By Kim Kubsch

This is third in a series of articles that will feature techniques for decluttering your home – one room at a time. As a Sun Lakes resident and owner of Joyful DOWNSIZING, I am passionate about helping boomers and seniors declutter to simplify their lives, organize the remaining items and downsize unwanted stuff.

This month, we will tackle THE FAMILY ROOM. Even if you have a living room, it’s probably not where you spend the majority of your time. The Family Room is usually the sanctuary for gatherings, entertaining, conversations, watching TV, relaxing.

The secret to creating a clutter-free zone in this room is to have attractive storage units or containers for like-items such as TV controls, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, books, curios, photos, toys, electronic games. LABEL EVERYTHING – try using colored masking tape (like painters use so it is easy to remove) with a Sharpie pen.

The Family Room is an excellent place to use a category-by-category clearing method. For instance, in downsizing your book collection, ask yourself “Do I read this?” Will I read this? Does it give me pleasure to have all these books? Thinning your collection can create space for new wisdom and opportunities to come into your life, or it may simply bring you relief knowing there’s less to get rid of if you move! Can you believe the average home has 138 books?

Clutter Clearing Checklist for your living space:

• Does the room give you the feeling you want? Light? Dark? Cozy?
• Does any upholstery need to be replaced, fixed or discarded? What about pillows?
• Do you love all your wall art, displayed photos, and curios, or can they be updated or even donated?
• How are your DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers, magazines, games stored? Do all of these bring you joy or are you willing to part with some. If you are okay to remove the CDs from their jackets, invest in a DVD / CD binder or wallet to store about 400 pieces.
• Are your horizontal surfaces overcrowded?
• Are there hidden items that need to be more visible?

Remember, when you are not surrounded by confusion and/or chaos, you will be creating a calming effect which will add joy to your life. Clear your clutter NOW.

Future articles will feature the Bedroom; Kitchen cabinets, pantry, refrigerator, freezer; Closets; Bathroom; Office; Garage. Stay tuned.

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