In the wise words of Gretchen Ruben, “outer order contributes to inner calm.” The word ‘clutter’ can be understood as anything that doesn’t benefit you. In your home, clutter may be anything, from those worn-out jeans sitting in your closet to that wonky, unsightly lamp. When you try to get rid of this unnecessary stuff in your home, you’ll find that your place feels much more comfortable. You’ll be saving yourself the headache of having to rummage through that sea of junk trying to find lost items. When you declutter your home, you will also avoid having to start cleaning up every time you have guests coming frantically. After all, nothing inspires cleanliness like expecting guests!
Decluttering your personal space also brings benefits to your mental well-being. Research says just the simple act of decluttering is enough to make you feel in control, and when you feel stuck in a rut, that can be just what you need. Regardless of why you’re decluttering, we’re here to guide you!
How to Start Decluttering Your Home
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and even think twice when decluttering. But, if you follow our quick tips, you’ll find that the process of bringing some order into your home doesn’t have to be so hard!
Take it slow. As with most other things, it’s essential not to go all-in when decluttering. If you take the simple action of just sitting on your sofa for 5 minutes a day thinking about what in your room isn’t necessary or holds meaning to you, you’ll start decluttering away. Every day, give one item away from your home. Since we often hesitate to give away stuff, you could consider donating. That way, you’ll know your property is going to good use.
You should also consider investing in top rated storage solutions. These will allow you to get rid of things from your home while still being their owner. If there are things taking up your home but you can’t imagine parting with them, then using self-storage will offer you the opportunity to free up space in your home while hanging onto things.
Categorize, Categorize, and Categorize!
When decluttering, you should have five different containers with labels attached. When going through your stuff, think about which box an item belongs to. There should be a box for rubbish or items that have absolutely no use and can not be recycled. Next, you should have a recycling box for the items that don’t have any use but could be recycled. You can keep those items in your store to recycle them when needed. You can also find storage units in your area if you don’t have enough space at home. Make sure the storage unit has high security and can handle extreme weather.
Another box should be labeled ‘Needs repair.” This is for those pesky broken items, like those shoes that need repairing or that jacket with missing buttons. Lastly, keep a donation box for things that could be better used by the needy. Any item that doesn’t fit these labels is not cluttered, and you may keep it in your home.
When in doubt, ask yourself the following questions:
As humans, it’s natural that we start to value objects around our homes. During the process of decluttering your home, you will probably find yourself thinking twice when tossing out your stuff. When this happens, ask yourself the following questions.
- Does this object serve a purpose currently?
- Could this object serve a purpose in the future?
- Does this object hold any meaning to me?
Forget about the money you spent. It sounds stupid, we know, but bear with us. When you’ve started decluttering your home, keep in mind that you will get rid of everything that fits the definition of clutter. Don’t think of how much money was spent on it. You can not get your money back now that it’s out of your wallet. You should start thinking about what value that item can add to your life in the future. Looking at your belongings from this perspective, you will make better decisions over what deserves to stay in your home.
Declutter Bite-Sized Portions of Your Home
You can start decluttering your home one room at a time. Start with your TV lounge, maybe. Does that old vase with those wilted flowers need to be there? When you start doing this, the process of decluttering your home will immediately become so much easier. An added advantage of this is the chances of you skipping over that odd item lying around are minimized since each part of your home has your full focus.
In Conclusion
Before buying anything, think about whether you need it. Ask yourself if you could do without it. Making this a practice will save your home from becoming cluttered and stop your pockets from getting empty. That’s a win-win situation.
