Decluttering is good, but the space needs stay decluttered once you cleared it out.
And how to do that? Stop accumulating items to start with.
Accumulation has many faces:
-You buy
-Someone gave you something, and you feel like you need to keep it to please the other person. Even if it doesn’t please you to keep the item.
-It’s something you kept as a souvenir, ticket, image, accessory.
I want you to master this step first before you do a large decluttering. Because if you declutter to add items after, what was the point of all that energy spent?
Time is precious and you don’t want to give it away. Don’t you say you never have the time to do this or that?
How to stop accumulating?
1- TELL OTHERS YOUR GOAL. Tell your close surrounding your intention. That you want to declutter your home. Thus you want to limit what comes into your space. For gifts and occasions tell them what you want. And don’t let me guess wrong. It’s ok to tell people what you want. People aren’t mind readers. You might even influence others to declutter too.
2- KNOW YOUR SPACE. Live in your space, pay attention to how you feel. And then notice if the space could use anything extra. Only you can know this. You live in your space, you use your space. Be mindful of how you feel and use the space.
3- KEEP WITH INTENTION. Does this item serve you? Don’t try to figure out a use just to keep it. You have told people what you are doing. So don’t feel bad about giving it away. I’m sure you do it anyways without telling the person who gave it to you. You give it to another person as a gift and hope the person who gave it to you won’t notice it. Why bother with all the mind worry. Keep with intention or give away.
4- BUY WITH INTENTION. Only go buy items with an intention. Don’t go for a shopping spree because you are bored. Or because don’t know what to do when you spend time with friends. Neither when you spend time online and buy online.
5- Need help? ACCOUNTABILITY. Ask for a friend to keep you accountable. That person doesn’t need to declutter too. They just need to ask how are you doing. Be there to listen and support you when you need help. You can also join the online group on Mighty networks HERE. This is where I and others will keep you accountable for your decluttering journey.
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