Declutter your Space, Declutter your Mind

Tuesday 15th June 2010 | 5 comments

Most of us have no trouble thinking of a corner of our life which contains clutter (definition: a confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble). The benefits of removing this clutter from your home and work environments are obvious - a sense of order, being able to find things, no more junk lying around, and that feeling of deep satisfaction that comes from rendering order from chaos.

It can also have a parallel effect on the mind - clearing out a cupboard can also help your mind feel refreshed and more ordered as well...try it, it's true. If part of your life is in chaos, or even the rest of it, decluttering just one room in your house can restore a much needed sense of control, albeit over one small corner of your world.

Whenever my creative thinking dries up, I look around for a cupboard to clean out. (To be honest, I don't always clean it out, though - sometimes I shut the door again and go for a walk instead...)

How tos...

  1. Why not set aside a whole day to declutter the house (or office, or shed, or...)? If others are involved, such as work buddies, partners, flatmates or children, it's best to involve them in the project, or send them right away. You can move from room to room, with a set time allowed for each space or major task. If it helps, phone a friend or coach every hour to report progress...and reward yourself at the end of the day.
  2. Another approach is to do a certain amount, say 30 minutes, every day - or 3 times a week or whatever, until it's all done. Break your overall plan into tasks that will take about 30 minutes each, and just pick whichever you feel like on the day. Mark the successfully completed task off your list, and be sure to give yourself a small reward.
  3. Another way that can work very well is to tackle a room a week.
  4. Why not do it with a friend - maybe you could both do your house this month, then his or her house next month?
  5. Sort possessions into 4 piles - keep, give away, sell or chuck (then follow through and do it!).

Radical Ideas

  1. When in doubt, throw it away - you don't need it, you had forgotten you even owned it and you can always replace it if necessary. Do not ever put things into a junk drawer 'just in case...'.
  2. For really serious hoarding problems, consider a 'one in, one out' rule. A friend of mine throws out one shirt for every new one he buys, so that he always owns the same number of shirts. It keeps the house uncluttered, and also forces you to think whether you really value the new potential acquisition more than at least one thing you already own...
  3. If necessary, get help (enter 'Declutter' into Google and you'll see a myriad of free and not-so-free tools and services). There is even a Meetup declutter group that meets regularly all over the place.
  4. Don't be held prisoner by your clutter - just because Aunt Gloria gave you that chair years ago, does not mean it needs to remain in your life forever. Give it to someone who will love it - take a photo of it first if you need a memento.
  5. Keep a part of something, rather than the whole thing...one baby outfit, not all of them, 3 essays you wrote at school not every piece of homework from 20 years ago.
  6. For every object, ask: Is it beautiful? Is it useful? Do I love it? If you can't answer yes to at least one of these questions, get rid of it NOW!
  7. Don't wait for spring - winter is the ideal time to be indoors and cleaning out spaces, so when spring comes you can grab a picnic and head off to the wild blue yonder (or your local park) with that smug feeling that your house is entirely in order.

So, what are you prepared to tidy up?

Tag: tips

Comments

  1. Hi Joanne

    This year is my declutter year - so I have two tips. Ebay for the stuff that is good condition, Freecyle.org for the stuff that you think is junk but is really someone elses treasure.

    We had a weekend away on the money we got from selling things from ebay and a generally warm fuzzy feeling from giving people our junk for free (which they loved). And, we can now get the car in the garage!

    Posted by Michelle Feros | Wednesday 16th June 2010 @ 10:24am

  2. Thanks, Michelle, especially for the reminder about www.freecycle.org. I have used it and loved it for years - when we moved house, all our no-longer-useful stuff went to new homes through them, including all our packing boxes and even a broken barbecue! As you say, really good for the warm fuzzies.

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Wednesday 16th June 2010 @ 12:16pm

  3. We have a frightening number of thoughts in common, Joanne. Once again, I agree with every word you've written. Wish I'd written them myself! Thank you for another brilliant post. Best regards, P. :)

    Posted by Paul Hassing | Monday 21st June 2010 @ 5:31pm

  4. Thanks Paul, I see nothing frightening about sharing views and thoughts with you! It's a privilege...

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Monday 21st June 2010 @ 5:58pm

  5. Thanks to my friend and colleague Zoe for this link - check out these 'under the desk clutter' pics, neat!
    http://theclosetentrepreneur.com/declutter-the-mess-under-your-desk

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Tuesday 22nd June 2010 @ 10:40am

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