Okay, so it’s finally Spring time!!!!!! Thank goodness. If you live in a cold place (like me) you’re probably just as happy as I am. Now that Spring is here, I think it’s time we all consider a thorough declutter. Decluttering is more than just throwing out your 15-year-old discoloured bra. When you truly and thoroughly declutter your home you declutter your mind and rejuvenate your spirit.
The impacts of living in a cluttered home
Now, I don’t have to do much research on the impact of living in a cluttered home because I’m the living experiment. Growing up, my family home was a cluttered, disorganized mess. Read more about my story here.
Growing up in a cluttered home caused me to become a very disorganized and messy person in my early life. I used to hold onto so many useless items as if I was collecting items just for the sake of it. The more items you hold onto the more difficult it is to stay neat, organized, and tidy. During this period of my life, I felt uneasy and frustrated in my surroundings.
It wasn’t until I took very intentional steps to declutter and become tidier that I was able to break my conditioning of being a cluttered person. Only then I started to see the difference in my mental state.
Once you unlearn the habits that make your home cluttered, you won’t be able to stand clutter. When I walk into a cluttered space I cannot even think straight. I’m overstimulated, overwhelmed, and want to run out of the space ASAP.
Read more about the effects of clutter here.
Beautiful interior design doesn’t count with clutter…
Considering my profession is in interior design, I am very aware that the environment someones in impacts one’s mood and energy levels. This is why we designers are very selective with the materials, colour palettes, and items we put into a space. Our surroundings alter the way people interact with each other and how they feel on the inside. And that’s all interior design really comes down to, intentionally creating spaces that evoke a particular feeling to function and/or live in.
What I have learned throughout my interior design profession is that there is no place for clutter in interior design. You may have a beautifully decorated home but still not feel right in your space. Because behind those lovely custom closet doors and kitchen cabinets, is a huge disorganized, cluttered mess that creates frustration.
This is why decluttering is an essential part of redecorating/ redesigning your space. I find that most of my clients have major concerns about the lack of storage in their homes. And I get it, we all have a lot of seasonal and useful items we need to hold on to. Every home needs a good storage solution. However, it does not make sense to design with the intention of adding an excessive amount of storage. What does make sense is implementing smart storage solutions in your space for the items that you absolutely need.
So if you want to start feeling better in your space, start by decluttering each room in your home. I guarantee you’re holding onto so many things that don’t have much use. And you’ll feel SOO good once you have less junk. It’s certainly a liberating, and satisfying action to take. By the end of it, you will feel so free and happy with the items you intentionally kept.
How to declutter and create less clutter
The way I declutter is pretty simple, I usually tackle one space at a time. I go through each item and ask myself these questions:
How often do I make use of this item? (if it’s less than twice a month, I consider getting rid of it)
Do I already have a product that replaces the need for this one? (if so, consider tossing)
How expensive is this product? (if it’s super cheap, toss)
Does this item bring me any joy? Is it meaningful? (does this item have any sentimental value, or is it just a random nik-nak)
If I get rid of this, will I be looking for it ever? (probably not)
Once you’ve gotten rid of a bunch of junk, it will be much easier and less overwhelming to organize your remaining belongings.
And I want to make note that some items can be donated or sold. Which I would encourage instead of throwing everything in the bin of course.
Maintaining a decluttered home
Moving forward, once you have completed your decluttering process you need to maintain this new decluttered way of life. The way to move forward is, to be very intentional with everything you buy and keep. This is a great way to save money as well.
I don’t even have a toaster. Why would I take up so much of my limited downtown Toronto kitchen counter space with a gadget that only serves one purpose? . When I want to enjoy some gluten-free toast, I use a pan over the stove. It may take a little more effort, but in an effort to be less cluttered, I don’t keep many items that serve one purpose.
In fact, I am getting rid of most of my kitchen utensils since I realized that a good set of chopsticks can perform most tasks. Chopsticks can replace kitchen tongs, forks, whisks… etc.
Think about it, if you want to make scrambled eggs you can whisk the eggs with chopsticks, mix the egg batter in the pan with chopsticks, and eat the eggs with same chopsticks. With a quick wash in between each task, there is no need to dirty a million kitchen utensils. Yay! Less dishes!
Now, if you can’t use chopsticks I can’t help you there.
It has been so liberating to get rid of useless things and become super intentional with what I buy. I now ask myself these questions before I buy anything…
Before you buy something ask yourself these questions:
Do I already have a product that can already do something similar?
Do I REALLY need this, or do I just think it’s cool?
How many times am I actually going to use this?
Where am I going to store this?
Is this something that is going to take up a lot of space?
Does this item bring me any kind of joy?
Reflect on your answers before you purchase the item.
My journey to becoming a minimalist
Throughout my process of becoming Dee-cluttered (lol, my nick-name is Dee), and now becoming more and more minimalistic I’ve found a lot of joy and liberation. It has freed me from having an endless amount of junk that had me feeling overwhelmed. I find that I am less frustrated when cooking, am able to clean my condo more efficiently, and overall feel a sense of contentment with the items that I do have.
I never think about the items I’ve thrown away. Well, actually there’s this one coat I donated that I really wish I held onto. Lol, but other than that I really can’t think of another item that I miss or feel the need for. I recommend that EVERYONE declutters. I know it can be a struggle for some who love to hold onto things but I promise you, things are just things. Unless the things are adding to your life they are just taking.
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