What I Decluttered From My Bedroom in 20 Minutes
This beautiful, sunny, earth-toned bedroom is definitely not mine.
If you think decluttering your bedroom takes an entire weekend, two venti iced lattes, and an emotional breakdown, I have good news for you! You can actually make a big difference in your space in a short amount of time. I recently spent about 20 minutes working in my bedroom and was able to improve the feel of the space without embarking on a huge organizing project.
Bedroom surfaces and corners slowly accumulate items that don’t belong. I see it time and again in the bedrooms I’ve organized here in the Jamestown area, and my own room falls victim to it, too.
Here’s exactly what I removed and why it worked.
Start with Actual Garbage
Tissues, receipts, gum wrappers, pocket miscellany. It clutters up surfaces in a flash and is probably the fastest and easiest way to make a decluttering difference in your space. This is always where I recommend people start when they want to make an impact quickly.
Travel Keepsakes
We went on a pilgrimage last fall, and we had to wear nametags as part of our group. Unfortunately the nametags and lanyards sat on my dresser for months, along with ticket stubs and other travel detritus. If this were 2008, all this stuff would have gone into a scrapbook but instead they went into the trash.
Let Go of Shoe Boxes
I was only keeping the box because I love the shoes and want to get them in another color. I realized I could take a picture of the label and store it in my notes app, which means less closet clutter and easier access when I’m shopping.
Clearing Paper Clutter
Tags with instructions. Papers from a subscription box. One or two of these papers don’t seem like much but they can pile up fast on the dresser or night stand. It felt so good to let them go.
Toss Old Hobby Supplies
Small hobby supplies are another sneaky clutter category. I like to knit, but I realized my knitting bag had a bunch of tiny end-of-skein scraps that aren’t enough to make anything, so I let them go and freed up space for full skeins for my next project (I can really only make scarves and blankets right now. I’m too out of practice for hats).
Allow for Changing Interests
Your interests change, and that means the supplies you keep on hand for them change, too. I found a couple of adult coloring books that I hadn’t touched in years, from the days when I used to sit and color with my little kids. I ripped out the used pages and put the books in my donate pile. It’s better to let those supplies go to someone who loves that hobby now.
Seasonal Clutter Expiration
Seasonal clutter is easy to eliminate as it comes with its own expiration date. I do Christmas wrapping in my room, so that’s where the rolls of wrapping paper and a little bag of supplies live (store it where you use it!). But if a piece of paper was too small to wrap something in this year, chances are I’ll never use it. Recycle!
Old Tech You Can Toss
Here’s a category I’m a little embarrassed to have to include. I still had some accessories from an old iPod nano in a basket in my closet. The iPod nano has been discontinued since 2017, so there’s really no explanation for still having the arm band. I don’t even run. Never did!
Keeping the Right Books
My criteria for keeping books is if I love it, might reread it, or might recommend or loan it out, I keep it. Because I’m in a book club and I have a hard time resisting a good used book sale, I’ve accumulated more books than I need and my bedroom bookshelf was overflowing. There were several that were easy to drop at my local used book store. If you want to read more about decluttering and organizing books, check out this post.
Don’t Forget the Donation Box
It might sound like cheating to say I decluttered something I already technically decluttered. But hear me out. I keep a box in the corner near my closet for clothes that I no longer want, but I haven’t emptied it in a while. Taking even a small bag of clothes to Goodwill feels so good.
Obviously you don’t have to get rid of the exact same items that I decluttered to make a difference in your space. This quick list is just here to show you that you don’t have to an entire weekend decluttering project to freshen up your space.
If your bedroom feels heavier than it should, set a timer for 20 minutes and see what you can remove.
And if you’re staring at the room thinking, “I don’t even know where to start,” that’s exactly what I help with. A short session can completely shift the feel of a space.
Good Help Organizing is based in Jamestown, North Dakota and serves families and businesses throughout Jamestown and the surrounding communities including Valley City, Carrington, and other nearby rural areas. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by clutter, consultations with GHO are always free!
Hi, I’m Ashley, and I like to move people from cluttered to clarity!
