Note: This is a guest post by Allison Fallon, author of Packing Light.
It’s safe to say most of us wish our lives were less cluttered than they are. And yet when it comes to actually going through our possessions and getting rid of the stuff we don’t need, most of us get stuck.
Maybe we tell ourselves we don’t really have the time do that, or we convince ourselves we don’t really have that much clutter anyway.
But there is a significant amount of research that shows what common sense could have told us all along, which is that clutter causes more than just a mess. It causes us a significant amount of stress. It bombards our minds with stimuli and makes it more difficult for us to relax.
Not to mention, when we actually do get around to going through our possessions and sorting through what we need and what we don’t, our brain tricks us into thinking we’re more attached to those things than we actually are. A new study shows that the part of your brain that lights up when you get rid of clutter is the same part that registers when you experience physical pain.
No wonder it’s so hard for us to clear out the clutter.
I thought I’d give you a few simple ways to get rid of clutter—a guide you can follow—so that when you make the attempt to clear your clutter and your brain tries to protest, you have a solid plan you can follow, reminding yourself, “this will be worth it in the end.”
Here are eight steps you can take to start clearing out the clutter.
If you’ve been putting off this task, any of these places would be a great place to start.
1. Clothes you haven’t worn.
Go to your closet and clean out anything you haven’t worn in twelve months. Or if it’s in season and you haven’t worn it this season, give it up. If you’re anything like me, you have dozens of items hanging in your closets or stuffed in your drawers not only that you don’t wear, but that you actually dislike!
Get rid of them. Clear out space for something better. Side note: if you have a hard time getting rid of some of these things, tell yourself you can keep it for one more week but you have to wear it this week. If you wear it, and love it, keep it. If you wear it and remember to yourself, “oh yeah, I remember now why I hated this shirt” it’s time to let it go.
2. Kitchen appliances or tools you don’t use.
My guess would be your kitchen is full of things you don’t ever use. Aside from a few seasonal things, like a big pan for your thanksgiving turkey, for example, there is just no reason to keep things in your kitchen that you aren’t using at least four to five times a year.
Do you have a crock put you never use? Either use it, or get rid of it. Do you have a blender that couldn’t cut a scoop of ice cream on a warm day? Maybe you’re holding onto it because you haven’t wanted to invest in one that actually works. Get rid of the old one. You’ll either forget about it completely, or it will motivate you to start saving for something a little more effective.
3. Any duplicates.
Do you have two vacuum cleaners or two lawn mowers? Maybe you got a new one and you’re keeping the old one. Why? Just in case? Just in case of what? The running joke I have with myself is that if I need a second one of something I have, I know where to find it: the store.
That may sound wasteful or irresponsible to you, but the truth is we often overestimate the value of our possessions (ever tried to buy something on Craigslist?). More importantly, I rarely, if ever, have to go out and buy a second one of anything.
4. Expired products.
Most of us are holding onto products—in our bathroom, our kitchen, our medicine cabinet, or our refrigerator—that are expired, nearly gone, or that we used once and decided we’d never use again. Throw them out! It will feel good, I promise.
Just go through the space under your bathroom sink and get rid of all of those bottles that are nearly empty anyway, that hairspray you bought that you never liked, or the cough medicine from 1993. You don’t need it. It’s taking up space. The same is true with your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.
One time for fun I tried to eat for a week on just what was in my freezer and pantry already, instead of grocery shopping. It was a total challenge, it saved me money, and it makes me think twice next time I think about buying that giant pack of tuna fish from Costco, just because its on sale.
5. Junk drawer.
I understand the need for a junk drawer as much as the next person, but every now and then it’s good to go through your junk drawer and realize that most of the stuff in it is (surprise) junk. You can throw it out.
6. Books.
When it comes to books, I divide mine into four categories. First, you have books you bought (or were given) but that you will never read.
Second, you have books you have read but that you would like to keep so that you can reference them. Or, maybe they’re a collector’s edition, or simply a nice copy you’d like to keep on your shelf.
