If you’re feeling overwhelmed with chaos and clutter everywhere or you just feel like there is nowhere to start, then simply slow things down and think a little smaller.

Work just a little bit at a time, or just one…BUC (or Bit Under Clutter) at a time.

Try not to look at the whole room or the whole house. It makes the work seem impossible and will make you feel like you will never make any progress. You need to break things down. Sometimes to a very tiny level.

Each Bit Under Clutter or BUC could be as small as one surface by the front door, or one step of the stairs, or one drawer. Try to think of very small and very manageable tiny bits.

Your house didn’t get cluttered over night, there is no way then that you can declutter it all in one night. The clutter came into the house as tiny bits. Now, it will leave that same way.

Create a reward system for yourself, as silly as it might seem. Think of it as money, it’s why I like to call them “BUCs”. Working hard on each BUC will lead to accomplishing bigger BUCs or at least a large multitude of BUCs. When you have enough, “spend” them on yourself! I like to think of my BUCs as earning me downtime. I need to do a certain number of BUCs before I can participate in a hobby or even participate in nothing at all! Tell the kids they need to get two BUCs to have screen time or whatever limit you want to set on them! Why not make a list of all the possible BUCs in the house or the BUCs in the kids’ rooms – that way, it’s clear to see what areas need a bit of extra attention when tidying.

Like I said above, no space is too tiny to be a BUC! It can literally be a small side table! It can be the armrest of the couch! It can even be a cup holder in the car!! Make it seem like it would be so simple and such a small job that you could do it in no time! Make it seem like it would be so easy to earn that BUC that you just have to do it now!

If it’s a space where stuff accumulates then it can qualify as a BUC.

Maybe if the family can get 10 BUCs by the weekend, you can all enjoy a favourite video game, board game, or some fun play time at the park together!

Whatever works for you, but success works best if you can turn the work into a bit of fun!

So, get to work! One BUC at a time!

Thanks for coming home!