When it comes to decluttering your home, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. What works for one person might not work for someone else. That said, here are nine tips that should make the process a little bit easier.
Start small
When you’re just starting out, it’s important to start small. Don’t try to declutter your entire home in one day – you’ll only end up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
Instead, take it one room at a time. Instead, take it one room at a time. Start with one small area, then once that’s finished, move on to the next.
This technique will make the entire process seem less daunting and will make you feel like you’re constantly achieving goals. Plus, once you’ve finished decluttering your home, it’ll be that much more rewarding.
Make a plan
Before you start decluttering, make a plan of what you want to achieve. This will help keep you on track and ensure that you don’t miss anything.
Think of the areas that need decluttering and figure out what needs to go, then plan accordingly. People who make careful plans are far more likely to succeed than those who dive right in without any kind of game plan.
Don’t keep items ‘just in case’
There’s nothing wrong with having spare supplies on hand in case something breaks or gets damaged. That said, if these items are taking up valuable storage space in your home without being of any use, get rid of them!
There’s absolutely no reason why you should be keeping old pieces that were broken years ago just because there’s a small chance that they might get fixed one day. If you haven’t used something in months, sell it or give it away.
Otherwise, it’s just taking up valuable space that could otherwise be utilized for something else. Additionally, you easily get throw away furniture for free if you inform yourself on how this can be done in your area.
Different towns and cities have different rules and regulations when it comes to how these items need to be disposed of.
Don’t be afraid to let go of sentimental items
Along the same lines as ‘just in case’ items are ‘sentimental’ items. Similarly, these items are no longer needed because they aren’t being put to good use – but there’s a big difference between ‘just in case’ and sentimental items: Sentimental items have no market value whatsoever.
And if someone doesn’t have any memories associated with an item, then why keep them? Make sure that your home is filled with things that remind you of good times, not sad ones! This way, your new home decoration will look even better!
Don’t compare yourself to others
When you try to declutter your home, don’t look at how other people are doing it, especially if you’re trying to declutter your home for the first time.
Doing so will only make you more stressed out, which will likely end up causing you to abandon the entire process altogether.
Remember, there is no ‘right way’ to declutter your home. Whatever works for you is the right way of doing it.
Furthermore, if you’re not ready to declutter your home, don’t feel pressured to do so. It’s better to take your time than it is to rush the process and end up regretting it later on.
Think of your clutter in terms of ‘blocks’
A lot of people have an issue with clutter because they feel like it’s taking over their home. As a result, they fail to see how much space there is in the room or how much free space there is on the floor.
This problem can be easily fixed by visualizing your clutter as ‘blocks’. This is especially helpful if you live in an apartment.
If you visualize your home as a game of Tetris or Minecraft, then you’ll be able to more easily see how much space you actually have.
Clean as you go
If there’s one thing that causes clutter, it’s dirty dishes and an unkempt home. It doesn’t matter how large or small your house is, if it always looks like a pigsty, then everything will seem cluttered.
That said, make sure that at least once a day (preferably once a day), you clean up after yourself and tidy the mess that you’ve made throughout the course of the day.
Not only does this make your home look nicer, but it’ll also make organizing easier in the future because there won’t be so much stuff to organize!
Donate what you can
Even if you don’t want to get rid of certain items, you can still donate them. Donating unwanted items to charity is not only good for the environment, but it’s also a great way to declutter your home without actually having to part with something.
It’s much easier said than done, however. This is why it’s important to set clear criteria before you start setting things for donation aside. Once this is done, you’ll have an easier time deciding what should be donated and what should stay.
Donating also creates a great feeling of satisfaction. When you donate a certain number of things to charity, it feels like you’ve done something good for the world, and that can have an impact on your mental wellbeing.
There will always be someone who can use what you no longer need, and giving away your old stuff is a great way to make them happy.
Plan your buys
If you’re trying to keep clutter away, make sure that you don’t buy more stuff unless absolutely necessary (e.g., groceries).
Buying new things isn’t inherently bad, but if these things are just going to end up collecting dust on shelves or taking up space in your drawers, then they’re not worth buying.
The more items you have in your home, the bigger the burden – and someone’s got to clean up after all of those things!
The main goal of this blog post is to provide you with some tips on how to declutter your home. We hope that by following these 9 steps, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of clutter in your home and live a more comfortable life.
If at any point during the process there’s something that doesn’t work for you or if it seems too difficult, try modifying the steps to suit your needs and lifestyle.