Rarely would you have heard the word ‘decluttering’ a decade ago. Its use has soared in the past few years and you might even say it’s become a fashionable thing to do. Decluttering is the process of removing, tidying, and organising with the aim to make life more pleasant and less stressful. You can declutter a physical space or an aspect of your life.
Perhaps the need to simplify and enjoy life unencumbered by clutter and chaos stems from the increasingly busy lives we lead and the ease with which we can obtain material goods.
Or maybe the release of the best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, in 2011 was what set the train in motion. Written by a Japanese consultant, Marie Kondo, it promises that if you do it properly once, you’ll never have to do it again.
Why declutter
The reasons for decluttering are as many as they are varied. One of the big motivators is downsizing. That’s the situation many Eco Pod customers find themselves in when they choose to invest in a pod and it’s one that forces people to revaluate their possessions and consider what they really need to enjoy life. Purchasing or renting an Eco Pod can be a powerful motivator to declutter. Suddenly, you’re faced with the need to evaluate what’s really important in life so that you can make the most of the space you have. While it’s not an easy job, it’s one that pays dividends and undertaking this process will leave you feeling free and unburdened.
If you are moving from a larger to a smaller property, you’ll need to do a massive clear out for two reasons. The first being because you will need to stage your current home for sale and the second being because you just won’t have room in the new house to take everything with you. You might also need updated décor to suit the new interior, which might mean trading a bulky and dark sofa for a sleeker and lighter one.
Start sooner rather than later
At the risk of sounding cliché, the earlier you start, the easier moving will be. You run the risk of moving all your unwanted junk with you if you leave your run too late.
Start by sorting your gear into three piles:
- Keep
- Maybe keep
- Don’t keep
Repeat this with the ‘maybe’ pile until you only have two piles – ‘keep’ and ‘don’t keep’. Then go through the ‘don’t keep’ items and sort them into three piles:
- Sell
- Give away
- Throw out
Super simple here in black and white, but harder in reality when emotions come into play. If you are really struggling, you could consider hiring a professional consultant to help keep you on track.
Sometimes you can get carried away and go overboard. If there are things you are really not sure about, store them to sort after you’ve moved. That may save regret down the track. You might find there is need and/or space for them after all. Decisions need to be made, but they don’t have to be rushed.
Tackling a house declutter well ahead of a move will be extremely satisfying, leaving you organised and ready to enjoy a new chapter in life stress and clutter free.
Even if you aren’t planning to downsize soon, you can still start clearing out your house. The sage advice about downsizing before you have to applies equally well to decluttering.
