Small Stages of Decluttering: STEP TWO

On STEP TWO we going to start the decluttering process!

WARNING: Things might get worse before they get better---so be prepared! Look at your laundry baskets of stuff (or whatever you used for containers!) as a work in progress.

On STEP TWO we'll put things in our baskets/piles, but we're going to concentrate on getting the obvious and larger items that don't belong or need to be trashed out of the room. This will give us a definite visual improvement before we get to the more nitty-gritty stuff.

In my home office/guest room that involved...
...making the break with the older VCR that wasn't functioning up to par anymore and that I haven't used in several years!
...yanking the wonderful shiatsu back massager out from under the bed and admitting the fact that we've not been able to get it functioning again.
...throwing the small stack of VHS video tapes that we'll never watch again.
...putting the pile of folded sheets in the Belongs Elsewhere baskets realizing they don't belong here and I need to find a new home for them!

Is your bedroom or home office still bursting at the seams? Do you have boxes stacked in the corner of that you can’t remember when you last looked in them? Delegate them to the basement!

The big question is: What needs to stay? We need to ask ourselves how often we use certain items to determine if they deserve prime realty, a plastic tote in the basement or garage, or somewhere in-between. Using my home office/guest room as the example....

DAILY USE items deserve prime realty! They need to be easily accessible. (This would include my laptop, pens, notepaper, my printer and so on.)

WEEKLY USE items may not deserve prime realty, but they still deserve a place of prominence. (This would include small items such as stamps, envelopes, stapler, tape dispenser and a label maker. This would also include my desktop file holder for files currently in use such as Bills to be Paid.)

MONTHLY USE items can be stored, but I'd still keep them out of the basement or garage. You still want easy access to them. (This would include the rest of the files that we need, but not on a weekly basis. This could be school reports, previous years' taxes, medical records and so forth. Monthly items can also include supplies to restock easily accessible office supplies along with the larger envelopes or items that you do not use on a daily or weekly basis.)

YEARLY USE items deserve to be stored in the basement, attic or garage. (This could include, but not be limited to, holiday decorations, extra curtains and decorations currently not in use, heavy blankets and flannel sheets when switched for your summer cotton sheets and so on.)

Okay, we've removed the larger and obvious offenders from the room. My trash pile has grown by the back door. Let's mull over until tomorrow what's left in the room. What falls in which category of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly use? We need some guidelines in our mind before we begin the great purge! Our goal is to declutter the room to be efficient for its intended use!