Most, if not all of us, are guilty of collecting useless items at some point in our lives. In this era of conspicuous consumption, it has become human nature to collect items, whether they are useless tchotchkes, items with a particular sentimental value, or the latest gadget your friend convinced you that you can’t live without.
However, too much clutter can lead to unhappiness. It can turn one’s home into a stressful space, and for some people, they are so overwhelmed they cannot enjoy their own home. They cannot find the things they need, they have no space to store things, they need to move to a bigger space or rent a storage shed just so they can store their ever-growing collection of items!
What if you need to start working from home? What if you want to welcome guests in your home? What if you just want to be able to find a clean pair of socks without holes in them? Here are some useful tips on how to make your home a more stress-free, zen, organized, minimalist space.
And obviously, not everyone will be able to transform their space into a complete minimalist haven, and that’s OK! Minimalism is not for everyone, but comfort and organization is something everyone can enjoy in their home.
Declutter one section at a time: avoid getting overwhelmed
If your place is cluttered, you’re going to have stuff everywhere. Instead of trying to devote one weekend to turning your apartment upside-down to achieve a miraculous transformation by Sunday (which, you know deep down, is unrealistic anyway), set small goals for yourself. Decluttering in small spurts will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and giving up when you find yourself buried beneath boxes or piles of things.
If you’re just in the beginning of your decluttering project, start with an easy project that you know won’t take hours. Don’t start with sentimental items, or you will get stuck very early on. Pick just one small room, or one closet to start going through, and set a schedule for yourself. You can even work in increments so you don’t lose concentration – spend 30 mins on decluttering, then 30 mins doing something else – working on your computer, cooking lunch, just make sure to go back to the decluttering – don’t be afraid to use a timer to stay disciplined. Also use the timer to know when to stop and call it a day. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Figure out a cleaning method and stick with it
A few tried-and-true decluttering methods that seem to work include the Four-Box method, the Trash Bag method, and the KonMari method.
With the four box method, you will need, you guessed it, four boxes – Keep, Sell/Donate, Trash, and Store. Keep are essential items you use regularly and have a designated space for. Sell/Donate are items that can go to your local charity shop or that you can sell on ebay or other online marketplaces to make some cash. Trash are items that have no value – old papers, broken items that can’t be repaired, worthless trinkets. Store are items that you don’t use much but are not ready to let go of. Now, be careful, it will be tempting to throw everything in the Store box, but once you see that the Store box is the one that fills up the fastest, you will realize you need to start letting go of more items.
The Trash Bag method is one of the most efficient ways to declutter your home, but it is not for the faint hearted.
