Have you ever tried to declutter your home and found it too overwhelming?
Something I hear time and time again from clients is that decluttering is too hard because it takes ages - and it takes ages because it's hard to decide what you should keep, and what you should throw out or give away.
That's a really good point. Deciding whether or not to keep something is a hard decision because it's an emotional one. After all, most clutter starts off as something treasured or useful that you brought to the house yourself, or as a well meaning gift from someone else.
But keeping everything forever means a house full of things you don't want or need. A house with no space to work or play. A house that's hard to keep tidy.
Taking some time regularly to clear out items you no longer need is important for your sense of balance and to keep your household running smoothly.
So where do you start?
Ask yourself these 4 questions for simple decluttering - What to ditch & what to keep:
- Do you own it? If you don't own it, don't keep it. If you really need one, you’ll value it enough to get one of your own and make use of it regularly.
- Do you use it every month? If you’re not using something regularly, it’s just taking up space. Think of ways you can get it again if need it later e.g. Clear out your book clutter and switch to library books, eBooks and reading blogs.
- How much would you miss it? Not sure whether to keep it? Put it in a box with a lid on it, write the date six months from now on the outside of the box and if you don’t open the box by that date, it’s safe to throw away or donate the item - you don’t need it.
- Does it have a home to live in? If you value it enough to keep it, take care of it. Assign somewhere for it to belong - a drawer, a cupboard, etc and keep it there. Now you’ll always be able to find it & use it and it won’t become clutter.
Follow these steps next time you declutter your home and see how much easier have a simple plan in place like this helps the process.
And remember - you don't have to do it all at once! Start small - a drawer, a shelf, a cupboard, a room. Just do it regularly, follow the 4 steps and it won't be overwhelming :)
So tell me - have you got any plans to declutter soon? Let me know how it goes!
