Several years ago, we made a life-changing decision. We decided to remove all the possessions from our home that we didn’t need.
Over the course of 9 months, we removed 50% of our stuff. And over the course of a few years, we removed 60-70% of our things and moved into a smaller home.
I discovered almost immediately that the less stuff you own, the more organized and clutterfree your home becomes. Go figure.
We would soon discover 21 benefits of owning less and decide that we’d never go back to our old lives of mindless consumption.
In addition to a significant purge that cleared the space for clutterfree living, we developed simple habits to keep our home clutterfree. They were not obtrusive or burdensome in anyway. Just the opposite, in fact. Practiced daily, they take only a few minutes to complete. But together, they leave our home in a perpetual state of calm (or at least, close to it).
Here are the habits I most recommend: 7 Daily Habits for a Clutter-Free Home.
1. Handle physical mail immediately. Too often, mail is only relocated from the mailbox to our countertop—where it often sits or begins to collect. But the fact is, most mail can be processed in very little time if we make it a habit. Immediately discard junk mail (or use Paper Karma to eliminate it completely) and process the rest. Mail that requires processing but can’t be handled right away can easily be placed in a manila To-Do Folder out of sight.
2. Clean dishes after meals. I used to hate washing dishes—especially right after preparing and eating a meal. But things changed when I read this story. Now, I view cleaning dishes as just the last step of the family dinner. Washing dishes (or filling the dishwasher) immediately takes less time (they wash easier when food has not dried). And the kitchen is clean all evening.
3. Make your bed each morning. Messes attract messes. One of the easiest places to see this is the bedroom. Your bed is the centerpiece of the room and when it is made, it sets environment and the culture. But when it is left undone, clutter begins to accumulate around it. The first, best step when cleaning a bedroom is to make the bed. And the first, best step for clutterfree living is to do it first thing in the morning (or find a spouse who does).
4. Store things off the kitchen counter. Messes attract messes and clutter attracts clutter. The better we get at storing clutter out of sight, the less likely it is to accumulate. The kitchen counter is a good example. When countertops become an acceptable place to store things, more things begin to collect there. But a clean countertop communicates calm and order, promotes opportunity for its intended use, and is probably easier than you think.
5. Return items nightly. When we minimized our possessions, we found tidying up to be easier. Every item has a purpose and every item has a home. At the end of the day, items are returned. This is a daily habit I have worked hard to incorporate in my life and my kids’ lives. One reason is because it allows every morning to begin fresh, new, and clutterfree.
6. Complete 1-2 minute jobs immediately. Clutter is often a result of procrastination—decisions put off or small jobs left unfinished. Counteract this procrastination in your home with a simple rule: If a job can be completed in less than 2 minutes, do it now. Take the garbage out, scrub the pot, return the remote control, or place your dirty clothes in the hamper. Every time you see a task all the way to completion, a source of clutter is avoided.
7. Minimize overfilled spaces right away. Clutter often reveals itself as too many things in too small a place: too many clothes in a drawer, too many linens in a closet, too many toiletries in a bathroom cabinet, or too many items on a shelf. When this occurs, as it often does, minimize the overfilled space right away by removing everything no longer needed. Don’t put it off. It will take longer than 2 minutes, but usually no more than 15. Staying ahead of clutter is the best way to defeat it altogether.
Each of these daily habits are routine in our home and help to keep it clutterfree all week long. Certainly, owning less helps make them possible.
Want a cleaner home? Own less stuff. It works every time.
Stuart Peel says
I don’t know about this. One person’s ‘clutter’ is another person’s memories, tokens of the important things in one’s life. ‘Uncluttered’ homes look sterile and dull; the owners often lack creativity and imagination. My place is full of books, artworks, old cameras, glass pieces, vinyl records, more books. I do get rid of some things, but the spaces left by their removal are soon filled with new (or seconhand, or found) things. You guys should lighten up. Learn to love and accept that we each have a history that is made visible by what we collect over a lifetime.
christina oman says
I WOULD SAY TO STORE MOST OF YOUR MEMORIES IN A PLASTIC BIN AND STORE IN THE BASEMENT. YOU STILL HAVE THEM BUT THEY ARE OUT OF SITE. THE PROBLEM IS…. THE ONE I HAVE WITH MY HUBBY, HE NOW HAS 978 BINS IN THE BASEMENT. WELL WHEN HE GOES ALL I WILL HAVE TO DO IS BRING UP BINS AND TOSS THEM !!
Rikivic says
You made me chuckle.
Debbie says
I disagree whole-heartedly! I am of the school that, if something is so important for you that you must keep it, then display it! If it’s sitting in a dark basement, why keep it at all?
Rikivic says
Sorry but I disagree. I’m an artist who has an uncluttered home. I have one painting, and original Dali, and it’s all the decoration i need. Why would I clutter my environment with any insignificant things to distract from it? If you have a functioning memory, you don’t need tchotchkes, figurines, momentos, tokens, collections, etc. to give you comfort – your inner self and people give you that, not things. You should lighten up. If you feel the need to cocoon yourself in material things, and apparently you do, please have at it.
Melissa says
These are great real tips. I just moved and have a very different view of all my “stuff.” In only 4 years I went from moving across country with the smallest U-haul trailer to needing half a semi-truck to cart my stuff. It’s embarrassing how much I have that I don’t even know what it’s for, where it is, or why I have it! I’m moving again in 6 months and hope to seriously declutter and purge what I have so the next move is easier.
Berin Kinsman says
Great list! It’s amazing to me how many of these could be combined into one item: “Pick up after yourself!”
I work from home and gave up having an office and a desk, and use the kitchen table. We also eat at the table, and we’re vid board gamers so we use the same table to play with friends. If I didn’t put things away when I finished with them (and have places for things to live, other than on the table) my laptop would be crowded by centerpieces and other kitchen clutter, my work materials would make sitting down to eat uncomfortable, and even card games like Exploding Kittens would be difficult to play.
Judy says
So—I’m looking around and I feel like I’ve accumulated clutter over the summer. Time to recommit to getting my household back in order. ;)
Lara@MiaFleur says
Great post! I really need to follow these more often, I’m so bad for clutter!
Calm Order Professional Organizing says
I really enjoy your blog. I love to recommend it to my clients. What we think is what we create.. so when we are always reading about organizing and minimizing it helps my clients along the way :)
Thias @It Pays Dividends says
Clutter has always seemed to be a part of my life. These tips will be very helpful. I’ve been trying to make some changes to fight it but always seem to fall back. Attaching different clutterfree habits to things I’m already doing might make them easier to keep doing.
Jen @lifewrangling says
Fantastic post. I hate coming home to an unmade bed. It just seems to zap the energy out of me at the end of a busy day. It’s funny that we often think it takes a long time to do but it really only takes a couple of minutes, so for me it ties in with #6 too.
Jessica says
These are great tips! I do a lot of the 1-2 minute tidying tasks twice a day while brushing my teeth. I walk around the house with the Sonicare in one hand and clear the clutter with the other. It might look silly, but you’d be amazed at how much you can tidy while brushing your teeth :)
robyn says
Wow, that is something that I can actually DO, a way to actually START!!!!! Thanks so much ????
ETA: This will help with brushing my teeth more regularly too ????
Again, my sincere thanks ????
Patricia Belyea says
When I learned that the word “clutter” came from the word “clot,” it made sense. Clutter creates a low-level sense of guilt as we avoid taking care of something and that gets in our way of moving forward.