Note: This is a guest post from Colleen Madsen of 365 Less Things.
I have never considered myself a natural organizer. But in 2007, my family moved to Australia from the USA. Because we were moving into a smaller home, I found myself needing to unclutter a large number of items. Fortunately, we were able to accomplish the task…but mostly, because I had no other choice.
Shortly after the move, a new stage of life surfaced. My husband was about to begin semi-retirement. And to prepare for our new life together, I set a personal goal to again reduce our possessions. Coincidentally, on January 3rd, a segment aired on morning television about people abandoning their New Year resolutions. Turns out, on average, most people only stick to their resolution for three days. Even though I had never been one to take on resolutions, I found great motivation in beating those narrow odds… in fact, the challenge was nearly irresistible to me
I decided at that moment to set a new resolution to minimize our possessions. I determined to remove one item each day for the next 365 days. I started with three items to make up for the missed days, and promptly began removing one thing a day for the rest of the year. I am happy to say I not only completed my resolution successfully but it was so simple and satisfying that I continued uncluttering in my slow and steady pace (an average of five items per week) for an additional two years!
Over these last three years of clearing clutter, I have removed over a thousand things from our home. Also, through the process and through my writing, I have had the opportunity to help many people realize their own goals as well. These conversations have sharpened my desire for simplicity and taught me important insight about uncluttering. I have learned that understanding just a few key principles can help anyone just learning how to declutter.
The 10 Most Important Principles I Have Learned to Help Anyone Unclutter:
1. Stop the Flow of Stuff Coming In. Uncluttering is a waste of time if you simply replace the old stuff with new. You’ll need to begin by slowing the flow of things entering your home. Determine today to buy less. Trust me, you won’t regret it. The freedom from desire to acquire is a beautiful thing.
2. Remove at Least One Item a Day. The process does not have to be a mad frenzy that disrupts your entire household. Over the years, my home has become quite minimalist by simply choosing one item a day to get rid of. This gradual process began to change the way I think about stuff. Eventually, it became a way of life rather than just a crash diet of stuff.
3. Get Rid of the Easy Stuff First. There is no need to make things difficult by trying to get rid of the hardest things first. Most likely, it will simply deter you from the task altogether. Instead, start with the easy stuff and then as you strengthen your will to reduce, the harder decisions will become easier.
4. Put a Disposal Plan in Place. Before you begin, investigate selling, recycling, donating and give away options for the items you choose to remove. The more prepared you are for the task, the simpler it will be… and the more likely you will be to follow through. Ebay, Freecycle, and our local thrift store became my favorite disposal options. However there are endless others to explore.
5. Decide to Not Keep Things out of Guilt or Obligation. Your home should only contain the things you love or use. Don’t let incorrect thinking or other people dictate what you should keep or give away. Remember, if the items are yours, it is your choice to decide what to do with them.
6. Do Not Be Afraid to Let Go. The urge to hold on to items you think you might need someday can be eliminated simply by being realistic about what need really is. Many items in our homes may be useful, but they are not particularly necessary to our happiness, well-being, or the functionality of our homes. Seek to understand the difference.
7. Gifts Do Not Have to be Material. There are so many ways to honor loved ones without giving gifts that end up as clutter. Encourage people to follow this concept when buying gifts for you. Some alternative gifts are gifts of experience or adventure, a gift of time spent together, even cash gifts are appropriate in some instances. I have two clutter-free gift guides at my blog if you are looking for ideas.
8. Do Not Over-Equip Your Home. A home does not need enough linen, crockery, cutlery, or pantry supplies to serve as a hotel. Be realistic about your true needs. In the rare event an unusually large number of guests arrive on your doorstep, you can always borrow from friends, family or neighbors.
9. Do Not Throw Out Things that are not Yours Without the Owner’s Permission. Everyone should have a choice about their own belongings, even small children. Honor them by allowing them to choose. You can encourage hoarding tendencies in others by ripping things away from them before they are ready to let go.
10. Do Not Waste Your Life on Clutter. Every item you own takes time out of your life: time to manage it, clean it, repair it, and maintain it; time to choose between objects of a similar category; time spent shopping for it… and that doesn’t even mention the time spent earning the money to pay for it in the first space. Decide to sacrifice less of your precious life on the pursuit and ownership of stuff.
These ten principles have kept me resolute for the past three years. I had no idea when I began this mission how much stuff I would relinquish over the next three years. What I originally thought was going to be an arduous task quickly became a way of life… so much so, we have just put a deposit on a beautiful, even smaller, apartment with fabulous views of our coastal city, a swimming pool, and gym all within walking distance of everything we want. Semi-retirement is becoming a beautiful thing. Uncluttering made it possible.
