By Rita Wilkins
The Downsizing Designer

Have you ever listened to what your clutter is trying to tell you?

You know… that clutter that’s everywhere!

Your kitchen counter, your dining room table, your bathroom countertops.

Every time you think you’ve cleaned it off and decluttered, it sneaks back in to haunt you!

All of that work you did to declutter your cabinets and closets, and in what seems like no time at all, the clutter creeps back in and undoes all of your decluttering efforts.

And over a period of time, it seems like you’re right back to where you started! It’s so frustrating because you know you’re trying.

So how does this happen?

How does clutter creep back into areas you decluttered and were so proud of how they looked?

If this happened to you, if you are struggling with clutter creep and the chaos that it is causing in your household, by the time you finish reading this blog, you will have some new tools tips and habits that will help you cure clutter creep once and for all.

First of all, know that it’s normal to have some clutter finding its way into your home, onto the countertops and into your drawers and closets. You’re busy. You don’t necessarily take time each day to put things back where they belong.

And then, over the course of a week or a few weeks, it looks like you never decluttered in the first place.

And then there are those moments when you have guests coming and rather than taking the time to put everything back where it belongs, you shove it into a closet or drawer. Out of sight out of mind. The cycle never seems to end!

You get stressed, you feel anxious, and overwhelmed with all the clutter… Again!

But I want you to remember that peace of mind and calm you had when you previously decluttered. You were happier, more peaceful, and content. That can happen again.

The secret to curing clutter creep and chaos is to establish everyday habits and routines that help you stay on top of it, preventing clutter from overtaking you ever again.

That way you don’t allow clutter to build up and you don’t have to start all over again.

It’s about prevention and commitment to maintaining a clutter-free environment.

If you want it badly enough, if you’re willing to commit to little habits and routines every day, you can rest assured that you can have and keep that peaceful clutter free home once and for all.

3 Best Ways to Combat and Cure Clutter Creep… and the Ensuing Chaos It Creates

1. 3 C’s: Commitment, Consistency, Confidence

COMMITMENT

Commit to having a clutter-free home. No excuses. If you want it badly enough if you are so tired of clutter everywhere you look, commit to a clutter-free home and a clutter-free life. Focus your efforts. Be intentional every single day.

Home Decluttering Quick Start Checklist, $4.99

CONSISTENCY

Be consistent. Have a plan for maintaining your home daily 15 to 20 minutes in the morning, 15 to 20 minutes in the evening to pick up clothes, do the dishes, sort the mail, etc.

Consistency is key to developing new habits and routines that will lead to success

CONFIDENCE

Believe it’s possible to live a clutter-free life in a clutter-free home.

Believe in yourself, that you can make it happen.

Let go of old habits that contributed to clutter in the first place:

Procrastination (do it later, do it another day)
Excuses (why you can’t declutter today, why you don’t have time)
Moving stuff from one place to the other (this is not decluttering. It will get you nowhere)