How to declutter your home

What better way to start the New Year than with a gentle declutter?

Reducing the amount of stuff in your home can be good for your mental health, and help you cut your consumption levels too.

When everything has a home and you’ve got rid of things you no longer need, finding the items you do need gets easier, you have a clear view of what you own, and it takes less time to keep your house clean and tidy!

But decluttering your home can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start, so let’s take a look at how to declutter.

Make sure you have a clear goal in mind.

When you set out with just the vague intention of cleaning up or organizing your home, it can be hard to know where or how to begin.

You might start with one area, but if you don’t know where the end point is going to be—and if that end point isn’t something tangible and achievable—you can easily lose steam halfway through the process when faced with an ever-growing pile of laundry or stacks of papers that need sorting through.

Since storage involves space, think about how you want your home to look and feel.

When you’re decluttering, think about how you want your home to look and feel.

Do you want a spacious living room with clean lines, or do you prefer cozy corners with lots of pillows?

Do you want a kitchen where everything is easily accessible and well organized, or do you prefer an open floor plan with less clutter in the way?

Consider what will be stored in each space. Is it something that needs access regularly (like snacks), or should it be tucked away out of sight (like holiday decorations)?

Think about how much space is available for storage. Will one shelf suffice, or do certain items deserve their own room?

Are these items temporary—I just need somewhere safe until I can find another home for them—or are they here to stay?

Decide how often each item will be used: daily (like coffee mugs), weekly (like books), monthly/seasonally (holiday decorations), etc.

Think about the different ways you interact with your possessions and make the most of that.

When decluttering, it’s important to consider the different ways you interact with your possessions and make the most of that.

Consider where you will put things and how you will move them around.

Consider what you use most often, and what you use least often.

Let this information guide your initial decision-making process when choosing whether or not a certain item should be kept in your home or tossed out.

Declutter before you start organizing.

The first step in decluttering is to get rid of things that you don’t need, use, or like.

This can be a daunting task for many people. If you’re having trouble deciding what to get rid of and where to start, it’s helpful to ask yourself these questions:

• Do I need this? (If so, how often do I use it and why?)
• Do I love this? (Is there another way I could show that same affection without owning an item?)
• Can someone else use this more than me?

Adopt easy habits for maintaining a decluttered home.

After your initial decluttering efforts, you’ll need to adopt some habits that keep things in order.

These will vary depending on what areas of your home are most cluttered, but the following should help:

Keep a decluttered space. If you want to keep things clean and organized, it’s important for the space itself to be tidy as well. Keeping surfaces clear of clutter will make it easier for you to see where everything is located.

Keep a clean home. It can be tempting when there are so many other things going on in our lives—especially if we don’t have many hours each day—to put off cleaning until later in the week or even month! But this is one aspect of our lives that shouldn’t wait. It’s easy enough to do it while you’re watching TV or listening to music or an audio book. Do it little and often and build in ways to make it more enjoyable to encourage yourself to stick with a cleaning routine.

Remember, there’s no one way that works for everyone— it’s all about finding what works for you!

But if you follow these tips for getting organized (like making sure everything has its place), then decluttering can be a fun, rewarding experience.