Last updated:
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” —Dale Carnegie
The idea of living a simple life with less stuff sounds attractive to many.
But often, they begin to feel overwhelmed,
Learning how to declutter your home and (and as a result, decluttering your life) doesn’t need to be as painful as some make it out to be. And the benefits are numerous.
The Benefits of Decluttering Your Life
There are many benefits to owning fewer possessions. Even then, it’s tough to move into action. That is… until the many benefits of getting rid of clutter reveal themselves:
Less to clean. Cleaning is already enough of a chore, but having to clean around things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, actively dislike) makes cleaning the house much more stressful.
Less to organize. Finding things suddenly become easier. Things don’t just “disappear” anymore. You can actually move around your home and enjoy the space, instead of moving around things that are in the way.
Less stress. Looking around at the clutter is a nausea-inducing sight once your home becomes cluttered enough. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?
Less debt. Spending less time shopping for material possessions and adding to the clutter means your wallet and bank accounts remain fuller, your credit cards’ statements are lower, and your home doesn’t get filled with costly things you don’t need.
More financial freedom. Most American households live paycheck to paycheck (59% according to a recent survey done by Charles Schwab back in May 2019.) Nearly half of those surveyed carry credit card debt. Decluttering, paired with minimalism, will help you build up savings to keep you protected in case of unexpected emergencies.
More energy for your greatest passions. With less debt, more financial freedom, and
Ok, so now you know the benefits of decluttering your life, but you may be getting tripped up by the very next question… where in the world do you begin?
10 Creative Decluttering Tips
If you’re struggling and need guidance on how to declutter, you’ll need to get creative with your plans. Here are several interesting decluttering tips to get you started on decluttering your home:
- Start with 5 minutes at a time. If you’re new to decluttering, you can slowly build momentum with just five minutes a day.
- Give one item away each day. This would remove 365 items every single year from your home. If you increased this to 2 per day, you would have given away 730 items you no longer needed. Increase this number once it gets too easy.
- Fill an entire trash bag. Get a trash bag and fill it as fast as you can with things you can donate at Goodwill.
- Donate clothes you never wear. To identify them, simply hang all your clothes with hangers in the reverse direction. After wearing an item, face the hanger in the correct direction. Discard the clothes you never touched after a few months.
- Create a decluttering checklist. It’s a lot easier to declutter when you have a visual representation of where you need to get started. You can use our decluttering checklist.
- Take the 12-12-12 challenge. Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home.
- View your home as a first-time visitor. It’s easy to “forget” what your home looks like to a new visitor. Enter your home as if you’re visiting the home of a friend. Write down your first impression on how clean and organized the home is and make changes.
- Take before and after photos of a small area. Choose one part of your home, like your kitchen counter, and take a photo of a small area. Quickly clean off the items in the photo and take an after photo. Once you see how your home could look, it becomes easier to start decluttering more of your home.
- Get help from a friend. Have a friend or family member go through your home and suggest a handful of big items to throw away or give to someone else. If you defend the item and want to keep it, your friend has to agree with your reason. If they don’t agree, it’s time to get rid of it.
- Use the Four-Box Method. Get four boxes and label them: trash, give away, keep, or re-locate. Enter any room in your home and place each item into one of the following boxes. Don’t skip a single item, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. This may take days, weeks, or months, but it will help you see how many items you really own and you’ll know exactly what to do with each item.
No matter which decluttering tip you choose to get started – whether it be one of these ten or one of countless others – the goal is to take your first step in decluttering your life with excitement behind it.
There is a beautiful world of freedom and fresh breath hiding behind that clutter. Deciding how to declutter your home is up to you.
For more decluttering tips, watch this short video we put together. In it, I provide 10 quick decluttering projects, each completable in just 5 minutes or less:
***
General FAQ About Decluttering Your Home:
How do I create a decluttering checklist?
Creating a checklist is one of the easiest ways to keep track of what can and still needs to be reduced from your home. We’ve put together a Declutter Your Home Checklist you can use to instantly make a noticeable difference.
Just pick any 5-10 items from the list to start and you will be amazed with how quickly momentum builds up.
Do I need a professional organizer to help me get rid of clutter?
Absolutely not. Getting rid of the clutter in your home can be done by yourself. It can even be a fun family activity when using the decluttering tips found in this article.
