Why is Clutter a Problem?
For many people, clutter can be a drain on their energy; this may be because they waste huge amounts of time looking for things they can't find. Clutter can be bad for our health because we tend to feel as if our life is out of control when we surround ourselves with too many things. Messy homes and work spaces can leave us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Clutter is rarely recognized as a source of stress, but clearing it definitely lowers stress levels.
What are the benefits of decluttering? Decluttering reduces stress by providing a sense of control and accomplishment. It can even be enjoyable! You'll have more space, and you'll be able to find things easily.
Why Should I Declutter?
There's a great deal of advice available for how to declutter, much of it conflicting. I'm going to present a few options, and leave it up to you to decide what works best for you.
Many people suggest decluttering by location, e.g. room by room, or even specific spaces within a room. However, Marie Kondo, best-selling author of The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, considers this to be a mistake. She recommends sorting by category, not by location. This is because people often store the same type of item in more than one place. This means we repeat the same work in different locations, and may not remember we already have kept what we need of the particular category of stuff. It's up to you to decide how you prefer to proceed.
According to Marie Kondo, tidying must start with discarding. You may need to divide the discarded stuff into garbage, recycling, donating or giving to a friend, and sort it accordingly. Basically, there are only two possible decisions: what to discard and where to store the stuff you're keeping.
Some decluttering tips:
Organize first; buy second. Do not buy a ton of storage pieces and supplies before you go through your home. Discard first, then see what storage you really need; buy just a few bins to start.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. Don't plan to spend an entire day to organize your whole house. It's much better to spend a few hours - 2 or 3 - on one project or space. This way, you won't reach the point where you can't make one more decision, and give up in frustration.
Complete each task completely. Once you've decided where something is going to go, take it there. Don't let it sit - take the bags and boxes to the trash or recycling immediately. Similarly, take anything to be donated where it needs to go as soon as you have a car load of it.
Be prepared to maintain your decluttered space. You need to expect to do regular upkeep to prevent clutter from piling up again.
Don't be a perfectionist. The goal is to create a space that works well for your needs, not to look like an ad for a magazine. It's a space that's used by humans, not a staged home for non-existent residents.
Additional strategies:
Give away one item each day. Or give away one item on the first day, two on the second day, three on the third day, and so on, for 30 days.
Fill one trash bag. Or one bag to donate to a charity.
Designate a spot for incoming papers. This avoids having piles of paper in various locations.
Schedule a decluttering weekend. You may not finish everything but you'll make great progress. Note: take breaks so you don't end up on overwhelm.
Spend a few minutes visualizing the room. Take a moment to think about how you want it to look. Then figure out what's essential and get rid of the rest.
Create a "maybe" box. There may be some stuff you don't use but can't bear to get rid of. Put it in the "maybe" box and look at it again in six months. Usually, it will be easier to get rid of those things, given that you haven't needed them for six months.
Take everything out of a drawer. Then sort it into three piles: 1. Stuff that really should go in the drawer; 2. stuff that belongs elsewhere; 3. stuff to get rid of. Clean the drawer, then put the stuff back that should go there neatly. Deal with the other piles right away!
Have a conversation with your family/ significant other/ roommate. An uncluttered home is the result of a shared philosophy of simplicity of everyone living in the house. Explain that you really want an uncluttered house, and that you need their help - do this in an encouraging, persuasive way, don't nag.
Enjoy your new uncluttered look. Take the time to admire the improvements you've made, and then nip clutter in the bud when it starts to form again.
I hope you find this helpful! I know it's hard to get started with decluttering, but it feels great once it's done. It's helpful to realize that acquiring more and more stuff isn't the answer - it doesn't make us happier, and when it creates clutter, it actually has a negative effect on us.
