Four Tips for Decluttering Your Living Space

Life is chaotic. This is a truism that never fails to apply, even to the most discerning of spiritual minimalists amongst us. But, of course, the vast majority of us live a familiar sort of semi-cluttered life, forever battling the bulging door of our cupboard under the stairs or the heaving might of our growing garage rubbish-pile.

The average UK adult doesn’t get around to decluttering their home for well over two years following their last attempt – time aplenty for belongings to multiply and mess to expand afresh. Cluttered homes are no fun to live in, and can actively increase stress levels at that; something has to give, and it shouldn’t be your resolve. Here, let’s take a look at a positive approach to home de-cluttering, and to regaining control of your home.

Assessing Your Space

First, you should go room by room in your home, identifying problem areas that have demonstrably accumulated clutter. High-traffic zones like entrances, living rooms, and kitchens are the most likely culprits for clutter accumulation, and great places to get the measure of the problem at hand. Of course, the real challenges exist in cupboards and garage spaces – which, if dealt with properly, could give you a great deal more storage space and exponentially improve your post-clutter outlook.

From here, you can establish specific goals for each room; this might include reducing the number of items on display, creating designated storage spaces, or even just achieving a pleasing minimalist aesthetic. Whatever your goals, having clarity in them allows you both direction and motivation as you start your declutter journey.

Sorting and Categorising

When you start getting your hands dirty, don’t get too stuck in without putting some sort of system in place. For example, you could organise your belongings into categories like “keep” or “chuck” – and then sub-divide “chuck” into “donate”, “sell”, and “discard”. This systematic approach gives you no room for umming and ahhing about the fate of any individual item, ensuring you are at least judicious and at most ruthless.

Selling Your Unwanted Belongings

The “sell” part of the equation can be particularly lucrative, particularly when it comes to selling old watches or other items of wristwear that no longer float your boat; these items can demand a high price in the right forum, and earn you a bit of spare cash as well as a bit of spare space. Auction sites are excellent for selling pop culture collectibles, while local social media marketplace pages are ideal for used furniture and decorations.

Storage Solutions

You may feel as if you’re done after a good sort-through, but this is only half the battle. With your newfound space, you should work to maximise its capabilities. New shelving, new built-in cupboards, floating racks, pegboards – try any and all of the above, in order to provide some order for your stuff in the future. With the right storage, you may not need to declutter again in two or so years…