Do you want to really tidy up your home? Then you've come to the right place! You're probably standing in your home right now, feeling somehow overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that has accumulated in drawers, cupboards and shelves over the years.
As tidiness can sometimes get lost in stressful everyday life, many people feel the same way. However, such insightful moments underline the fact that it really is time to declutter! After all, it makes the Life easier! If only the project wasn't so difficult, time-consuming and annoying...
In this article, I would therefore like to give you some simple but effective practical tips to make clearing out a breeze. Simply use them to eliminate the stressful chaos and create a calming overview within your own four walls. Let's go!
Advantages: Why is it important to clear out and declutter your home?
Of course, if you're moving house, there's no getting around the fact that you need to turn your household inside out and get rid of unnecessary clutter. But why wait for the next moveeven if your everyday life offers you numerous opportunities to massively improve your quality of life and well-being with very simple means.
What are the benefits of regular mucking out? Here are some good reasons and valuable benefits that should motivate you to "clear the decks":
- Enjoy the overview: A Overcrowded home causes stress! An organized environment, on the other hand, creates space and helps you to feel more relaxed and stay mentally healthy.
- Be more productive: Unfortunately, clutter is a total distraction - especially when working from home. A tidy work and living area on the other hand, promotes your concentration and lets you work more productively.
- Gain time: If you own and want to own a lot, you also have to invest a lot of time. However, if you tidy up properly from time to time, you'll have more time for the really nice things in life, as you won't have to clean or look for certain things as much.
- Save money: Most people only need to declutter because they spend a lot of money on unnecessary things. However, by consume more consciously you'll definitely have more left over from your salary at the end of the month. What's more, you can also sell your discarded items for a profit!
- Protect the environment: Clutter ties up natural resources that could be used elsewhere. By cleaning out your home and disposing of unnecessary items properly, recycling and upcycling them or giving them to other people, you ultimately sharpen the Environmental awareness.
After decluttering, it's also worthwhile for your well-being to have a Carry out basic cleaning. It goes beyond normal house cleaning, as it also cleans surfaces that normally never get any attention, such as cupboards, dishwashers or drains. You can try a professional deep clean yourself or book one online.
10 tips: How do you tackle mucking out and decluttering properly?
Motivated enough? Then we can now move on to the specific tips for your big tidy-up. But first I have to tell you something important: your mental attitude is absolutely crucial to whether your project becomes a reality and whether you can keep your household tidy in the long term.
After all, there are a lot of decisions to be made when decluttering - and most of us find this difficult. Letting go of material things often difficult.
So don't put too much pressure on yourself. Rather, think of the action as Minimalist measure of self-loveturn up your favorite music and have fun.
1. imagine a clear target image
Large clean-up plans often fail because there is a gap between the beginning and the end. An abundance of overwhelming tasks that take up so much time and energy.
Personally, it helps me enormously to imagine what I will achieve by clearing out. Tidy drawers and cupboards, space in the home and no more long searches for keys, clothes or my cell phone, which has once again been lost in the chaos. These are just a few advantages of the Minimalism - Everyone has their own reasons, of course!
The Focus on the final target imageinstead of the things you might lose or give up will definitely boost your motivation. This will keep you on the ball and help you complete the "mammoth project".
2. come up with a plan
A target picture is important - but proper decluttering also needs a plan! Here are a few questionsthat you should answer in advance:
- How much time should I plan? (e.g. a weekend or until the end of the month)
- Which areas need to be tidied up? (e.g. cellar or closet)
- Which criteria are decisive? (e.g. condition or frequency of use)
- What tools do I need for mucking out? (e.g. cardboard boxes or containers)
- What do I do with the discarded items? (e.g. dispose of, donate, sell?)
Be realistic in your expectations and honest with yourself. Thereby you take a lot of stress - and you will definitely reach your destination much faster.
3. ask yourself what you really need
The preparation is over, now it's time to get down to business! When making decisions in the supermarket or department store, I always ask myself "Do I really need this?"to prevent emotional impulse buys. Of course, this also works when decluttering!
Answer the question honestly for each object in your hands. An old cell phone that has been lying unused in a drawer for years? Why not sell it in the classifieds or bring it to a recycling center? A worn-out T-shirt in your closet? Turn it into a cleaning rag or take it straight to the recycling center 😉.
