10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home | The idea of living with less sounds equal parts attractive and terrifying. We live our whole life being driven by conspicuous consumption and being driven to excess by the marketing ploys of consumerism. Consider the benefits of having less: less to clean, less to worry about, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and more energy and time for the things that do matter.
Once you have gotten into the right mindset and want to start decluttering, the next question is where and how do you begin. If your home and your life is filled with clutter, trying to tackle a mountain of clutter all at once can be quite an overwhelming experience. Some people may have it easier than others (for example, if your space is smaller like a Toa Payoh HDB), but this doesn’t make the journey less daunting. So, read onwards for some pretty fun and creative ways to get you started on decluttering your home.
1. Start with 5 minutes
Rome wasn’t built in a day. So, it is important to start with baby steps. Set yourself up for success by devoting 5 minutes of your day to do some decluttering. You can pick even pick one different method of decluttering from this list each day. Although you might think 5 minutes won’t make a dent in the that imaginary mountain, it’s still a good start.
2. Give one item away each day
Make it a habit to give away things you don’t need. We all have excess possessions lying around without purpose. Identify one item each day and give it away to someone who needs it more than you do. Not only does it get rid of your clutter, it helps instill more generosity.
3. Fill one trash bag
Another great decluttering technique is to grab a trash bag and see how quickly you can fill it up with things that you don’t need. This helps visually attune you to how much excess you have in your life.
4. Try the closet hanger experiment
If you have a problem with clothes, you can try this technique. Identify items of clothing in your wardrobe to clear out by hanging all your clothes with hangers in the reverse direction. If you wear something, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the right direction. After a few months, look through your closet to identify pieces that you have not worn. This makes it easier to have a clear picture of the clothes you really do wear and those that you don’t, which can then be discarded.
5. Make a list
Make a list of places or areas in your home that you want to declutter. Start with the easiest and work your way down the list. Once you have a list, this becomes a set goal that you can work towards during your free time. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you desire, based upon what area you are tackling at the moment.
6. Take the 12-12-12 challenge
The 12-12-12 challenge is a simple technique. Find 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate and 12 items to be returned to their proper place. It can be a good way of incorporating fun and excitement into organizing your house. What’s great is that you can also involve your children in this technique, setting them up to be able to manage clutter in the future.
7. Change your perspective
Sometimes, it’s not about how you carry out your decluttering, it’s about how you think about your decluttering. It might take a while for you to change your perspective on your clutter. So, consider taking advantage of some strategies to attune yourself to clutter you may have missed. For example, you can take photos of your house and really look at it from a different point of view to identify hiding clutter. The point is to work towards seeing your space in a new light.
8. Experiment with numbers
Invent a challenge for yourself to help yourself come to the realization that you don’t need as much as you think you do. Experiment with numbers to keep the process interesting. For example, if you have problems with having too much clothing in your closets, challenge yourself to wear 20 articles of clothing in 1 month. If it seems too little, adjust the number as you go. The key idea is to challenge yourself to live with less to see what you learn from the process.
9. Use your imagination
We all have those moments of weakness when it comes to decluttering. More often than not, we are conflicted in the process of getting rid of certain items, and some items may seem more difficult to remove than others. This is especially true for certain objects that have sentimental value. In the process of decluttering, the conventional psychological approach is to ask yourself why you need it, and what is convincing you to keep it. This, however, can end up being a never-ending circle of “throw it-but-regret-it-then-keep-it”. An approach with more unique questions like “If I were buying this item new, how much would I pay?” sometimes may help breaking us out of this vicious cycle. More creative questioning may prove to be helpful with overcoming the sentimental barrier in removing unneeded clutter.
10. The four-box method
The four-box method is a good decluttering technique if you have trouble with deciding what goes and what stays. Have four boxes, each for a different purpose: trash, give away, keep or relocate. Work your way through your rooms in your home. Evaluate each item and place it into one of the four categories. Make sure you consider each item individually and don’t pass over any items. Each project in each different space might take shorter or longer, depending on the number of items you have and the size of the space. However, the technique and principles for all your spaces remain the same.
