5 Steps to De-Cluttering Your Life

When my surroundings are full of clutter so is my mind. There is no way I can work at my usual 110% if I have chaos around me, be it my office or even my bedroom.

 

Having clutter around you can be a cause of stress as well as affecting every facet of your life. This can be a messy desk with piles of paper’s we'll eventually get to, even down to the documents and storage in your computer/ phone. All this chaos lies in your subconscious quietly affecting your productivity in day to day life.

Depending on what type of person you are; either set aside a whole Sunday to knock it out, or do bit by bit. I'm the type of person who wants to attack it all but the best method is do it in baby steps. Just like anything in life take one step at a time to do it right.

Make sure you have three different sections: your keep pile, throw away pile & donate pile. You will need to make sure you are in the right head space to start off, to get cut throat, ready to toss any unnecessary garbage that's taking up space.

Even just writing this I'm imaging having the bare necessities, a clean crisp room and just the thought is making me feel calm. I’m currently in the process and let me tell you it’s time consuming, mind dulling, hair pulling.. No I’m kidding it’s actually quiet fun going through old things looking at them like ‘awww’ then chucking it in the trash.

 

 

 Here are some simple yet affective steps to take:

 

 

1. Have you honestly used this in the past 6-12 months

 Now I have a lot of a lot I'm not going to lie. But I have also recently moved house and come to the realisation I need help... Good thing I can help myself & hopefully you too!

I absolutely love anything beauty, especially skin care, now I have waaay more than I need. So when I pick up an item I need to really consider have I used this in the past 6 months? Did I even like the product to try it again? Is it expired...? Do I have something similar that I use on a regular basis?

Now you can use those questions for most things, obviously an old ratty notebook isn't going to expire but you need to get real with yourself.

 

 

2. When you hold this object does it bring you joy

I am a very sentimental person so of course I have a memory box. But even I had to get ruthless and throw away quiet a lot which simply was just rubbish. Keep the things that make your heart warm, where it takes you back to a beautiful memory especially of important people.

Is this thing worth collecting dust or is it just another inconvenience?

Make sure you have things that bring you joy because when you are in your space the character of the room will impact how you are feeling (blog post coming soon on how to create certain moods in each room.)

 

 

3. Place your objects into categories (mentally/ physically) & then place them in order of importance/use

 This will intern make it easier to decipher whether to keep something or not, especially if there is duplicates or something of better quality. Keep repeating the mantra 'Less is more, less is more, less is more.''

If you can physically see everything in front of you it helps a lot with perspective!!

Also I find as we start to get older, some things become more important i.e. Skin care, others start to become null and void. Keep the things that you use now and that are beneficial to your future and happiness.

 

 

4. If you tell yourself 'oh but I'll use this down the line at some point..' you should probably toss it

Get rid of all the what ifs because let me tell you when you decide to spring clean again those same objects will still be sitting there un-used. It’s also not good in general to ask what if or keep a what if. Every object you own should serve a purpose and should be used.

These what ifs are just clutter, that tiny person in your brain saying “noooooo what if down the line we’ll need this, trust me.”

I repeat do not trust that little person! If you did need something you threw out down the line borrow it from someone, borrowing and lending stuff out to friends is a great thing. They may use something on the regular whereas you only need to use it once, so borrowing makes sense and less clutter!

 

 

5. Keep the things you need/ use on a regular basis/ that bring you happiness/ and hold a purpose and keep it up

 Do you feel like your mind is constantly cluttered, full to the brim just like those draws in your bathroom? If you can't see those things at the bottom of the draw you're not going to use them, not to mention the feeling you get every time you open the draw and sign at the mess.

I've been in the process of de-cluttering my life and trust me when I say it is liberating to open my draws, see everything and use it all. Each thing has its own purpose and nothing is wasting space.