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The decluttering craze has been around for about a decade now, taking off with Marie Kondo and followed by many others setting up businesses to help us to declutter, i.e: get rid of all the stuff we have accumulated throughout years and years that we don’t need anymore. Clutter has become an issue to many people: as our homes got messier and untidier and from the clutter we can’t see anymore what’s really important. Acquiring more and more stuff because glossy magazines and TV ads are telling us to buy this and buy that to improve our lives, feel happy and entertained – was never going to work. All the clutter can contribute to the inability to think clearly, which can contribute to stress and low energy, anxiety. Especially if the clutter becomes so excessive, it can threaten to mentally and physically entrap an individual in dysfunctional home environments.
So eventually, we come to realise this – either with the help of Miss Kondo, or by common sense and we begin decluttering. We go through our belongings and sort them into two piles: stay or go. It’s not as easy and short process, but once it’s done we will feel it was well worth going through it.
Now, just to keep it this way….
Mindful shopping
Once you adopted the mindset of a minimalist – or a near minimalist, you want to keep it that way. Shopping is something you will grow to be mindful about it. But how to do that. Think about these questions before deciding to purchase something:
- Do I really need or love this item? Do I have space for it?
- For grocery items, will I use this before it expires?
- Am I buying this only because I think it’s a good deal or on sale?
Whilst everything around us is encouraging to consume more – resisting this and sticking to it is very liberating. It’s good for you and good for the environment as well.
Gifting
Birthdays and Christmases are yet another occasion to end up with some unwanted clutter. The choices are to tell your relatives and friends what you want or don’t want. Or tell them to don’t buy anything. Or go out for a meal together. Or book an experience. Stuff can’t replace memories. If you end up having unwanted gifts, don’t shove them into a drawer. Get rid of it: take it to a charity shop or sell it. It sounds rude, but if it’s unwanted and it just ends up being clutter, plus someone might get use of it – it’s got to go.
Storage
The things that you’re not sure you about or you think you will need it at a different time but still don’t want them to be lying around in your home – found external storage for them. Bundle them up, make a note for yourself what and where do you store and find a self storage facility near you. How about checking out Magenta self storage? This way you can still keep items and use them in the future but you don’t have to look at the clutter at home.
15 minutes every day
Dedicate 15 minutes every day to quickly go through the surfaces at home and put things away. Pick up the stuff that doesn’t belong there. Clutter builds up because of deferred decision making. Just a few instances of “I’ll leave this here for now” or “I’ll come back to that later” can lead to overflowing surfaces, piles of papers and bags stuffed with homeless items. We all procrastinate sometimes or simply don’t have the time at the right moment to deal with something. But 15 minutes at any time of the day will help a lot to keep the clutter at bay.
Hire a professional
If you really can’t keep up and clutter keeps making a comeback – you might just have to leave it to someone else. They will be able to advise on many things as well as help you through the process. They can also help you to find your personal maintenance method it you struggle with that.