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Colleen Madsen blogs regularly at 365 Less Things where she inspires others to reduce their stuff one day at a time. You can find her on Twitter.
Further Reading:
The Declutter Your Home Checklist
Image: Yorick…
Christina says
How can one redeem the free registration offer above? I’m not able to find instructions on how that works. Please advise.
joshua becker says
Oops, sorry Christina, that offer ended in May. I have removed the wording from the post above.
Christina says
Oh darn! I do want to take your class and feel it is worth it. Did you say there is a discount coupon when I buy the book? Thank for your reply.
joshua becker says
Yes, there is a 25% discount code in the back of the book.
Address Our Mess says
Great tips! Staying on top of decluttering and maintaining your home will make life a lot easier rather than letting it pile up over time only to reach intimidating levels. Here are some tips for maintaining an organized home: http://www.hoardinghelp.com/maintaining-organized-home/
deb says
My son passed away. I cant part with his things.
Doreen says
Then don’t, your not ready. My daughter passed 1 year ago and her bureau is still full. I have done small things, but the one at a time may help. Go in the room and find one thing you can part with. While you are at it find one thing that means the world to you, something special, and move that to your room. Give it a place of its own. Baby steps.
Pamela says
I understand. May God grant you His peace. I am so sorry.
Kate says
My beautiful only daughter took her own life 5 and a half years ago. She was 29 and lived on her own. I took most of her things and put them in a spare room in my basement. There they had stayed. I haven’t even been able to look at them. I have decided next month I will take two days off of work and go through all her things. I am finally after all this time deciding to either use them myself or release them so someone else can get use of them. But it has taken me a long time to get this point and I am prepared for quite a few cries as I go through her things.
Kristine says
I am very sorry for your loss. We too, loss our 27 yr old son to suicide just 7 months ago. Going thru his home and belongings was very difficult. To help me cope, every time I use something I kept I talk to ‘my son’ and thank him for letting me use it and the memory of how he used it. Also, we realized that we have 30 years of marriage and family “stuff” cluttering our lives, Phil only had a couple of years, barely anything, really. If processing his few things was difficult how in the world will our daughters be able to go thru our stuff when our day come. We determined then that anyones loved ones should not be left with that burden and we are now decluttering and preparing for a simpler life. Thanks for the one-item-each-day article. It will help a lot.
Fiona Cee says
A big declutter got done last year. Need another one! Go figure and I buy nothing anymore. I keep away from op shops and garage sales and the like. What gives?!
singapore web developers says
Touche. Great arguments. Keep up the amazing work.
Bella says
Absolutely love all of this very interesting ways to clutter. It is amazing I have dishes and cups and every closet is packed with things. I have started to clutter and won’t jump in with cluttering my home. It is very Freeing but my child painted a yellow and black rock for me and this beautiful rock stays plus it is 25 years old very precious to me.
Pamela says
I do hold on to precious memorabilia, but limit items to one or two per person.
Pearl says
My daughter is very keen on decluttering my home, I have had to resort to hiding things under my bed – that is until my bed was semi air-borne. But I will try the one item a day instead of being forced to remove a vast quantity in one go.
Woozer says
Take control of your life Pearl ! And send your daughter the article. Highlight number 9. Do Not Declutter Things that are not Yours Without the Owner’s Permission. Everyone should have a choice about their own belongings, even small children. Honor them by allowing them to choose. You can encourage hoarding tendencies in others by ripping things away from them before they are ready to let go.
Dennie says
This a great article! This is my goal too..to have less before my husband and I retire in a few years. One of the ways that I am reaching my decluttering goals is by taking Joshua Becker’s 12 week online class, Uncluttered, that is mentioned above. It has been wonderful and there is a Facebook group that goes along with the class that has been very supportive. I highly recommend Uncluttered as a means to reach your decluttering and minimizing goals!
honkey says
Now that you have decided to give online dating a whirl, these two first date
tips can help be your guide to getting a second date.
Again, remember these are first impressions – don’t scare them away with your written profile by getting too personal too quickly.
When considering online dating, you must remember to be honest.
Gen says
If one has to remember to be honest, then one must tend to dishonesty. Isn’t it easier to simply BE honest? Then you never have to remember which story you told to which person!
mitersawbuzz says
Thanks for sharing this article! Very helpful! And a happy flow on is I’m now less inclined to bring in new clutter, like a dieter saying no to seconds.
Karen says
Hello, very sound advice here. I work as a declutterer and I find that applying these principles makes a massive difference. I encourage my clients to use the one-in one-out rule – don’t buy something unless you have already reduced your stock of possessions by the same amount.