Declutter your physical space
Decluttering your home is a process that usually takes more than a couple days, but with some dedication and repeated efforts, it's not as daunting as it seems. Start by focusing on one room at a time, setting aside a few hours each day to make steady progress. Once you've got the hang of clearing out junk and rearranging furniture, you'll be able to fill the space with things you need and enjoy.
We took our plan from Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (Ten Speed Press), which has become a sort of bible for people looking to get rid of physical clutter. Kondo recommends starting small by picking up an object on the floor and asking yourself if it sparks joy in your heart. If yes, keep it; if not, thank it for its service in your life so far and let it go. The point is that while decluttering can feel overwhelming at first if you hold on to this philosophy—and maybe even say the mantra “thank you” before tossing something—you'll be happy once everything around you is organized just how you like it.
Feeling less cluttered can help you feel more motivated.
When your surfaces, closets, and drawers are clean, it's easier to visualize the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. This feeling of progress fuels your motivation and offers a sense of accomplishment. A key part of feeling less cluttered is getting rid of things that aren't useful or beautiful. Our minds can become cluttered with useless information too—the difference between physical and mental clutter is just how much time you spend thinking about it. Studies have suggested that having an organized environment can help reduce stress and improve performance on mental tasks. Decluttering has been shown to increase productivity by helping you focus on the task at hand instead of being distracted by the mess around you—especially in places like offices or workplaces where clutter would quickly distract coworkers or customers. When you're surrounded by things that are beautiful or useful, it also helps put your mind at ease because it gives a sense of order that may be lacking in other aspects of life. It's often said that living in a messy home means living in a messy mind, but learning how to declutter doesn't just mean making some extra room for organizing supplies under your bed; decluttering means purging whatever isn't serving its purpose anymore so it doesn't have any power over you anymore.
Keep your environment organized in a way that makes sense to you.
The way you set up a home can have a big effect on your well-being. Some people prefer to have everything organized in the same way, while others like the freedom to group things according to their own system. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, it's important to keep things in some kind of order. The key is finding a method that works with your lifestyle and allows easy access to what you use often. If you're constantly scrambling under piles of stuff for what you need, it might be time to rethink your system.
The most common types of organizational systems are:
Stuff is dumped everywhere because we don't have enough space otherwise
Tidy, but everything is easily accessible by one person at a time
Everything is compartmentalized and separated by category or person
A combination of the above
Use bins and boxes to organize your belongings, either give them away or recycle rather than throw away things.
Have you ever found yourself in a cluttered room or apartment and thought, “I can't find anything. Why did I even bring this stuff with me?” Or have you felt a twinge of guilt as you consider throwing away something that somebody gave to you long ago? If so, then here's what to do if you want to declutter your life and start achieving some goals.
One of the easiest ways to put things in order is to get them out of the way. The first step is to create bins and boxes (these are very useful for organizing). These bins come in all sizes and shapes, but the ones that really help are those you can get from an office supply store which has entry wheels on them so they're easy to move around. Most items that just collect dust can be placed into these bins, either giving them away or recycling rather than throwing them away when you're done using them. They also help with finding things when they're tucked under your bed or somewhere else where they don't belong but seemed like a logical place at the time.
The next step is placing these bins somewhere where they'll be hard for anyone who wants access to your space. They should not be easily visible from any entrance point into your room, apartment, or house unless it's an entrance specifically meant for those moving furniture around (i.e., no front door). You want to make sure it requires effort for someone who doesn't live there (or at least doesn't live there enough) to get into these areas where your valuables are hidden away from prying eyes and sticky fingers with access only if given permission by someone living there most of the time like yourself or roommates who live there regularly as well.*
Declutter your mind
After a stressful week of work, it's easy to fall into the trap of letting tomorrow take care of itself—otherwise known as procrastinating. It's okay to relax and unwind, but it's important that you set aside time for self-care too. This is a great time to find small ways to de-stress without interfering with your responsibilities.
What follows are some tips on how you can unwind after a busy week. Consider doing these things as you reduce stress in your life:
Practice mindfulness exercises: Mindfulness has received plenty of well-deserved attention lately, and for good reason! Focusing on the present moment helps us cope better with stressors, while also helping us reach our goals more effectively.
Go outside: Take a walk around your neighborhood or at least step out onto your balcony. No matter what part of town you live in, there's always something interesting going on if you open your eyes and look for it.
Use DIY spa treatments: If you're feeling fancy (or just looking for an excuse to pamper yourself), make a DIY facial mask out of fruits or vegetables from the produce section or brewing ingredients from the supermarket aisle; brew tea in bulk so that you can make special blends, or whip up body scrubs using ingredients found around the house (our favorite recipe involves coconut oil!).
Take time and energy to relax and unwind so you don't carry stress and anxiety into the next day.
You’re holding a list of small things that are easy to do, but the sum of these activities will make a huge difference in your mood and productivity. No matter how busy your day is or how many problems you’re dealing with, whether it be at work or in your own personal life, taking some time for yourself and treating yourself can change the course of any day.
When we get bogged down by stress and anxiety, lightening our minds can be hard to do. While working on a project at work or dealing with daily errands at home may not seem like much fun, there are ways to destress that don't involve spending money. You can still have fun while doing these things! The most important thing is to take some time each day for yourself and not feel guilty about it!
Learn the difference between procrastination and self-care.
If you find yourself putting off decisions or chores, it might be helpful to look at what's really going on. While putting things off can work to your disadvantage, as in the case of skipping that doctor's appointment you know your aging grandmother needs, procrastination can also be a coping mechanism. If you're finding it difficult to make progress towards something you feel ambivalent about (in other words, not excited about but not dreading either), procrastinating can give you some time to gather energy and motivation for the task ahead of you.
When we get overwhelmed by our lives, it's tempting to shut down and do nothing—but self-care is a necessity if we want to keep going. Whether it's walking our dogs, reading a book (that isn't related to work or school), or taking a bath before bed, taking care of ourselves is an important part of having the mental resources needed for daily life—and getting things done. The trick is learning when procrastinating is useful and when self-care is the only answer.
Small changes in how you organize yourself can have a big impact on how you feel mentally.
Decluttering: it’s something that’s been a hot topic for the past year or so, but it’s not about getting your home looking like a showroom. It’s about getting rid of things in your life that hold you back. You know that thing you say you should do? It's time to actually do it.
For many people, the idea of decluttering is terrifying because they don't need to buy more storage bins or have less space in their homes. They just need to make better use of what they already have. This kind of mindset shift is difficult, and probably why most people who start out on a journey toward minimalism end up quitting before they really get started. To help with this issue, we've put together some tips on how to get started on your own decluttering journey and start getting those goals off the ground!
Think about what you want. Before you can start reducing things, you'll want to figure out what it is that makes you happy. That could be anything from having more time after work to read books with your kids, doing yoga regularly as a family instead of watching TV (or vice versa) or becoming an accomplished photographer. Write down these ideas and keep them somewhere visible so that every day when you sit down at your desk at work or see them around the house when cleaning up clutter, these goals are top of mind for you!
Start small and choose something manageable for now—not everything all at once! A nice way to do this is by picking one room in the house which seems most important for reaching these goals—maybe it's where all the kids' toys are kept current, or maybe it's where all the bills get paid at least once every 30 days (oops). Then pick one corner of this room—maybe there's a closet section that would be easiest (and fastest) to clean first? Then go through each item in this area and ask yourself if this
Comments