll ever use it again so get rid of it. What we did was to get a box and discard those things we never use and sell them to cash converters then used that money for items we really needed. Remember.. Less is more
THINK: Keeping something doesn't mean you have to display it.
If you have a home organization store nearby (like The Container Store), take a walk through it to get some ideas for how to increase storage and make it look nice.
You should still do a clear-out before you redo your room--just to make sure there isn't anything you can toss/put in the attic/give away/sell and make some money/etc.
Here are a few tips for conducting a clear-out: http://zenhabits.net/how-to-declutter-an-entire-room-in-one-go/
Inspiration:
Bayo Vista
Office
Den / Home office.
Designs by Shoshana
That last picture makes me think, how can you use your closet? Is your closet currently configured to store stuff in a very efficient and effective manner? Does your closet layout maximize the capacity? If not, that might be a place to start. Maybe you could even turn it into a desk or craft center.
If you plan to collect more items, then buy containers or baskets a bit larger to accommadate new items.
horvar: I like the idea of taking a box and putting stuff in it that I don't want.
Thanks!
rwillekes: See, I want to keep everthing, even thoough I know I should give it up. What do I do?
Judy M: I don't want to keep stuff, but it's hard to let go. What do i do?
When it comes to de-cluttering you have to be honest with yourself and think why there is so much clutter. Is it just a simple thing like “I have not thrown away anything away due to lack of motivation or time” or is it a deeper issue such as “I cannot let go to this prom dress from 20 years ago” or “I need this because I use to play football with these cleats”. If it is the latter, you need to get yourself to a breaking point and come to terms with going through things that you know you will never use. Sometimes holding onto one thing and one thing alone will allow you to remove and donate or discard the rest of your past from your storage life.
Through your own admission you call the stuff you want to keep “clutter”. Be honest with yourself and determine if the “want” translates into a “need”. I have written an article on my blog about cleaning as we are headed for the spring. Keep in mind we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.
http://www.allaboutclosetsnj.com/how-tos/organize-your-closet-for-spring-cleaning/
George
Good luck!
Sometimes despite the difficulty, you just have to let it go before it becomes too much.
Remember that things do not define who or what you are.
Clutter makes you waste time. You move five things just to find the one thing you're looking for. Clutter makes it harder to concentrate. Do these items have sentimental value? are they collectibles?
If you haven't used something in a while, chances are you won't need it anytime soon. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but really can you keep everything you've bought for your entire life?
If that's what you want to do, you better get a bigger house. Better yet, watch the TV series "hoarders", it always makes me want to clean something after I've watched an episode or two.
Remember.. Less is more