How To Purge Your Home Quickly
There are times in our lives when we need to purge items in our homes, these can be for a number of different reasons but the end goal is always the same, to have less stuff than when you started.
Do you need to know how to purge your home quickly? I’m here to help, I am going to give you the information you need on how to start the process of purging the items that belong to you.
There are often many options when it comes to getting rid of things. There are also a lot of different opinions on the best ways to purge, however, I think once you have the information you will find the right way for you.
Emotions are going to be high as it’s often seen as a very difficult path to take. Decluttering and purging the things you own and at one point wanted, is emotionally draining.
Let’s make this process easier with these tips and ideas to reduce stress and move the purging forward.
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Create A Plan Of What To Do
With all projects I undertake, I always want some form of a plan, this helps me to think about the process and what needs to happen.
It also helps me look at the emotions that are going to pop up and have a plan for how I am going to feel when they do.
I grab a pen, notebook and just start writing what I want to achieve.
Having a plan will help you make those hard decisions, you have a reason why you need to purge, and remembering that reason is important when creating your plan.
You could even see it as a way to start fresh, a home with a lot fewer things and fewer things means less cleaning and more time for you.
Planning is an important step, but sometimes it can be used as an excuse for not taking action because you are thinking about the plan, and reworking the plan so the action never happens.
Don’t use planning as an excuse not to start.
Having Everything Ready To Go
Make sure you have the necessary items like:
- trash bags
- labels
- containers
- skip
- van hire or charity collection
This will help start off the process easier.
This will help keep everything organized and you will know what needs to happen to items in the different piles without having to remember what you put there, the label will tell you that.
Having Helpers Helping You Purge
Helps are not there to make the decisions for you, they are there to help.
To make sure that you are emotionally OK and that you are doing the purging.
They can take items out of the home that you don’t want, they can load things into a skip, there are lots of things they can do but you have to let them help.
But also make sure you know when they are coming and how long they can stay.
This makes it less stressful than them telling you when they are leaving 5 minutes before they go, you can be prepared as it’s going to be emotional for both of you.
Just Start Purging
You do have to just start. There is a point when all the preparation is complete and you really just need to dig in and get purging.
You don’t have to go mad and spend the next 20 hours purging if you don’t need to, but you do need to start.
Decluttering that first space is going to mean you have taken action, it’s amazing and so rewarding.
The most important step to take here is just to start, no pressure, just start removing these items from your home that you no longer need.
Help I Feel Overwhelmed?
It’s OK to feel overwhelmed, you are doing some really hard mentally. Purging brings emotions to the surface and they are sometimes overwhelming.
It’s normal, it’s just a feeling. It’s often those negative emotions that you are feeling. Try turning them into positive ones:
- you are doing great
- look how far you have come
- how proud you should be for even just starting this journey to owning less.
If you are still feeling overwhelmed and have helpers, let them touch the items, you just make a decision as to what you are keeping and what is going.
If you are on the clock and need to make this happen, you can still look at it as just 5 minutes at a time.
You just have to do this for 5 minutes and then you can have a short break before the next 5 minutes.
Making Quick Decisions Is Hard But Necessary
The longer you take to make decisions the harder the decisions get, it really is that simple.
Quick and easy decisions are going to make the process go a lot smoother and faster.
If you start to question the decisions you are making then it’s going to make it difficult to actually get rid of things.
Things bring up memories, and that’s when purging gets difficult, so, yes I am saying less thinking and being more automatic with the decisions on what stays and what goes.
Don’t Pull Everything Out One Item At A Time
Don’t make a mess, stick to one item at a time, or one pile, or one box at a time.
I know purging is about removing stuff from your home, but if you make a big mess you have to clear it up before moving on to the next area.
If you make the process more about the items you want and less about the items that are leaving it’s going to be easier to keep areas tidy and livable.
The aim of the purge is just getting rid of stuff, it’s not about making a bigger mess than what you started with.
Sometimes pulling everything out makes it even more overwhelming than just looking at a few things at a time and making those important decisions.
Get Rid Of The Items
If you are doing a purge quickly you need to make sure you are getting the items out of your home that you don’t want.
You need to get them gone as soon as possible, this could be to charity or a friend, even taking them straight to the tip is an option to consider. You don’t want them just sitting around as you might be tempted to let some things back in.
If you are giving items to charity, see if you can get them to come and pick up the items they want, this means less for you to do.
However, if they can’t come for weeks, it might be better to hire a van and drop them off yourself.
If you have a lot of things that just need throwing away, hire a skip for a period of a few days and just get as much as you can into the skip before it needs to leave.
Purging Is Tough Mentally
I’m not going to lie if you need to purge and you need to do it quickly there is always a reason and this reason could be difficult to deal with.
Also, the actual purging of things in your home is going to be emotionally draining, you might not be able to deal with these at the time of purging, but be aware they could pop up even after the event.
Being prepared before you start is going to make the process quicker, but don’t stall on purging because you are forgetting something you had planned to do.
Starting is the most important thing you can do with the second being making sure the items leave your property.
More Resources To Help You Purge Your Home
This is a really difficult topic, and often one that you might need even more information on.
Check out these resources below:
