Living a simplified, uncluttered life has many benefits: less cleaning and organising, less stress, less debt, and more energy and money for doing your favourite things.
Unfortunately, many people begin to feel overwhelmed and defeated when they are faced with the task of decluttering their homes. But decluttering isn’t as painful as some may think, especially when you know where to start.
So, if living with less stuff sounds great, follow these simple and easy ways to start clearing your home and life.
Step 1. Clear one area each day
Give yourself 5 minutes daily to declutter a different area of your home.
You can start by decluttering a drawer, a countertop, or kitchen cupboards. No matter where you start, just make sure you don’t place anything that isn’t currently being used.
Keep doing that the next day, and then clear another zone. Keep going until the day you suddenly notice your entire house is decluttered!
Step 2. Get rid of one item each day
Decluttering your home has many psychological benefits, especially when you want to create a relaxing or productive atmosphere.
Whether you’ll give it away to charity or get rid of it, start removing one item from your home each day. Soon, your house will be free of unnecessary clutter, making your life simpler and more efficient.
How to choose which item? Think about how often you use the item, how much space it takes up, and how it makes you feel.
If it’s something that doesn’t bring joy or make your life easier, then it’s probably time to let it go. You don’t have to become a minimalist either: just practise mindful consumption from this day forward and only purchase items that fill a specific purpose.
Step 3. Fill a trash bag
Get a trash bag, try to fill it as quickly as possible, and try not to get into memory lane with each item you touch.
Ask yourself: Is it really something you need to hold on to?
While you can fill the bag with garbage only, you can also use it to collect items for Goodwill. Another version of this exercise is to get three boxes – one for things to keep and another two for “items to donate” or throw away.
Step 4. Put your wardrobe in order
To determine the garments you don’t need, place all your clothes on hangers facing in the reverse direction.
Once you wear a cloth, return it to the wardrobe with the hanger pointing in the correct direction.
After several months of careful consideration, you can tell which clothes are simply not worth keeping.
Step 5. Make a plan
Maybe making a plan should be step number one, but we think it’s better to start somewhere rather than planning and then not acting on it. Action sets things in motion and allows you to overcome procrastination and the starting paralysis.
To make a plan, sit down and create a step-by-step action plan for clearing your home.
Each step should be a different area in your home that needs to be decluttered. Begin with the easiest one. Once you are done with an area, stop and rest.
The good of this method is that it easily fits into any schedule, allowing you to keep track of the areas you’ve cleared and proceed with your project whenever you want.
Step 6. Make it like a challenge
Gamifying your decluttering project might help those motivated by a light-hearted challenge.
For example, the 12-12-12 challenge is a fun and exciting way you can use to organise your home quickly. You should simply find 12 items to dispose of, 12 items to donate, and 12 items you’ve borrowed and need to be returned to their proper owners (not that we’re judging, but we think you should do that right after you finish this article).
You don’t need to clear the entire house on your own. If you live with someone, you can turn it into a competition between yourselves. See then who’ll complete the challenge quicker!
You can also use this challenge to get creative with decluttering by using items you’d normally throw away to create something new.
For example, you could use old books to create a bookcase or old clothes to make a quilt.
Step 7. Change your perspective
We suggest taking photos of your house occasionally because this will help you see your home in a new light.
Why does it work?
We can say that Instagram has changed our perspective on what a home should look like. Whether we like it or not, our brains already judge like we’re posting the photo on social media for all to see.
Try it and see what happens.
Step 8. Experiment with numbers
Set up a concrete number of clothes for 3 or more months to wear.
Thirty pieces of clothing should be enough, but pick another number if this seems too little.
Don’t higher the number too much. After all, the purpose of the experiment is to learn to live with less.
Step 9. Use your imagination
If you find it challenging to get rid of a particular item, then ask yourself questions like, “Have I used it during the last six months?”, “Would I buy it now?” and such.
This method proves to be quite helpful for people with difficulties removing unneeded stuff.
Step 10. The four-box method
This is the most used technique when it comes to decluttering.
As the name suggests, you’ll need four boxes. Label them as follows: trash, give away, keep, and relocate.
Now, go through every room in your home and place each and every item into one of these boxes. Don’t skip an item. While this may take an hour to weeks, the result will be more than pleasing.
