Decluttering | Top Tips

Decluttering | Top Tips

Minimalism sounds like an attractive way of living to many these days, and it is definitely something that has gained in popularity in recent years. One of the main advantages of owning less is that there are fewer things to clean, fewer things to organize, fewer things to stress about, more money and more energy because you are not spending your time cleaning and moving stuff about. 

However, getting to the point of minimalism can be more than a little stressful for many people, especially if they have a lot of stuff to get rid of. People starting out on their journey towards minimalism often feel overwhelmed and anxious around the idea of decluttering their home. It doesn’t have to be that way though, and here, we are going to look at some tips to help you along the way.

Put a time limit in place

By placing a limit on the time you spend decluttering, you have a clear end in sight. It could be from ten minutes to half an hour. See what you can get done in that time, and once you have reached that time, stop, and do something that you enjoy – have a cup of coffee, watch your favourite show or go and take a walk. For me it’s always Ollie’s nap time that dictates how much time I’ve got for decluttering.

 

Do one room at a time

One of the best motivators is a clean, clear, finished room. Once you have completely decluttered a room, you may well find that you are spurred on to do others. Instead of flitting from room to room, where it can be difficult to keep check of your progress, focus on one room and don’t touch another one until it is done.

 

Get rid of the clutter straight away

A big problem with decluttering is that we sort it out into boxes and bags, with all the intentions of giving that bag to so and so, and that box to that place, and it ends up sitting in the corner of the room or the trunk of our car forevermore, gathering dust and just cluttering up another space. This completely negates the benefits of decluttering. Either take it to the charity store or find a Same-Day Rubbish Removal company to take it away for you. The quicker it is out of the way, the better you will feel.

Make a list

Create a list of places or areas in your home to declutter, starting with the easiest. When you are done with one area, stop and take a break or stop altogether and focus on something else. This list could be made as easy or difficult as you want, based upon what areas of your home make up the list – drawers/closets/rooms, for example, and could easily fit into any schedule.

 

Play with numbers

Pick a number of items to get rid of and see if you can make it happen. For example, say you picked the number 28 – this would be the number of items throughout your house to get rid of. However, if 28 seems too little, or too much, adjust it to suit you. The important thing is to challenge yourself to live with less and see what you learn from the experiment.