10 Tips to Declutter Your Space

Clutter has become a major problem in our society. I believe it is the direct, unfortunate result of overconsumption and non-mindful buying.

I, just as the majority of us, am guilty of succumbing to unnessary purchases, keeping too much and therefore living with clutter.

Growing up, my bedroom was a collection of everything I thought was important and valuable - which was a lot of stuff. The more stuff I had, the more comfortable and temporarily satisfied I felt. When I got my first paying job at 11, I was never one to save any of my paycheck - I’d spend it as soon as I had it on stuff. At the time, I believed my purchases meant something and were needed to make me happy, but looking back I cringe at what I used to buy.

I’m not sure when it clicked with me that less is really more and minimalism was what I actually needed. Maybe it was when I first moved out of my parents’ house and had to be responsible for transporting all of my stuff from one place to another. Regardless, I know now that I feel at my best when clutter isn’t present, when I know exactly where everything is and I’m spending my money mindfully while filling my space with what I truly want and need.

Side note - just because I feel best this way does not mean my environment is in perfect clutter-free condition. Quite the opposite in fact - but I’ve accepted the fact that the journey to minimalism is a constant journey both within the mind and therefore expressed through actions.

Along my constant journey toward minimalism I've learned a lot about this lifestyle and have 10 helpful tips that will help you begin, continue, restart or consider decluttering your world.

1. Start with your mindset
 

You must know why you are decluttering. With anything you want to do in life, you need to have a solid “why” behind the desire. Without this “why”, you will find yourself giving up on hard days because you don’t have a solid reason for doing what you are doing that is stronger that your urge to quit.

2. Involve everyone

By everyone I mean, everyone in your household. If they choose not to participate directly, that’s fine - or if you choose to do this journey alone, that’s fine too. But make sure that everyone is aware and onboard with supporting you and will work their hardest to remind you of that “why” and not enable you to fall back into bad habits.

3. Have a plan

Don’t wake up one morning and decide that today is the day where you will declutter everying all at once. I guarantee that is a sure-fire way to get burnt out and give up. Break the process up into chunks that are much easier to conquer on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. If you aren’t sure how to make a decluttering plan, I recommend the following books* to get started:

4. Don’t rush through it

Along the same lines as before, do your best not to rush through the process. Take your time in evaluating what you have, making an informed decision about whether or not it should go, find a place for it if its staying and a destination if it’s to go. Slow and steady wins the race, after all.

5. Know where your “not-keeps” are going

If you don’t have a plan for where the items are going that you choose to part with, I promise you’ll end up with piles throughout your home, boxes in your garage or bags in your car of items that should “go to Goodwill eventually”. This will just contribute to more clutter and undo all of your progress! I suggest that after every “decluttering session” you sort your not-keeps into the following categories: trash, recycle, sell, donate, “gift” (only to someone who truly wants or needs it). After you have these sorted piles, take care of them immediately or make a plan to do so on your next errand trip.

6. Document your progress

Take part in the classic before-during-and-after picture process! This will do wonders for your moral and motivation and maybe even inspire others to embark on the decluttering journey as well!

7. Be honest with yourself

When you are decluttering, go with your gut. Are you truly in love with that sweater? Do you really use that immersion blender enough to justify the real-estate it takes in the cupboard? Will your child really miss that toy? If you find yourself wavering, chances are that it can go - especially with clothing.

8. Loose the guilt

Those of us with well-intended friends and family know this situation well: receiving a bountiful supply of stuff  from others during the holidays, after getting married, after having a child, etc. Do not feel guilty about parting with things that were gifted to you. I have a hard time with this because I worry about hurting the gift-giver's feelings. When I start to feel this way, I remind myself that this item will make somone else much happier.

9. Have a place for everything

When an item makes the “keep cut”, it must have a spot to go. If it doesn’t, it will find itself floating around your space migrating from temporary place to place and chances are you’ll end up buried in the clutter problem all over again. If an item that you choose to keep is valuable enough to remain in your space, it is valuable to have a perminant home within your home. 

10. Ask yourself: “Would I buy this again?”

A helpful question I’ve found to ask myself when I’m struggling with deciding whether an item should stay or go is: “Would I buy this again?” If the answer is a solid yes - then its an obvious keep. If it’s a quick “no” then it needs to go. If it’s a undecided “maybe?” Chances are it can go as well.

Bonus tip:

One of the major areas in the home to collect clutter is in the closet. Clothing is an item that easily piles up and tends to be bought far too often. That is why I highly recommend creating a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is a set collection of clothing that correlates well together to create a large number of looks for a set duration of time. I’ve created my signature program Capsule Creators to teach you all about my capsule creating process and help you create the minimal, fabulous, perfectly styled wardrobe of your dreams.

*Affiliate links included in this post