Much has been said about decluttering and its essential role as one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
Regular and extensive decluttering is a cornerstone for physical health, preventing dust, mold, mildew, and pests while improving mental well-being by reducing anxiety and stress. It also brings a sense of joy to your life, helps boost productivity, and helps you save time and money in the long term.
But how do you get started on your decluttering journey?
Many tutorials offer step-by-step guides and walkthroughs that promise to help you along your path to organization. However, some tips are a bit more creative and out-of-the-box than others. Take a look to see which ones fit your aspirations and may be essential to set you towards the pristine home of your dreams.
1. Start With Five a Day
If the goal is to declutter your home fast, starting small may seem counterproductive—after all, won’t you be done much quicker if you tackle everything at once?
The truth is that trying to do everything at once is a sure way to get overwhelmed, tired, and fail halfway through your decluttering goals. As such, the best method is to start small—just five a day.
Whatever this five-a-day is depends on you. It can be decluttering for five minutes, giving away five items, or cleaning five drawers. Starting with the number five is an excellent way to keep things small and consistent.
2. Take Before and After Photos
Sometimes, getting used to the sights at your home is easy. This familiarity can make it hard to notice things that may be unsightly or out of place.
To avoid this, take pictures of small segments in your home—such as the counter or a corner—ahead of decluttering. This will help you visualize how it looks, how you’d prefer it to look, and what you can do to make it happen.
You can also motivate yourself to go further by taking before-and-after pictures. Seeing your clutter-free home come to life can be the best motivator.
3. Challenge Yourself
Setting goals and challenging yourself to fulfill them can be a great motivator and a fantastic way to make clear progress in a way that is easy to visualize.
For example, you can challenge yourself to declutter one drawer within a specific timeframe. Likewise, you can set the goal of finishing organizing the countertop before your favorite playlist comes to an end.
These challenges can be as fun as you want them to be, and you can customize them to fit your expectations and circumstances. Likewise, you can always treat yourself to a little gift at the end.
4. Declutter Your Books
If you’re an avid reader, a college student, or both, odds are you have a sizable and ever-growing collection of books on your shelves. They take space and are some of the first things to get messy, making them an ideal first stop in your decluttering journey.
Go through your bookshelf and keep only the most essential books—those you love and need. If you’re struggling to figure out what to do with old college textbooks, consider donating them near your campus or selling them online for a quick profit. At the same time, you can prevent further clutter by choosing to rent books online rather than committing to a purchase.
5. Renovate Your Wardrobe—Smartly
After books, the other focal point of clutter is your wardrobe. Odds are you have old pieces of clothing you no longer wear or, if you’re an avid shopper, plenty of clothes you purchased impulsively and have not touched again.
If so, consider decluttering your wardrobe with a strategy in mind. Focus on keeping clothes you wear often, items that fit with your personal style, or wardrobe essentials that you can mix and match for countless different looks with minimal cluttering.
If fashion matters to you, hiring a color analyst or a personal stylist can help you determine what works or doesn’t.
6. Use The Four Box Method
Tried and true, the Four Box method is a creative and engaging way to declutter your home. You only need to add four labels to four bags or boxes: ‘keep,’ ‘donate/sell,’ ‘toss,’ and ‘storage.’
In the ‘keep’ box, you’ll add the items you use frequently and need to keep nearby, while the ‘storage’ box is best reserved for items you wish to keep but are not needed as often. On the other hand, the items labeled ‘donate/sell’ are those you believe other people could use, while those in the ‘toss’ box are not apt for continued use.
While the Four Box method is practical, it’s easy to get carried away by filling up the storage box. Try to be mindful and introspective when classifying your belongings.
7. Make Use of Memory Boxes
The most challenging items to declutter are always those that carry an emotional weight. Sure, that plush toy may not be useful, but it can be full of love and memories you consider more valuable than anything else.
Memory boxes are the solution to preserve meaningful items without the extra clutter. They are special boxes or drawers where you can store whatever items you associate with a person or a moment.
Whether it is childhood memories, photo albums, or gifts from a specific person, you can keep them all neatly organized in one place without giving them away or making a mess.
8. Digitize Everything You Can
Paper piles are the culprit of many a mess, so you should organize and classify papers as soon as they arrive and get rid of them just as fast.
However, another option to reduce paper clutter is to digitize everything you can. You can convert physical documents, letters, photos, or even music and movies into a digital format, which allows you to preserve them without them piling up in your living space.
However, remember that frequent digital decluttering is also necessary to keep your digital life organized and secure.
9. Make Storage Options Part of the Decor
At the end of the day, decluttering is about eliminating mess. However, the key to prolonged success is making the organization last, which can only happen with proper storage options.
The more storage options you have, the better. Invest in creative and aesthetically pleasant storage products that can help give every item a home while functioning as decorative statement pieces.
Make Declutter a Thing of the Past
The journey towards a serene living space doesn’t have to be littered with pitfalls and mistakes. By implementing these creative decluttering tips, you can slowly and steadily simplify your environment and get rid of anything that doesn’t provide value to your life.
Start small, stay steady, and soon, you will reap the benefits of creating a harmonious and stress-free environment, perfect for peace of mind and personal growth.
