Tips and secrets to free your home from stuff you don’t need!

There are many people that want to lead a more simpler existence, and just get rid of all unnecessary possessions. There are benefits to owning less things – there’s less to clean, and there’s more money and time to do what you are passionate about. Due to the large number of possessions, many people begin to feel anxious, overwhelmed and lost around the idea of decluttering their homes. However, with some simple, creative ways of getting started, you can have an easy journey through decluttering your home.

1. Make a list: Start by making a list – of which places need to be decluttered, and follow it to the T.
2. Start with 5 solid minutes: Give yourself five solid minutes to focus on a certain area. Maybe a drawer in the kitchen, or your wardrobe. Doing it in five-minute increments will help you focus more, and if you get bored or overwhelmed with one area, you can move to another in 5 minutes.
3. Go room by room: While you can wander across your home and decide to declutter a little here and there, nothing beats targeting a room and setting a goal to finish decluttering it first. Start with a smaller room, and then move in a sensible progression. You’ll get a whole lot more done this way.
4. Give away something daily: As you move around doing the decluttering, you may realise that there are a few things that are still in a good condition to be used – just not for you. Or sometimes, you might not be intending to do any decluttering, but have realised that there are items you have no use for. Collect it all or immediately give it away, but giving away things that you’re not using will make you feel good about your uncluttered space and about helping someone with something they need and/or want.
5. Experiment in your wardrobe: As an experiment, reorganise your wardrobe and turn all your hangers to face a single direction. After you’ve worn an item, turn it to the face the opposite direction. After a set amount of time (3 months is a reasonable length), you’ll be able to see what you’re not wearing, and decide whether you want it in your wardrobe or not.

Things not to do while decluttering your home:

1. Don’t spend a day: While deciding to declutter, don’t delegate an entire day to organise all the rooms of your house. You’ll get easily overwhelmed – especially if you live in a larger space or for a long time in a place – and it might make you frustrated as the day progresses.
2. Don’t buy ‘organisers’: Organise first, buy storage space or space organising accessories later. You need to know what needs to be held within a container, and where exactly they need to sit, to know what size they need to be.
3. Finish what you start: When you make a list and there’s a particular task or a particular room to focus on, hone in and complete the task. Don’t leave anything for later, you might get too lax about it, and you may not finish it for a long time – leaving your decluttering unfinished.

Share any other tips you might have below.