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Decluttering Made Easy™: Magazine Management

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I’ll start with a confession: I have a magazine-collecting problem! Actually, I should say “had.” When I began to spell out my system for managing magazines, I challenged myself to conquer my own nemesis: interior design magazines.

Magazine

So, how did I get my magazine clutter under control? I set out to help myself as I would help any of my clients: with diligence and tried and true methods.

To start, I set up a system. First, I identified the main categories for which I use magazines and labeled my manila folders accordingly. These categories were:

  1. General ideas/ Inspiration
  2. Paint colors
  3. Current special interiors projects
  4. Newsletter ideas
  5. Travel
  6. Articles about full-house transformations
  7. New resources

I believe in making tasks as pleasant and accessible as possible, so I put on my favorite Netflix shows, poured myself a cup of tea or two, and powered through the project. It turned out to require less muscle than I thought.

I started by pulling together every interior design magazine in my house, then leafed through each one, ripping out the pages that spoke to me, and immediately placed them in their designated folder.

It took a few nights, but in the end, I was able to recycle over 90 lbs. of magazines, while keeping seven (tidy) files of inspirational material. Just some of the benefits of tackling this project include:

  • Being able to lay my hands on an interior design idea in seconds, rather than searching through stacks of papers to try to remember where I first saw something
  • Clearing out the visual clutter in my home is, which leaves me feeling more free and unencumbered
  • Clearing out the psychic clutter in my mind, which has given me more room to feel inspired
Magazines

Decluttering and organizing my own magazine collection was a good reminder of the freedom we feel when we tackle the clutter in our home. I invite you to do the same, whether your clutter challenge is magazines, clothing, dishes, food, or toiletries. You’ll be so glad you did— I know I am!

All my best,
Claudia

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