How to Get Rid of Clutter in Your House
Did you know that the clutter in your home is likely bringing you down? A cluttered environment affects us a great deal, and impedes on our ability to function productively in our every day lives. Having a home that's riddled with clutter can make us feel tired, anxious, and all other kinds of yucky. It's hard on the eyes, the mind, and the spirit. The principles of Feng Shui say that clutter of any kind blocks the flow of positive energy. Plus, it simply just gets in the way. Here are some tips on how to get rid of it.
Where Should You Start?
Sometimes, just getting started is the hardest part. You're probably looking around your house right now and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you have ahead of you if you're going to succeed in getting rid of the clutter.
Instead of looking at your house as a whole, narrow your focus down to one area. Try starting in the room that is used most often by your household. It's probably the one that collects the most clutter and random items that don't really have a permanent home. Start at one end of the room and go through everything! Slowly work your way to the other end of the room. Using this method will help you stay on track, and prevent you from moving frantically from one room to the other without really finishing either one of them.
To Keep or Not to Keep?
You may have a hard time deciding whether or not you should keep some of the items that you encounter in your purge. If this is the case, try asking yourself these three questions:
- Do I really need this?
- How long has it been since I last used it?
- Have I missed this object or have I been looking for it?
If you don't need it, haven't used it in a while, or forgot you even had it, toss it! Unless you use that object regularly or have been missing it, there's really no need for you to keep it. Please, do not keep it for the sole reason that you may need it in the future. It's not worth it, and that kind of thinking will lead you down a dangerous path, my friend. It will most likely end up right back where it is now: contributing to clutter. And if you were to do that for most or all of the items that come into question, you'd be getting nowhere! Don't even go there.
Re-Organize
Once you've purged your home of the things that are not useful to you, it's time to organize the things that are still left behind. Remember, clutter does not just apply to junk you don't need. Stuff you use on a regular basis can easily become clutter if you don't store it away properly.
Create a new system for organizing your home. Make sure it makes sense and is practical for you and your family. Making sure that your stuff has a place and is put away neatly will help to make sure your home doesn't get buried in clutter ever again. Organization really is the key to a clutter-free home! I recommend checking out Pinterest for ideas.
Do a Yearly Purge
No matter how hard you try, you will likely never be 100% effective in keeping your home completely free of clutter, especially if you are not the only one living in your home. We are only human, and humans love stuff. You will collect little odds and ends throughout the year that never quite find a permanent home in your home, or certain objects will no longer be useful or relevant.
Make a point to go through your home every year, and do another full purge and reorganize. The first one should be the hardest, and the ones after that should be a cinch if you've made any effort to keep clutter away at all throughout the year.
