There is something deeply satisfying about aligning your home with the shift in seasons. As fall settles in and we naturally spend more time indoors, clearing out accumulated clutter makes space for the cozy season.
However, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by what stays and what goes, and while some items are obviously no longer needed and can head for the rubbish or donation pile, other items remain in the ‘unfinished business’ pile and may stay cluttering up your home for months.
Dealing with what you've decluttered
The hardest part of decluttering is deciding what to do with items that aren’t quite trash but that aren’t actively being used. It could be a pile of clothes waiting to be listed for sale, boxes from a house move still unpacked, children’s toys ready to be donated, or an unused piece of furniture you planned to sell online.
These items may not seem like a problem on their own, but when several start to accumulate and fill your hallway, bedrooms and living space, they can make your home feel much more crowded. At this time of year, when you’re spending more time inside, the clutter from what you’ve decluttered can start to take over.
According to Chris Hutton, storage expert at Adams Selfstore, decluttering becomes harder when each item comes with a task attached. This is why he says, “Some people can live with the same pile of things for months without really seeing it as clutter. You know why it’s there, so it doesn’t feel like rubbish.”
Some people can live with the same pile of things for months without really seeing it as clutter
Chris Hutton, Adam Selfstore
So although there may be a job attached to every item, whether it needs selling, donating, returning, or simply unpacking, if you apply the “I’ll deal with it later” mentality to each object, he says you’re creating your own very long-term storage system — what I’d prefer to call a storage problem.
“If something has been waiting for you to do something with it for six months, ask yourself whether that job is actually going to happen anytime soon,” he advises.
Fall is a good time to tackle these items, as children have settled back into school, work routines return to normal, and Thanksgiving is still a fair distance away.
What is the 'unfinished business' test?
To help you sort out your clutter, Huttons proposes trying the 'unfinished business' test. Rather than telling people to throw things away, he recommends asking why an item is still in your home.
“Not using something recently doesn’t automatically mean it needs to go. The better question is why you’re keeping it, and whether you’re realistically going to get around to doing what you’ve been putting off.”
He proposes three methods to help you decide and take action.
1. Set a deadline
Hutton’s main advice is to set yourself a deadline rather than sticking with vague intentions. “If you’ve got a bag of clothes you’ve been meaning to sell, give yourself a realistic date to do it. If you haven't got around to it by then, make a different decision.
“The important thing is stopping temporary piles from becoming permanent fixtures in your home.”
2. Reconsider where objects are stored
If you decide to keep an object rather than selling or donating it, it doesn’t necessarily have to stay in a prime spot in your home. Hutton explains, “Keeping something doesn’t automatically mean it needs to take up space in the room you use every day. There are belongings that are worth holding onto but that don’t need to be within arm’s reach all year round.”
Items don’t need to be within easy reach unless you use them daily. I use this method in my kitchen, and I keep any appliances I don’t use regularly in an appliance cupboard. But a word of warning: only keep the items you use. You still need to be ruthless about what you declutter.
3. Start at your clutter zones
Hutton says the easiest place to start is often the areas that have gradually become holding zones. For me, that’s an area in my hallway where I put items ready to be donated.
“Look at the things you’ve walked past so often that you’ve stopped noticing them. That’s usually where you’ll find the unfinished business. Pick one of those areas and finish the jobs attached to what’s there.”
Over to you
I’d love to hear your decluttering tricks and whether you have a problem with clutter zones in your home. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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