4. stick to clear rules for quick decisions
When mucking out, you need to create a Cornucopia of decisions meet! Of course, it's stressful for the mind - and you long for mental recovery.
That's why you should set clear rules that make it easier for you to decide, what you sort out and what you keep. For example this one:
- Only keep a maximum of so many thingsas they would fit into a moving box.
- Dispose of everythingwhich you have not used in the last 90 days and will probably not use in the next 90 days.
- Repair or dispose ofwhich no longer works.
- Keep onlywhat gives you real pleasure.
As I said, just a few examples. Feel free to create your own rules to help you sort them out. For very difficult decisions that you would rather make in peace, you can also create a "Maybe stack" create. However, it should not get out of hand 😉.
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5. use the "four-box method" for categorization
Speaking of piles! It is extremely beneficial to divide the items to be reviewed that are responsible for the clutter (:-P) into several categories. Fortunately, there are one or two Proven strategythat will help you do this. One of these is the so-called four-box method.
As the name suggests, simply prepare four boxes. Then label them with "Keep", "Donate", "Sell" and "Disposal". Then gradually assign the things to the right box so that everything is clearly organized from the start - because order is also important during the clearing out process.
Tip: At Sustainable decluttering I have also listed a whole range of other tips to help you implement your project in the most environmentally friendly way possible. So take a look there too!
6. start with the simple areas
As I said, decluttering can be annoying and overwhelming. So to fulfill your desire for more order in the household, you should start where you are. Celebrate a first sense of achievement as quickly as possible simply by following your heart.
How about, for example, the Kitchen drawerin which toothpicks, tablets, old lighters and receipts - and so many other things - can typically accumulate. It can be cleaned and restructured quite quickly.
With the first (partial) challenge behind you, your home can then also be clearly more motivated clean out.
7. digitize important documents
Over time, countless filed invoices, personal letters and photos, as well as many other documents, clutter up folders and boxes. How about organizing them with a scanner or a Scanner app on your cell phone?
This not only gives you a lot of space, but also helps you to find important information more quickly using "Ctrl+F". My personal Home office is now almost paperless - a real relief!
Tip: With this advice, you can also avoid a lot of waste and save money in your private or professional life. Conserving natural resources in everyday life. You can find out what else you can do for our planet in the linked blog post.
8. let discarded items disappear quickly
Deciding quickly what to sort out and what not to sort out is one thing. then actually take them awaythe other. Because we all know that Life changes are often difficult fall.
To make sure you don't change your mind and fall prey to the "potential Messie in you", it's advisable to also start disposing of, giving away, donating and selling discarded items straight away.
9. talk to other people about your challenges
By your family or friends you tell them that you finally want to really clean out at the weekend, you create a kind of commitment. The commitment ultimately ensures that you follow through.
In addition, every mess usually has a psychological backgroundwhich is why some decisions when clearing out can be extremely hard. It can also help you to talk to people you trust about this. You're guaranteed to get support and new perspectives - and in the end, you'll be much more determined to clear out.
10. maintain order
Realize that clutter is just a symptom. You can quickly lose your sense of order after a big tidy-up if you the actual cause of the problem and Not regularly clean up.
So what is the problem? Is it a lack of shelves, is it procrastination or do most of the things in your chaos have too much emotional value for you? Answer the initial question honestly - and then try to eliminate the causes in a targeted manner.
Then use clear rules again. For example, that a new item only goes into your closet when an old item goes out.
I can also advise you to minimize the potential chaos with the help of regular "mini muck-out sessions" in check. For example, resolve to spend an hour on the first Saturday of every month sorting out things that can be thrown away. And if it doesn't work out, you can always go to Helpling domestic help find domestic help 😉
Mucking out properly, made easy!
Clearing out your own four walls is a beneficial act of self-carewhich allows you to free yourself from unnecessary baggage and make room for new things. You get to know the things you really need, create a calming overview and will be more productive and creative in the long term.
"If property had simply pleasures, we could stand it; but its duties make it unbearable."
Oscar Wilde (Minimalism Quotes)
I hope the tips inspire and motivate you! Do you have any questions, suggestions or other ideas for keeping your household tidy? Then I look forward to your comment!
Stay tuned,
PS: As a minimalist, I have an incredible amount of experience, especially when it comes to mucking out. got to know many things that I no longer need! I'll be happy to show you what these are - and why consciously reducing consumption is so wonderful - in the next linked blog article.
