DECLUTTER YOUR HOME, DECLUTTER YOUR MIND
“If things have their place, nothing gets lost.”
My mom used to say this when I was growing up. It was great advice and I can proudly say I rarely lose things. A few months ago I misplaced a necklace and it was driving me crazy! I later found it in a traveling bag. That’s probably the only thing I’ve “lost” this year.
If you want to feel better at home, rest more and be more productive decluttering and organizing is the way to go, it will help you:
+ Increase productivity because it’s easy to work in a space that’s clear of clutter
+ Rest more because your space feels relaxing
+ Save time because you know where everything is
+ Reduce stress when you see a clean and spacious room
+ Helps you focus on the people and activities that really matter, instead of focusing on having more stuff
Decluttering and organizing things is therapeutic to me and I want to share some of my favorite strategies. If decluttering and organizing makes you feel overwhelmed, I suggest you start with your room. You’ll love the feeling of satisfaction that you’ll be motivated to do the rest of your home.
I always start with my room but I make sure things in the same category stay together. In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo actually suggests decluttering by categories (clothes, books, papers, etc) instead of by rooms. For example, if you’re going to declutter your closet, you should bring the clothes you have in every other room of the house. This really helped me give everything in my home its place to live. This way, you never have to look for anything because you know exactly where things go. Now that everything has its place, twice a year I go over each category and room and just tidy the few things that are out of place.
If you’re thinking about getting rid of some stuff (physical or digital), I hope my criteria for decluttering helps. Put together every item of the same category, let's say the category is office supplies: get all the pens, stapler, paper clips, envelopes etc. Now look at each item and answer these questions:
1. Does it spark joy? The most valuable thing I learned from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is that things in my space should spark joy when I see them and use them.
2. Does it work? Does it fit? Broken, torn and things that don’t fit are not good energetically. Fix it, give it away to someone that can fix it or throw it away.
3. Do I need it? The first time I did an extreme decluttering, I got rid of 50% of my stuff, and now I realize I didn’t even need it.
4. If you like it, it works, and you need it, ask: is this where it belongs? If it doesn’t have a place yet, create one. I love using dividers, boxes and small containers to create space for my things. Put all of the things of the same category in one place (vs. having many places for the same item). For example, I have one drawer where I keep instruction manuals and guarantees. All of my office supplies, nail clippers, chargers, batteries, legal documents, books have its place—everything in my home has its home.
5. For the items you don’t love, that don’t work or you don’t really need, you can do a garage sale, donate them, sell them online or throw them away (this should be the last resource).
Now over to you: what are your favorite decluttering strategies?
