With the world on lockdown, has spending more time in your house inspired you to look at little closer at all your stuff around the house? From the nooks and crannies to the floor itself, you may find yourself thinking “It’s time to declutter”.
Decluttering not only makes your house or condo easier to maintain, it could also help ease some of the stress, anxiety and tension that has may be accumulating from spending more time indoors.
Whether your tired of not being able to find things , or just want to bring a sense of tranquility – here are 6 tips to get you started:
- Everything has a place
Take a walk through your home and you’ll start to notice items that have migrated from their designated spot. The first act of decluttering is rounding up all the odds, ends and otherwise misplaced and place them back where they belong. If you find yourself with items you don’t know what to do with, now you have a chance to make your decision! Keep, donate or toss. It’s up to you, but if it doesn’t have a logical place in your home, perhaps someone else will treasure it. - Declutter System: Keep, Donate, Toss
The art of decision making simplified into three easy categories. This is your opportunity to take an objective look at your belongings and really decide if you want to keep them. If you don’t, ask yourself, are they worth donating? Could someone else use this? If the answer is “yes” – place in the donate bin. If not, toss it out and feel a sense of pride you have one less thing collecting in your house. - Get rid of paper clutter
Paper, bills, and fliers can accumulate over time, taking up much drawers, filing cabinets, and flat surfaces. Generally, this is a tedious task, so give yourself a couple hours and sort through the papers. Keep anything you need for taxes, shred anything that has personal info and then recycle the rest. If you’re feeling extra motivated, carve some space out and create a command centre for your papers. Looking for inspiration? Pinterest is a great source of ideas! - Tackle your closet
Time to be honest with yourself – how many items in your closet do you actually wear? Use the keep, donate, toss method and do some digging in the back corners of your wardrobe. Anything with holes, stains or otherwise damaged should be tossed (or cut down into cleaning cloths for zero-waste living!). Clothing that you just don’t wear anyone, doesn’t fit or that still has tags – donate or take to a charity or local consignment shop. At last, you’ll have a closet that is insta-worthy.Bonus points for those that take the plunge and do a full-scale capsule wardrobe! - Memories
This is probably one of the hardest exercises in decluttering as there is an emotional tie connected to sentimental belongings. We tend to hold onto items because of grief, guilt or even nostalgia. Give yourself a break and know that your memories aren’t connected to the “stuff” that is cluttering your home. Unpopular opinion – you don’t need to keep your great aunts’ century old china dishware. That is, of course, if you don’t like it or don’t want it anymore. If you love it, keep it. Otherwise, take our advice and sell or donate it. You can put the money towards something you’ve been saving for or take solace in the fact someone else is enjoying what would have stayed in a dusty box. - Bonus tip: Give yourself a month
- As mentioned above, getting rid of stuff, especially memorabilia can be emotionally taxing. Decluttering should be an act of mindfulness – not stress – so if you’re experiencing anxiety, put it in a box and leave it for a month. After the month, if you want to keep it, keep it. If not, donate!
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