Decluttering Tips For Living The Simple Life

Just when I thought I had purged enough…I purged some more. People all around me ask “What MORE do you have to get rid of?” My answer is simple MORE. In the past, I’ve spent frivolously on things I “needed” however, that’s not an excuse to hang on to them and clutter up the space I have.

For the past couple of years I’ve been working towards simplifying my life, which includes my home. I want to make my life as simple as possible and that includes not holding on to things I might need “someday”, things I spent “good money on”, and things that are still good but I don’t use.

My initial thought on simplicity was that I’d get rid of what I didn’t need and presto life would be simpler. Which is true. The catch: There is actually a lot of stuff you don’t need.

Cut, cut and then cut some more

1. Visualise. Take a minute to picture what you want your home or work space to look like. Are all horizontal surfaces free from “stuff”? Do you have your bookshelf organized alphabetically? Whatever it is take a moment and picture it in your head.

2. Take a good look. See your space for what it currently is. Are there receipts crammed in baskets or between books? Do you have electronics intermingled with your books? Do you have too many items in your kitchen cupboards that they fall on you every time you open the door?

It’s important to really see what you have as a starting point and to think about how you’re going to get it to the state you pictured initially. Don’t feel bad about what you are starting off with, accept things for what they are. Sure the best time to have de-cluttered and gotten organized may have been years ago, but the second best time is now.

3. Take your time. You shouldn’t feel that this all needs to be done right now today. In fact, it shouldn’t be done all at once as it can be extremely overwhelming and cause a fair bit of stress. Start small and simply make progress.

4. What to do when you don’t know what to do. This is something I run into a lot. When I de-clutter I get rid of most things that I don’t need but there is always something I struggle to get rid of. When this happens I now put it in a closet or a box so that it’s out of sight. I’ll revisit that closet or go through the box in 6 months time and see if I still want to hang on to the contents. Most of the times this works really well.  After some time apart I can see these things for what they really are, things. If they don’t offer value or add to the simplicity I’m after out they go.

5.Cut and then cut some more. When we downsized our home last year we took the opportunity to get rid of quite a bit of stuff we had been hanging on to. It was great, we thought we had made decent progress and we had, relative to what we started out with. After a couple of months in our new home we took another look around and found more items that weren’t working for us and that were taking up a lot of precious space in our much smaller home. So we cut again.

We’ve done about 4 or 5 rounds of cuts in the past year. With each round we look at our stuff much more critically. We no longer hold on to things that we might need someday, as someday rarely ever comes. We no longer hold on to things out of a sense of obligation or sentiment. We have a pretty simple rule now if it doesn’t work for or with us it’s out.

Quick tips to get you going

• Do one drawer or shelf a day and be ruthless. Before you know it you’ll have your whole home done and you can start over again
• For sentimental items and nick-knacks take a digital photograph and donate or sell the physical item. A lot of time with sentimental items it’s not the physical item that has the meaning it’s the memories and feelings it invokes when you see it. You’ll get all of those same feelings when you look at the picture.
• If you can’t decide on what to do with something put it in time out. Find a closet or a cupboard or a cardboard box and store the item you can’t make a decision on. After a set amount of time (3-6 months works well for me) revisit the items and see if you prefer the space you’ve gained by removing this item or if you’d rather have the item. There’s nothing wrong with bringing it out of storage if it makes you happy.
• Keep a box handy to coral all unwanted items. Keep it in an accessible area and when it’s full take it out to the car or garage immediately so you’re not tempted to go through it again. I like diaper boxes and liquor boxes because they’re not huge and so they’re easy to carry when they’re full.
• Set a timer for 10 minutes and work on one corner of the room you’re in. If you get on a roll keep going but if after 10 minutes you’ve had enough, stop at least you’ve made some progress.
• Ask for help. If you find you are too attached to everything you have ask a family member or close friend to help you. They are completely unattached to most of what you have so can help you see things for what they really are. Things.

I’ve learned over the past couple of years that de-cluttering is definitely an ongoing process. Just when you think you’re done “oh look there’s a vase I NEVER use” so…get rid of it. This won’t work for some of you and that’s okay. If you truly enjoy being surrounded by things that bring back memories and invoke positive feelings then that’s truly great. If you’re like me however, and clutter is a source of unhappiness for you, then start today and take one step towards simplifying your space. You’ll be happier for it.

See also:

Eliminate Clutter Part 1: The Cost of Clutter and Where Does it Come From?

Disorganized? Blame It On The Universe!

On The Concept Of Friction

Purge Just 7 Things – A Weekend Challenge

Got Books? Tips To Decluttering and Organizing Your Personal Library

Photo courtesy of: Sherri