Do you know the feeling of receiving a gift from a special someone or decorating your home with all sorts of objects? As much as it is incredible to fill your place with memories, as you create your own cozy and homey universe, at some point, it is inevitable for objects to begin to pile up. Apart from the things that matter to you, which you will want to keep, some unnecessary objects aren’t filled with emotion or specific memories. At first, you might not realize you are not, in fact, attached to them. So, decluttering might not seem like something that will benefit you.
However, having an organized and tidy environment can positively impact your overall well-being and mental health. And if you start having difficulties relaxing at home, a reason might be because your space is no longer offering you tranquility. For this reason, it might be beneficial you to start decluttering your home step by step. Plus, reorganizing your things can be therapeutic.
Next, you will find four decluttering methods, from which you can find the one that suits you best.
1. 15 minutes go a long way
It might not seem enough, or it might seem like you’re adding pressure on yourself, but setting a 15 or 20-minute timer before you start sorting out the room of your choice can be incredibly useful. For some people, this method is a way of keeping them on task and not losing any focus or finding ways to avoid clearing.
During this time, you have to go through every part of your room and gather everything that seems like it shouldn’t be there. There are three reasons why this might happen, and areas follows:
- Out of place: it is an object you need, but its location is somewhere else
- Trash: any food wrappings or shopping bags that you might’ve left in the room
- Not needed: whether it is something that can be donated, recycled, or sold, these items are no longer something of meaning to you.
Once you have collected them and your time is up, you can then separate them accordingly and take one of the necessary actions, as mentioned above. The advantage of this method is that you don’t feel like doing chores all day long. Instead, you can do this every weekend and see how organizing your house is not such a tiring task.
2. Store them away
Going through your things can be quite an emotional activity. In an attempt to sort out what to keep and what not, you will open a time machine towards your past, which can make it more difficult to part ways with certain things. Not to mention, if you are a parent, it will be close to impossible to throw away old clothes and toys of your children.
Although it is important to declutter your home of unnecessary objects or donate clothes you no longer wear, there are some things that have an emotional baggage. In this case, a practical option for you could be renting out a cheap storage unit, where you can organize all the stuff to which you are still attached.
Besides, there are other situations in which a storage unit can come in handy. For instance, if you decide to renovate your house and are left with an old piece of furniture, the last thing you want is for that to take space in your newly refurbished home. So, using a storage space to safely store old items can also be used to store other larger objects. As you are renting it, you are not committed to having it forever. Therefore, if you decide the time has come for you to donate its contents, you can always do it.
3. “Does it spark joy?”
This question has probably become incredibly recognizable. Marie Kondo is a well-known author and consultant specializing in organizational methods. Her famous decluttering technique follows this simple question: does it spark joy. Depending on the answer you give yourself, you know what action to take in regards to that specific object.
However, before you do that, it is vital you divide by categories rather than starting aimlessly with all kinds of objects. So, as long as you organize everything by categories and even subcategories, such as clothes and books, you will be able to make decisions based on what sparks joy and not.
Once you are done, put the pile of what didn’t spark joy aside, which is meant for donation and recycling. Now, you should reorganize your space with your remaining items, and as you start noticing the changes, you will feel refreshed, improving your overall mood.
4. One at a time
This is an excellent method extremely helpful for someone who has a difficult time staying focused when decluttering. Some people find it more challenging to give up on certain objects than others, and so they do not necessarily have the healthy habit of decluttering every once in a while.
Therefore, the “one method” employs an easy technique that is meant to teach individuals how to clear out their space. All you have to do is take a bag or box, no matter its size, and start putting things that are unnecessary for you. If even this seems like a lot, you can even start with only one object. The key thing is to do this every day for a specific period of time. So, the longer you do it, the easier it will seem to get rid of redundant objects.
Besides building the habit of healthy decluttering, you will also notice how many of your belongings are, in fact, not as needed as you initially thought. It is true that, in order to build the cozy feeling in a home, you need to surround yourself with objects and items to which you are emotionally attached. Otherwise, the atmosphere can become too impersonal. However, having an organized space, clear of unnecessary things, will make for a better state of mind.