Third, you have books you’ve read but that you will never look at again. And finally, you have books that you purchased and plan to read, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. When you are able to divide your books into these categories, it becomes easier to let the books go that you will never read, or that you’ve read but don’t plan to read again.
7. Under your bed.
Beware of spaces and places in your house that are “out of sight, out of mind.” What happens in these space is we tend to shove things there that we aren’t sure we want to keep but we aren’t ready to get rid of.
We put off the decision by saying, “I’ll just put it here.” The truth is if you went to one of those spaces right now and pulled things out, I bet you’ll find several things you didn’t even know where there. Sometimes you can put those things to use, or put them in a place where you won’t forget about them. Most of the time, you can put them in the “giveaway” or “throw away” piles.
8. Storage closet or garage.
This is on the border of becoming “not so simple” ways to declutter, but here’s the thing to remember with storage closets or garages. And consider the possibility that out of sight is not out of mind.
The clutter that builds up in the spaces we don’t see every day does absolutely have an impact on us—our mental clarity and peace of mind.
So consider doing a “mental” pass-through of your garage or storage closet before you actually physically look to see what’s in there. The items you remember and miss—keep those. Everything else, consider getting rid of it.
***
Allison Fallon blogs at Find Your Voice where she helps people use writing as a tool for their own personal growth. She is the author of a wonderful book, Packing Light.
Mary says
Great!
I have clothes,shoes and books that I haven’t used for years.
The problem is that i cannot let them go since I don’t have a place to donate or sell.
How can you help me.
Kindly advise
Karen Thompson says
There are lots n lots of places to redirect your clothes especially
I don’t know what area you live but I donate winter/ warm clothes to Perth Homeless Group which is based in Bayswater
They will take shoes that are flat shoes/trainers but not heels etc
Gienne Farcais says
Do you have a Goodwill or Salvation Army where you live? Alternatively, most churches will gladly accept donations of clothing and shoes for their missions. Most libraries have a “friends of the library” group that accepts books which they then sell and use the monies to buy new books. There is also a “Freecycle” organization that might be useful – they are all over now. Or you might just google “how to donate [ ______] in my area”. Good luck.
Tara Broskie says
When I flip wardrobe for seasons I do not put tops in drawer until they have been worn and laundered. If it’s not in a drawer when time comes to flip wardrobe again then it is donated. Used my office closet so I could do same with closet contents.
Naomi May says
I am laughing about the two vacuums and two lawn mowers thing! I actually have two vacuums. Both of them are crappy, but I hang onto both in case one craps out. My husband has two riding lawn mowers sitting in the garage that he doesn’t use because he has a push mower he uses. He inherited the two riding lawnmowers from his dad 12 years ago and they have just sat for the last 12 years. It is probably time for me to get rid of the vacuums that don’t work well and just buy one that works. It is also time for my husband to part with the two riding lawnmowers that are sitting in the garage.
Maxine says
Shark liftaway is a game changer
Sandra Pinnix says
I agree completely about the Shark liftaway! It’s a game-changer.
Susan says
Much harder than a list of what we should throw away his how to do so. . Old meds, old cleaning supplies, old cosmetics and hair products, old technology; all these have specific requirements 4 disposal . If you live in a town where you have a great dump and specific chutes for each category, fine. Otherwise an article about where to begin to locate places for disposal would be a very useful thing. On a local as well as Statewide level. I can’t tell you how much time I have wasted searching the web for search places. And I don’t believe in just throwing it all together in landfill. That’s the way to ruin this planet even further. So although I’m a committed minimalist, this is the kind of problem I have.
Patricia Devine says
Yes, that is a problem, especially at present. I had old duvets in my car for nine months, trying to find somewhere, anywhere that would take them (homeless shelters, animal shelters, etc) but in the end, they went to landfill. My town dump is still closed due to Covid and is only taking garden waste, so I currently have a trailer-load of old doors and furniture. Plus the charity drop-off is still closed, so I am building up boxes of books, kitchenware, etc. Hopefully the situation will resolve soon.
