The Art Of Decluttering

I talk a lot about decluttering on this blog & over on my Instagram page as I am probably one of the most anti-hoarder individuals you’ll ever meet!

One of the secrets behind having a tidy house that is easy to maintain is getting rid of everything that’s probably holding you back as well as taking up valuable storage space that could be used for hiding all the stuff you actually DO need in life.

Decluttering is an art form. It comes naturally to some, however others have a harder job letting go. But it is HIGHLY addictive once you start & get that amazine productive feeling so once started will lead to ongoing success. It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike.

Here are some points to remember when it comes to getting things under control –

• ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ – you didn’t end up with 50 tupperwear containers & only 5 with lids that fit overnight. Decluttering takes a lot of time, effort & most importantly concentration. In order to do it affectively, you need to be able to THINK about every last thing & really consider if you need it in your life. Work in small doses such as 15 minutes or 1 cupboard/drawer a day.

• Remove your rose tinted glasses – sometimes you can become SO accustomed to something that it starts to appear completely normal. It’s not until you take a step back & really look at an area that you can realise items aren’t necessary. Once you’ve decluttered a room you’ll look back on it & be shocked you lived like & held on to everything that for so long.

• Unsure? Don’t bin it just yet – you’re bound to come across items that you are pretty sure you don’t need but are still not 100% about letting go of. In that case, pop these bits in a box & put them in the loft/shed/out of sight. If you haven’t used them in a month then pick up the box & take it to the charity shop. Don’t look back.

• Sort into piles – using plastic bags or boxes, sort through everything & organise them into sections, a bit like ‘snog, marry or avoid’…..apart from ‘charity, keep or bin’. Not quite as fun I know.
• Once these are full or you’ve completed a room then get rid of these ASAP so you don’t have a chance to talk yourself back into rummaging for something you’ve convinced yourself you should keep.

• Work from room to room – nothing feels more overwhelming than knowing you have an entire house to sort. Take it slowly & move from one room to another but ONLY once you’ve completed the previous. Plus you won’t end up missing any sections if you are focused on one space.

• Question yourself – do you actually NEED this item or do you just WANT it? Have you used the item in the past year? Will you definitely need it in the future? Are you saving it for a particular time, if so, when? Do you even like the item? How does the item help you or add anything to your life?

I always go by the quote ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ by William Morris.

• Do it NOW – don’t wait for Spring to start….another few months will just mean more junk to sort through. Leaving things until they get out of hand not only makes your life harder but just leaves you feeling really overwhelmed. Doing things here & there (or I always do it when I see or think about it) will prevent mammoth sessions.

Love, Charlotte x