With more time spent in our homes than usual lately, many of us are reflecting on what we can do to make it a place that truly feels like our sanctuary. We want a place we can escape to—not escape from.
Getting Started with Decluttering
#1. Start small. Decluttering can be overwhelming at first, especially for those of us who aren’t in the habit. To begin, spend five minutes throwing out or setting aside things you no longer need. If even that seems like too much, just find one thing you don’t want and either toss it, donate it, or give it away. If you did this every day for a year, that would be 365 fewer items in your home.
#2. Pick a counter. Or a shelf. Choose one contained area—and only one—to train your focus. Concentrate on decluttering that single shelf or counter, removing items that don’t belong there, setting aside items that should be in other rooms to put away later, collecting items that can be given away or donated, and throwing out anything no longer of use to anyone. Once you’re satisfied with the results, use that area as your inspiration when tackling the next space.
#3. Expand from a clutter-free zone. Once you have a small area or zone that’s decluttered and organized to your liking, maintain it. Protect it from collecting clutter at all costs. Then, each day, see if you can create a slightly bigger area to protect. Maybe that means an adjoining counter, or another shelf nearby. Or maybe that means the floor underneath or in front of it. Some days you may not feel like tackling more clutter to extend the zone, and that’s okay—but remain vigilant about the space you’ve already cleared.
#4. Take a picture. Some of us are blind to our own clutter. When something has lived in a spot for so long—whether it belongs there or not—we have a tendency to overlook it because we’re so used to it being there. Try snapping a picture of a room, a counter, or any specific area you’d like to declutter, then examining the photo to identify the items that don’t belong. Refer back to the image as needed while you rehome wayward items. Extra credit: Once you’ve decluttered the area in the picture, take another photo. Use your before-and-after photos for later reference, or simply as inspiration of a job well done!
#5. Defend items to a friend. Are you having trouble parting with certain items you know you should let go? Ask a friend or family member to take the position of getting rid of the item, then plead your case for keeping it. Defending the item out loud might strengthen your argument or allow you to see a different perspective, and your friend may bring up points you hadn’t considered. If no one is available, even imagining you have to justify keeping the item can help uncover your true feelings about it.
Keep going, sometimes getting started is the hardest part, but sometimes continuing on is even harder. If you find that your initial enthusiasm starts to decrease, don’t give up. Look back at “before” pictures, admire your clutter-free zones, remember how much more crowded your closet used to be. Mostly, congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come and give yourself a break. Your decluttering reflex will grow stronger the more you practice it, and soon you’ll have the decluttered minimalist space you envisioned—whatever that means for you.