Michelle says
Although I understand your desire to throw away things as ethically and responsibly as possible, the truth is even when you find a place that will dispose of the items for you, they don’t always do it as responsibly as you hope they would. In reality, everything we have ends up somewhere on this planet… whether it’s the ground, water, or air. Nothing is trapped forever. The only thing you’re doing by taking this burden of responsibility upon yourself is weighing yourself down with these items you are trying to heroically dispose of, but your efforts are in vain. Free yourself of them as reasonably as you can and don’t regret it. You tried your best to find a final resting place for said cosmetics, liquids, materials, etc and can think more carefully about bringing those sorts of items into your life again.
Anna Cole says
I love this post, because it is so true. If you haven’t touched or thought of something for the last 12 months, then why are you holding onto it?
Personally, the one thing I have such a hard time getting rid of is family heirloom-type items. Example, I have a beautiful wooden coffee table stored away in my closet that my aging grandfather built by hand… it’s eating up space in there, but I have no place to put it right now. With my current living situation, I doubt I’ll be able to do anything with it for a while. But, when I can finally move into my own apartment – that’s when I’ll need that table.
But when will that happen? Will it ever happen? Do I really need that table? Yes? No?
I have such a hard time with things like this… any suggestions folks?
Jodi says
Do you have a trusted family member that would use it in their house and give it back someday?
Derek says
Not sure about where you live, but around here there are options to store items, like furniture, in “mini” warehouses on a monthly or annual basis. Perhaps you could share the cost of such a rental with others in your neighbourhood? Just the fact that you have pay to keep it is a reminder of its value to you…
Peggy says
Look around your house and see if you can find a clever place to use it..i.e. under a window for plants (find a piece of glass to cover top)..in your closet to put your purses or sweaters on.
Jennifer says
You have a plan for it, it just can’t happen right now. Just wait and hold on to it. ?
Beth says
You saying it’s beautiful and built by hand by your grandfather shows that you love it and cherish it; you might not have a place for it right now, but when you do, you will be able to proudly display it and enjoy and use it everyday!
Skye says
These are really great suggestions!! Thank you!
Vincent Giacalone says
I created a house project list for 2020 outlining all of the tasks on a room by room basis that address these points. So far we’ve gone through several rooms, clearing out, downsizing and purging contents that we no longer need or use. Some have gone to donate or trash. We also set aside items for a yard sale. Anything left goes to donate – nothing is coming back into the house. The key is creating a written plan with dates
Kate says
Re. Closet storage – this has been a big challenge. Out of sight, out of mind — until it’s stressful to try to find anything. Incremental decluttering and/or organizing of shelves, racks, etc. didn’t work. For me, the solution was to completely empty the entire closet — forcing me to start from scratch and decide what goes back and what goes away, evicting every item from its hiding place. Been using this approach for other areas as well.
Skye says
Thanks for the idea! I like this strategy.
Rx says
Same here. Also taking a picture of the area before and after has helped to allow me to see it how it really looks and without attachments to “my stuff” etc.
Brenda Brunotte says
I am 64 years old and have spent most of my life wishing I could maintain my “desired weight.” I have two closets full of beautiful clothing in 4 different sizes. While I have managed to go through the clothes a few times and get rid of the clothing that is too dated or would no longer be flattering, I just can’t part with everything I have not worn in 12 months. Can you help me minimalize without “giving up?”
Janete Canteri says
I really liked this article. Today I am cleaning and decluttering my kitchen and I have filled two bags to giveaway. And it is just the begining, because there are others rooms to be cleaned.
laura ann says
Kitchens are the worst, so much stuff accumulates, purging one time, then waiting a month going thru again of un used items donating them. Pots and bakeware not used in ages given to group home along with kitchen tools no longer needed. I keep a box in garage when full it goes. Clothes are gone thru end of each season end of winter (April) and when cooling down into fall (Oct) things not worn recent, tired of, not flattering now. Major garage purge last mo. incl.