How can I declutter quickly? Can it be done in a day?
Removing clutter from our homes and our lives doesn’t need to be rushed or done in a single day. It’s something that can be done over time and may even need to be done on a semi-regular basis. As long as you start the process today, you’re further along than you were yesterday.
Will owning less make my home look empty or boring?
Simple doesn’t mean sparse or boring. The opposite is true. With fewer mess and distractions, your home can become more peaceful. You can view your home as a space for rest and comfort, instead of a source of stress.
What’s the difference between declutter and unclutter?
They’re both interchangeable, though I prefer using “declutter.” The “de-” hints at being complete and permanent. I like to think of decluttering as something that solves the problem forever.
When should I declutter?
This is a personal question. When you find yourself overwhelmed by your possessions and tied down, it usually means you’re ready to start making a change. Note that this feeling is just a broad litmus test. The feeling of overwhelm can be different for everyone.
Meg B. says
Oh, how I want to share your books and website with a few folks…but, I’m afraid I would insult them…but, if I don’t they miss the chance for true freedom…but, if I do they may get hurt by it…but, if they are truly my loved-ones they will know I give it to them out of love and concern…
Claire/Just a little less says
Thanks, more great inspiration. I particularly like number 9. Miss Minimalist suggests a similar approach which has worked for me:
http://www.missminimalist.com/2011/11/twenty-questions-to-clear-your-clutter/
It’s fun to talk to your possessions and maybe helps us to take them less seriously!
Evelyn @ Smallish says
Great tips! I often ask myself, “How much will I miss this item if I throw it out/ donate it?” The problem comes when I decide I want to keep more than I’m tossing. I also find that it depends on my mood– declutter when you’re not in a sentimental mood! You’ll make more progress.
Bryanna says
I’d love to see some before/after pics of your area now for motivation, encouragement, and challenge. ;-) Love this post!
Colleen@365lessthings says
Hi Joshua and thank you for the link and the tips. One tip I always recommend is to start with the easy stuff first. Don’t bother to chose one particular spot in the house to work on, just observe things as you go about your daily routine, as you notice something you don’t want put it aside to be decluttered by whatever method you choose.
Clay says
Thank you for sharing these tips, I love the feeling of being able to throw away useless things. The hanger experiment seems very efficient to me, will definitely try that one!
Claire says
Hi, thank you for this post. You inspired me to celebrate my son’s 9th birthday today by doing a 9-9-9 challenge in his bedroom. Nine was a workable number for him & he like the parallel to his birthday. You were right … creativity makes tasks more fun! Thank you.
Claire.
Elmar says
Hi Joshua, thanks for this compilation of useful tips and tricks. However, I feel sometimes overwhelmed when too many weblinks clutter a blogpost. I sense this is starting to be a problem with many blogposts on the web – of course I do understand the necessity to do that in order to optimize search engine results and popularity ranking. Nonetheless, it leads to a somewhat paradoxical situation when these links clutter a blogpost about decluttering on a minimalist’s website.
I mean this as a general remark. I really enjoy your blog. Keep it up.
May your ways and deeds be blessed.
Elmar
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment Elmar. The links do serve a number of purposes… not the least of which concerns proper citation of my sources.
Debi says
Something in here inspired me — I’m thinking theme music! A decluttering playlist (or perhaps a few of different lengths) would be way more fun than setting a five-minute alarm, more like racing the clock while still singing along.
Chris says
I agree w your music inspiration. As a child I woke up every Saturday am to Abba dancing queen on my moms 8 track player while she cleaned. Today that is my cleaning cd.
Lynne says
Mmmm! that is what I will do… Think I will use Queen, and The doors
art.mother says
Fly Lady (MASTER of Housework and decluttering!!) uses
“PLEASE RELEASE ME LET ME GO” as song/mantra of releasing/decluttering.
just saying…
Brian Knoblauch says
Remember, all that stuff didn’t come into your life in a single day! It’s hard to make it all go away quickly!
Moravcsik Andra says
Great post. I love industry posts that discuss more psychological aspects, so I loved reading about the two types of disinhibition.
Spendwisemom says
That is so true! So, peel one layer off at a time, like you do an onion. And, don’t get discouraged or compare yourself, but use the example of others for inspiration.