Most of us have too much clutter in our lives. And a cluttered home and/or workspace can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. I know that I feel so much more relaxed when I come home to a clean and tidy house versus everything in disarray. Do yourself a favour and get out from under that pile of clutter.
Here’s how…
- Simply get started. Pick a room, closet, shelf or other space and get started. Pick up each item once and ask yourself: “Do I use this item regularly?” or in the case of household accessories, keepsakes or personal items ask yourself: “Do I love this item?” If the answer is “no” then the item needs to be sold, donated, or given away. Have a box for each of those categories to put your discarded items.
- Put away the items that you’re keeping in their proper place.
- If you have a lot of stuff, it might seem overwhelming. Try setting a timer and just work for 10 minutes. Limit your decluttering to one small area for those 10 minutes. That way, you’ll really be able to see some progress.
- Try not to get carried away by spending too much time in one area. Working on decluttering for 10 minutes a day for a month is a lot better than overloading yourself and quitting after two days.
- Go a little further each day. Once you’ve started decluttering, keep moving forward. Finish one area and then move on to the next. Your enemy is perfection. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Simply do a good job in a reasonable amount of time. Any work you’re putting into this will result in progress.
- Get some help. Some of us really are pack rats and can’t seem to let go of anything. If that sounds like you, get a reasonable friend to help. The ideal friend will have a clutter-free home that you envy.
- Take the time to enjoy the new clutter-free spaces you’ve created in order to help keep the momentum going.
- Declutter your calendar and digital life. Your living environment is only one aspect of your life. Decluttering your calendar and your digital life are also important.
- Decluttering your calendar is about learning to say “no” to commitments that aren’t important to you. Make a list of commitments and put them in order from most important to least important. Keep the top few and remove the rest from your life.
- Start decluttering your digital life. Prioritize blogs, newsletters, social networks, emails, and so on. Only keep the things that really matter.
- It’s important to include the family in your decluttering efforts. If the other people in your home aren’t on the same page, decluttering is much more challenging.
- Focus on telling them about the benefits they’ll receive if the home is much less cluttered. Share the benefits of decluttering their space.
- If there’s too much resistance, keep your focus on decluttering and maintaining your own space.
- Getting rid of things can be contagious. You’ll likely find that everyone else in your household will jump on the bandwagon when they see how great your personal space looks.
Clutter weighs on your mind 24/7, whether you realize it or not. Avoid letting it stress you out or take over your life. You’ll be surprised at how much more relaxed you’ll feel when the clutter is out of your life for good. Give it a try today!
