What motivates you to declutter?
I love keeping a (mostly) clutter-free home. It helps me feel calm. I always keep a donation box in my closet. Every few months I go through all our rooms and add to it.
Decluttering can be difficult, but it’s a habit just like anything else. Once you learn to let go, getting rid of clutter can be quite addictive! Sometimes you just need a kick in the pants to get going, so I put some pinnable motivation in this post! 🙂
This is a good one to aspire to.
You know how show homes are staged? That’s the look I’m going for.
Decluttering and/or minimalism isn’t about getting rid of everything you care about. On the contrary, it’s about making room for those things you love and getting rid of things that suck your time, money, and spirit.
By getting rid of what ties you down, you can really focus on what matters. Whether it’s your favorite material things or the freedom to spend your time in other ways (travel, less time spent on maintaining your stuff, etc.).
Once it’s done, that is. Same goes for the pantry! That jam that expired in 2016 is outta here.
Even if it’s in a pretty plastic storage container and labeled, it’s junk. We all keep stuff that’s sentimental to us, but ask yourself if you really need to keep it all. Instead of keeping ALL your wedding trinkets or childhood toys, ask yourself if one box of assorted sentimental items is enough.
Clutter will be a never-ending cycle if you keep bringing junk into your home. Being mindful about what you bring into your home in the first place can go a long way towards maintaining a clutter-free home. We all make regretful purchases sometimes, so don’t beat yourself up over it. I like to sleep on it (or even wait longer) if I’m not sure about buying something.
For things like clothes, ask yourself if you have something similar already (this could go either way – if you love it, get it, but if you have 20 beige cardigans that you never wear, skip it). Is the item you’re buying going to have to be maintained (e.g. you’ll have to clean it/around it every week)? Is the item helping you achieve your big goals (maybe a trip to your dream destination), or is it simply filling a temporary void?
No need to feel guilty. Donating is a way to help others. Your clutter isn’t being useful to you, but it may be useful to another.
We’ve all been there… we have grand plans to declutter an entire closet or room, and then we’re sucked into a trip down memory lane. It’s 3 hours later, junk is spread everywhere, and we feel like we haven’t made a dent. That’s ok. I like to do a little bit at a time to stay motivated and not get discouraged. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Especially if you’re new to this, breaking decluttering into small, manageable projects is the way to go.
Are there bittersweet memories attached to the item? You will still have the memories even without the item. Do you knock it over whenever you’re dusting? Just get rid of it. Life is too short.
I hope these tips will help you tackle that clutter once and for all!
You can read more of my articles on decluttering here.
Ready to begin decluttering? Check out my how to start decluttering post.
Post updated April 2018.
