Some time ago I asked myself how do I tidy up productively? This question led to me to discover the world of decluttering and its many benefits. I am now in a position to share with you these benefits and 10 helpful tips that have helped me declutter my home.
What is decluttering? / Declutter meaning
Decluttering is the process of slimming down our possessions so that we only have what we need or what we enjoy owning. Or as Marie Kondo would say, what sparks joy.
Decluttering is not binning everything we see and making our homes feel empty and devoid of character. Nor is decluttering the process of hiding everything out of sight in a cupboard/attic/basement. This will only come back to bite us later and will not provide the mental benefits of decluttering.
The benefits of decluttering
Decluttering brings many benefits to our lives. And what’s a nice bonus is that once we start the process, we see those benefits immediately and it motivates us to continue. Often, the hardest part of any task is to start, but hopefully, the benefits listed below will provide the motivation required to begin.
Less to organize
Let’s start with the most obvious benefit of decluttering. The fewer possessions we own, the less we have to organize. Organizing takes time and effort, so if we reduce the amount of stuff we have, we save on time and effort.
Tidying becomes easier as we don’t need to consider where everything goes – we already know exactly where it goes. And, of course, we have a lot less to tidy away in the first place.
Less to clean
Nobody likes to clean, okay most people don’t like to clean. But whether you like cleaning or not, there can be no arguing that cleaning around possessions that we don’t like is annoying. The less we have, the less we need to pick up to vacuum under or shift out the way to dust between.
Helps keep creepy crawlies at bay
Spiders and other creepy crawlies love dark secluded hiding places. If you, like me, aren’t a big fan of our 8-legged friends, then reducing the number of objects/hiding places in our homes will go a long way to reducing the number of spiders we have.
Also, because it is easier to clean and tidy when we have less stuff, spiders will be less likely to hang around our homes in the first place.
Clears the mind and reduces stress
A cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind. Let’s reduce the distractions in our lives so we can focus on what’s important to us from a clear mind.
Increases productivity
Let’s be honest – humans are lazy creatures. If we have to hunt for something, we are likely to not bother. Having an organized home will increase our productivity simply by helping us find what we want.
Improves finances
Decluttering improves our finances – an important part of my journey. The more we declutter, the more we realize that possessions aren’t all they are cracked up to be. Also, while we are decluttering, we can sell off what we don’t want. A nice bonus to the bank account.
A lot of these benefits are echoed in a post I recently wrote: The Benefits of Tidying Up.
10 helpful tips to declutter
Now let’s get into this – here are 10 helpful tips on how to declutter:
Start small and build your way up
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your home won’t be decluttered in a day. Start decluttering for just 5-10 minutes a day and you will not only notice a difference straight away, but you will be more likely to continue on this journey.
Sell in batches
Who can be bothered to sell a spatula for next to nothing? Not many people. So with this in mind, we can motivate ourselves to declutter and sell possessions if we sell in batches.
Keep boxes of similar items that we intend to sell and then sell them as a batch. This is far more productive for us, more interesting to buyers, and overall better for our bank accounts and decluttering journey.
Ask a third party
Some possessions will be harder to shift than others. Asking a friend or family member to weigh in on these items can help us make a decision. If your friend says chuck while you say keep, then we have to justify why we want to keep. If our friend agrees with our reasoning then we keep, if not then we have to chuck.
Use a time capsule
At times we will come across something that we are not sure if we should keep or not. Using the time capsule method can come in handy here.
For these particularly pesky items, put them in a box and put the box away somewhere out of sight. Set a reminder on your calendar for a month if the boxed items are regular-use items, 6 months for occasional-use items, or a year if they are seasonal items.
When the time comes to break open the time capsule, you will know for sure if that item is needed in your life or not.
Buy matching socks
Okay so not just socks, but most things that come in a pair or set. Who has time to match up socks? Chuck out all those old unmatched socks that are taking up room at the bottom of drawers and buy new pairs.
This works well for socks, Tupperware, kitchen utensils, bedding etc.
Start in the high-traffic areas
So that we immediately see and receive the benefits of decluttering, we should start decluttering in the room that is used most often. This will probably be the living room for most of us.
By decluttering high-traffic rooms we will see the benefits immediately and often which will motivate us to continue the process throughout the whole home.
Keep the decluttered areas tidy
After we have decluttered an area, keep it tidy. We should spend some time tidying up the decluttered areas before moving on to another area. This has the effect of reminding us of the benefits of having a clean and decluttered space. It also makes us less likely to shift some of the newly found clutter into the previously decluttered space.
One item per day
This isn’t a get-out-of-effort clause where we only need to do get rid of one item per day, but it is a great simple addition to our process. On top of our normal decluttering activities, we find 1 item in our home and get rid of it, or time capsule it. Doing this every day will build up and make a difference over time, ensuring that even on our days off from decluttering, we are still making progress.
Take before and after photos
Taking before and after photos is another great way to boost motivation. Seeing the progress we have made motivates us to continue. It’s easy to forget how a cluttered room made us feel, but seeing it in a photo will resurface those negative feelings which we will strive to avoid.
There’s a reason that expired
My parents once had a food item that didn’t have a use-by date. This was around 2002 so we can imagine how old it must have been to not have a use-by date. It had been in the back of the cupboard for countless years taking up space and collecting dust, being moved around while we looked for other things. It was never used again and eventually made its way to the bin.
Why am I telling you this? Well, if you have items that are out of date then you clearly don’t use them. Chuck them. And don’t buy them again!
There we have it – 10 tips to help declutter. I hope you have found them useful and that you implement them in your decluttering journey. Read below for some decluttering FAQs.
Thanks for reading,
Iain McClafferty – The Five Year Mortgage
Decluttering FAQs
How do you start to declutter?
To start decluttering, start small and build your way up to longer stints. And start in high-traffic areas. Combining these two tactics will get you started and keep you motivated when you begin to declutter.
What is the first thing to declutter?
The first thing to declutter should ideally be something that you find easy to get rid of and is in a high-traffic area. A dead houseplant in the living room would be easy to get rid of, or an ornament that you don’t like and can’t even remember where it came from.
What should you not do when decluttering?
When decluttering it is important not to try and do everything at once. Trying to do all rooms and everything at once will be demoralising. It will take you longer to realise the benefits than if you focus on one area at a time.
What is the 20/20 rule for decluttering?
The 20/20 rule for decluttering is that if you can replace an item for less than $20, and you can replace it in less than 20 minutes then you can get rid of it without any further thought. The idea is that it won’t cost you much time and effort if you decide later on that it was a mistake to get rid of the item.
How do you clean when you are overwhelmed?
This is somewhat of a chicken and egg situation. A clean/decluttered home will reduce overwhelm, but overwhelm stops us from cleaning. The trick here is to start small. Just 5 minutes a day will add up and start to make a difference while reducing some of the feelings of overwhelm. Taking a before and after photo of a small area will also help you see the benefits early on.
What does Declutter Like a Mother mean?
Declutter Like a Mother is a book by Allie Casazza all about decluttering.
How do you be ruthless when decluttering?
The best way to be ruthless when decluttering is to ask someone else. Sometimes we are just too attached to things to be impartial. If a friend says chuck, and you can’t convince them why it’s worth keeping, then it has to go.
