Decluttering is all the rage right now, with TV shows on Netflix such as ‘Tidying Up With Marie Kondo’ and ‘Get Organized With The Home Edit’ people cannot get enough. But did you know that there is more to decluttering than just making room in your house? Decluttering actually has many other benefits too.
For example, it is said to reduce stress and anxiety, help you sleep better and you’ll find that you become more creative and productive, not to mention your house will look beautiful with more space. Decluttering your home will also free up space in your mind too.
However, decluttering doesn’t mean that you have to throw all your things away. If you follow these seven tips then you can have the best of both worlds and keep your stuff as well as enjoying the benefits of decluttering.
1. Take It an Object, Room, or Drawer at a Time
Decluttering your home can feel like an overwhelming task, but not if you take your time. Don’t think of it as emptying the whole house, start small by decluttering a drawer and then once you have done that, choose another drawer. Take it step by step, drawer by drawer and room by room until eventually, you’ll have a clutter-free home.
2. Use Self-Storage
Decluttering and minimalism have helped people in lots of ways; it makes people happier, saves you time, gives you more freedom in your home and in your mind and it helps you to appreciate the things that matter most. But as mentioned it doesn’t mean you need to lose everything.
If you want a minimalist home, you can still have it by simply putting your things in a local self-storage unit. This way, your things are safe, secure, and there for you when you need them. However, you don’t need to throw everything away in order to declutter. Use a local storage unit to store your things and declutter your home.
3. Take Pictures of Things You Might Miss
If you’re not sure whether to part with something just yet, then again you can put it in self-storage to see if you miss it and this will help you to determine how often you use it. Also try taking photos of the things you might miss and then if you do, you can always look at them if you’re feeling down.
4. Keep the Things that Bring You Joy
It’s a really good exercise to go through your things and to see what you use and what you don’t and what you really love and what you’re not so bothered about. Going through your things helps you to find things you love that you might have forgotten about and will give you a new appreciation for things. Surrounding yourself with the things you love will also make you feel happier.
5. Make It into a Party
Decluttering your home doesn’t have to be a chore, in fact, it can be really fun. Get a few friends round, pour a few drinks, put some music on and have a party. Go through your things and ask everyone to help you put things into piles: things you definitely want to keep, things you’re not sure about; things that definitely need to go and things you can sell or donate.
All your friends need to do is hold things up and take your first answer. Also, it means that if you don’t want something and they do, it automatically goes to a good home.
6. Donate
Decluttering can not only benefit you, but it can also benefit those in need if you donate your items. There are plenty of different charities you could donate to, so do your research and decide on what you think is a worthy cause and where you can help the most.
7. Sell Your Old Items
Finally, decluttering your home can make you some money if you choose to sell the things you don’t want anymore. You’ll be surprised at the things that sell, as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
So if you have something you’re not sure if anyone will buy, check online first and you’ll probably find that others are selling similar items and there’s someone out there who wants it.
Just remember you can enjoy the best of both worlds and have a minimalist home without losing your things. You can also use self-storage as a place for those things you’re not sure if you’re ready to part with yet and it will help you to declutter and to love and appreciate your things again.