The idea of being able to live a simple and mimimalist life is something that sounds appealing to a lot of people. With this lifestyle, they have already considered the benefits of acquiring fewer material possessions: less debt, less things and spaces to clean, lesser need for organizing, more money to spend or save and even more energy to devote to things they are actually passionate about. These people are ready to de-clutter their lives, however, most often than not, they are being tripped up by this next question: where and how do I begin?
A lot of people may begin to get overwhelmed around the concept of de-cluttering their homes. But remember that de-cluttering need not be as painful as some people thought it to be. In fact, there are lots of people who were able to concoct a variety of fun and creative ways to get the process of de-cluttering started.
Below are some of ways you can rid your homes of clutter.
Allow yourself to have a solid 5 minutes of de-cluttering activity.
Here are some 5-minute ideas that you can choose from. Choose the one that seems more appealing to you at the moment.
- Choose or designate a specific spot for incoming papers. You have to admit, papers make up for a lot of clutter. This is mainly because people are so used to leaving them all over the place—at the kitchen counter, on the desk, on the drawer, table, top of the dresser, even on stairs! So to eliminate all these mess, designate a place for you to place all the paper –both for easy retrieval and lesser clutter.
- Clear off a counter. This is supposed to be your designated clutter-free zone. When you start, keep one rule in mind—nothing can be placed there that’s actually not being used.
- Pick a shelf. Use this as your starting point. Remove all non-essentials and leave it clutter-free.
- Schedule a de-cluttering day or weekend.
- Put a load in your car for charity or give-aways. Once you’ve de-cluttered your stuff, you may have to donate some of them rather than let it take up a pile in your storage room. Take a few minutes to put in your car’s trunk and drop it off to goodwill.
Give one item away each day.
It doesn’t have to be anything luxurious, but items that you really don’t have any use for.
Fill one trash bag at a time.
In your journey to a clutter-free life, one technique to utilize is to grab a trash bag and see how quickly you can fill that with items that you feel comfortable enough to let go of.
Clear your closet.
If there are clothes there that you haven’t used for an entire year, chances are you are ready to let go of those.
Make a list of places that you want to de-clutter and begin with the easiest spots.
When you’re done with an area, you may STOP, then reschedule for another day.
Do the 12-12-12 challenge.
This entails locating 12 items for throwing away, 12 items for donation, and 12 items to be returned to their proper location or homes. This can be a fun way to organize 36 items in your house simultaneously.
Do the 4-Box method.
As you start your de-cluttering agenda, prepare four boxes and label them: give away, trash, to keep, and relocate. Each item found in a room should be designated to one of those boxes and no item should be passed over. Be ready though as some projects may take only hours while others may take days, even weeks. The technique and principle being employed remains the same though.
