You know how it can be difficult to sleep when you have a cluttered, racing mind? Well, it’s equally as difficult to de-stress and feel comfortable in your own home if it’s full of clutter too. If there are things here, there and everywhere, we end up starting off each day on the wrong foot – where are my shoes? Where are my keys? Where is my watch? That’s just not a positive way to start each day.
It all comes down to the age old principle of Feng Shui, on how your surrounding environment has a direct influence on different areas of your life. Clutter creates a negative energy and is de-motivating – it suffocates us. No one means to cause clutter. In a world of consumerism, it just happens naturally. However, as long as you are informed with how to tackle clutter, make it your business to regularly practice decluttering and ensure it doesn’t have a negative effect on your life, you’ll do just fine.
Often the first thought when placed with clutter is where to start? To help you introduce a regular pattern of de-cluttering into your life, we’ve compiled a list of the best tips and tricks to serve as your go-to guide each time the need for de-cluttering arises.
1. When in doubt, throw it out
If you’re sorting through items and find yourself even hesitating the slightest bit about whether you should say goodbye to certain items, let them go. In that moment of hesitation, you’ve realised the item doesn’t really have a place in your home but you’re holding out because of emotional attachment. This will just slow you down on your path to a de-cluttered home. If in doubt, just throw an item out – especially if sparks any negative thoughts or memories!
2. Making room for something new
A great motivating thought when faced with the prospect of de-cluttering is to remind yourself that by throwing out certain items, you make way for the presence of new things in your home. It’s amazing how such a positive thought can motivate you to see out your de-cluttering and be a little more ruthless with how much stuff you insist on holding onto. Out with the old, in with the new – isn’t that what they always say?
3. Use organising containers
The last thing you want is for your de-cluttering to turn into chaos. Set yourself up to succeed by using clearly labelled organising containers – one for things being given away to charity or friends, another for items being thrown out, another for items to be stored away and a container for things you would like to keep. Starting your de-cluttering in an organised fashion prevents you from losing faith half-way through the process, when you’re surrounded by “stuff” and you can’t recall what you had decided to do with each item.
4. Take it section by section
It can feel all too easy to start de-cluttering here, there, and everywhere – but the end result will be a whole of distraction and very little action. Make a quick plan of each section you are going to de-clutter and aim to start with the most cluttered corners. Write down your plan or sketch it out; this will feel more official and give you a solid structure to follow. Take your de-cluttering session section by section, as per your plan, and you’ll find the task much easier and quicker to achieve.
5. Don’t take on more than you can manage
If a space is seriously cluttered, it can be difficult to tackle all by yourself, especially if you have time limitations. Draft in the help of significant others, family and friends to help you out. All of a sudden that de-cluttering task you may have been dreading is actually quite fun.
There are very few people out there who have the time, energy and focus to commit hours of decluttering so it’s always worth calling in reinforcements. You’ll be more likely to see out decluttering a whole room before moving on, and you’ll have someone to help you make those tough decisions when faced with eliminating items from your home and from your life.
Your new de-cluttering habits start now
After your initial declutter, stick dates in the diary for you to conduct your next declutter. Don’t just wait for the clutter to get on top of you – stay on top of the clutter. Each time you declutter, step back and soak up the amazing feeling of your accomplishment and how comfortable your home now feels. The memories of how relaxing and enjoyable your home is when free of clutter should help to motivate you to keep it that way! Your new decluttering habits start now. Plan to begin your journey to a clutter free home starting this week – there really is no time like the present.
