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Are you a victim of clutter culture? Huffington Post discussed how this behaviour can directly link to stress, and we have to say that we agree. If you want to declutter your home, and avoid that unneeded stress, check out the following tips:
Go Paperless
Aside from the fact that it’s environmentally friendly, minimising the level of paper in your home will massively decrease what you have to organise.
Bank statements, bills, instruction manuals and even take away menus are obsolete these days. Why would you manage so much unnecessary paperwork for documents that can be stored on a computer?
You’re less likely to lose anything important and will save yourself a huge amount of stress. It’s a no brainer!
Out With The Old
Nothing clutters up a home more than hoarding. We appreciate that it probably took you years to build that wonderful DVD collection, but is the space it takes up really justified?
One nice trick to help decide this is the ‘1-year use’ rule. When considering whether to turf something or not, honestly ask yourself if you’ve actually used it within the last 12 months. If the answer is no, 99% of the time means it’s an easy choice to make.
When you get good, go pro and try out the ‘6-month use’ rule!
One In One Out
Everybody loves a good shopping spree. Whether it’s updating the wardrobe or splashing out on a new appliance, bringing something new into the home is always exciting.
However, this excitement is often followed by stress as clutter ensues. A new purchase can nearly always replace something you once loved, but might not any longer. The ‘one in one out’ rule will proactively minimise this stress by keeping a balance in the contents of your home.
There’s often a propensity to reuse or keep old possessions, particularly when they’ve been in the home for a while. Long term storage or being moved on is probably a better option though. Cluttering up your limited space is pointless.
Resist The Clutter Traps
Michael McIntyre gives us all a laugh. But if you’re a self-storage fanatic like us, you’ll find his “man drawer” routine all too real.
Unfortunately, this area of ambiguous storage is seen in most homes and is regularly indicative of a bigger problem. As you begin decluttering, it’s imperative that you identify all of these spots in your home, and eradicate them!
Sounds drastic but we all have bad habits of dropping random stuff into small areas where they live for years without any purpose. Clutter is as big a problem with small useless items as it is big and awkward ones. We’ve discussed clearing out the spare room before, but clearing all those nooks and crannies is just as important.
Every drawer, shelf and countertop should have as little stuff on it as possible. Know where your clutter traps are and you’ll be on the right track avoiding the ‘man drawer’ nightmare!
Sell Before you Bin
Many argue that decluttering is difficult, due to the fact they’re required to throw away stuff they value. And we completely understand that, you’ve spent good money on something so why would you waste it?
Some of these possessions though can often have much greater use to others and with the ability to sell online, we’re better connected than ever to sell them on.
Divide up your clutter in three sections, including:
- Ready for the bin.
- Stuff you can sell.
- Valuables you need to keep.
Section 1 is ready for the skip, get rid of it as soon as you can!
See what you can get online for Section 2 items. Old furniture can put a surprising dent in a new car or holiday fund. In the meantime, short term storage options can used to get it out of your home, so it’s not in the way.
For the clutter you can’t throw away in Section 3, our advice is to box it up, and get it out of your way. We all have photo albums, memories we cherish and stuff we can’t let go of. But that doesn’t mean you have to be tripping over it every day, right?
Consider what storage options you have; whether an unused attic or a unit to rent. Whatever you can’t part ways with is now out of your hair, but can be accessed as you need.
Once you realise that decluttering isn’t forcing you to just throw everything out, it’s a much easier process!
What Works For You?
Have you found any decluttering tips have made your life easier? Let us know and we can discuss your experience!
