Simple Ways To Declutter Your Life

Being surrounded by mess and clutter can make everything seem a great deal worse than it is especially when you are already stressed out.  Finding your keys or those important papers can then become a nightmare.  And top of this, many people believe that the state of your surrounding is a direct reflection of the state of your psyche.  If this is the case and you are living in the remnants of a tornado of your own making, then you might want to think twice about continuing on with your cluttered ways.

Decluttering can be a great way to revamp your home without a great deal of expense.  Without buying a bunch of new furniture or painting the walls, decluttering can be a simple solution to improving the look of your space.  Not only will your guests appreciate the effort, but you just might find that your life becomes a little more Zen as well.

First of all you will want to pick one space at a time to begin with so as not to get too overwhelmed.  You know how it is when you begin to reorganize a closet or cupboard and the area quickly looks like a disaster area.  All of the sudden you might be overwhelmed and be asking yourself how you ever got all that stuff to fit in that space.  Just remember thought hat it takes allowing for a little mess and clutter to begin the decluttering process.  By choosing one area at a time, such as your bedroom closet or your kitchen cupboard you can make sure to tackle it all in one go.

Once you’ve chosen your space begin by examining all of the things you have in there.  Chances are there are hosts of things you neither want nor need.  Be these old receipts, sneakers from five years ago that you haven’t given away or bottle caps and other junk once destined for a craft project you’ll never do, just remember eliminating this stuff can be oh so freeing.  If it’s your bedroom closet, remove anything that you haven’t worn in the last year and especially anything that you bought more than six months ago and have never worn.  If you haven’t worn or used it in the last six months to a year (accounting for season) than chances are you don’t need it.  Stuff can be great when it’s useful, but when it simply clutters up your life it’s time to discard it.

Next you’ll want to divvy up the things you plan on getting rid of and putting them into boxes or bins heading to different destinations.  One for good will or some other charity of your choice, and another bag for throw away.  Be sure to take the time to donate clothes that are still in good shape, as well as household items, shoes, and the like.  Some charities will pick up items if you call ahead.  Finally, you may have a bin designated for storage, in which case make sure to seal it up well and store in a cool dry place.

Now after you’ve worked through one cupboard or closet at a time it is time to deal with surface clutter.  Surface clutter includes everything that might be found on your coffee table, on top of the fridge, on the kitchen table or on your desk.  Here investing in some small organizing boxes, baskets or desk organizers might be wise.  These small investments can go a long way to decluttering your home.  By way of putting a lid on some of your small little messes (a box for receipts or bills, a nice basket for magazines, or a filing cabinet for various papers) will help keep things in order and help you find them when you need them. 

Decluttering your house one area at a time can be incredibly therapeutic.  Once you’ve reorganized and gotten rid of all that junk your mind and body will thank you with a clear sigh of relief.  Now to keep the place decluttered you will need to spend a few minutes everyday, or an hour or so a week, decluttering again.  And, most importantly, do not buy anything else unless you are sure that you need it.  Spur of the minute buying is one of the fastest ways to reclutter your life and to rundown the bank account.  Living simply is itself a luxury.