Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter in your life? Trust me you are not alone. Most people struggle with clutter as it slowly accumulates over the years. You might have accumulated a lot of furniture, shoes, bags, clothes and things that you just don’t need. If you are surrounded by clutter it can negatively impact your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Clutter can cause stress, depression and negative thoughts about your life. It can stifle your creativity and ability to focus on your daily tasks. Easy does it, don’t panic! You’ve got this, you can start clearing your clutter slowly and do a little clearing daily and before you know it you can take back control of your life. So where do you start? The good news is that you can start decluttering your life TODAY! If you want to take back control of your life continue reading my 8 simple ways to start decluttering your life today.
1. Declutter your schedule
Are you running from one appointment to the next and online calls without a break. Keep priority meetings and schedule time for yourself to have time away from your computer. Do you really need to attend ALL the company social events that are leaving you exhausted? Learn to say “NO” and decline invitations that are not serving your purpose and focus on the tasks that will help you move forward and achieve your goals.
2. Declutter paperwork
Have you allowed envelopes and junk mail to accumulate in your doorway or have you stored unopened mail in a drawer thinking it will magically disappear one day. Sort through your unopened mail and shred or throw away anything that is not for filing. Make a note of any important letters if action is required. Clear out any old birthday cards, Christmas cards, old bills and paperwork that is just overflowing in your files or drawers.
3. Declutter your clothes
Go through your closet and remove any old clothes that you haven’t worn and will no longer wear. If you haven’t worn something in over a year and it has been gathering dust in your closet, it’s unlikely that you will wear it again. I like to keep expensive classical clothes that can be worn to an elegant party or dinner and anything else that is outdated or felt good at the time goes into a black bag for charity. People lose weight or gain weight and there is no point keeping your favorite blue jeans if they no longer fit you. It’s a great excuse to go shopping and buy new clothes, increasing your positive energy. Decluttering is about removing what no longer serves you in your life, it doesn’t mean never buying anything again. Be selective about what you buy and you will never again accumulate unnecessary things.
4. Declutter your bedroom
Your bedroom needs to be a quiet space, free of clutter. It needs to be a calming space as that is where your body recharges during the night. Remove extra items from your nightstand. Think about buying a few storage boxes that you can keep under your bed for extra storage and store things you don’t use often but will need in the future. Keep your bedroom clean and tidy.
5. Declutter your living room
Clear your living room and keep extra items that you need in pretty storage boxes and if you have a small space buy small cabinets to store books. If you have extra furniture that you no longer use, think about donating it to charity. This can create space if you have a small apartment. It’s not how much furniture you have that makes the difference but how you organize the furniture that matters.
6. Declutter your kitchen
Your kitchen is the heart of the home and keeping it clear of clutter can help create good energy in the home. This is the place where most of the conversations happen as the family meals are prepared. Remove anything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen space. Clear kitchen counters of anything you don’t use regularly. Organize your space around the most frequent activities, for example keep the tea and coffee together near the kettle instead of on the other side of the room. Most people have cutlery and crockery for an event when all you really need is enough for a daily meal with your family and you can store the spare mugs and cutlery in storage.
7. Declutter your thoughts
How much time do you spend thinking negative thoughts? Just like decluttering our house, our minds need organising and space to stay focused. Schedule some time everyday to write in your journal, it’s a great way to relax your mind and organise your thoughts. Meditation is another method that can help to calm your mind. Multitasking can work for some people but if you are finding it stressful try dealing with one task at a time and list your priority tasks for the day. It can help to manage your stress levels and give you time for self-care during your day. Breathe deeply when you can feel that you are in a stressful situation, it’s a great technique to help clear your mind, lower heart rate and blood pressure to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to help the body relax.
8. Declutter your distractions
If you are constantly getting distracted by your notifications and apps you won’t have time to declutter the other areas of your life. Unsubscribe from emails and learn to avoid unnecessary interruptions in your life. Delete photos that cause negative thoughts in your life, these are distractions and decrease your energy.
Make time for self-care during the week and do what you love to boost your energy levels. Avoid situations that create negative energy in your life. Decluttering your life can remove stagnant energy and increase mental clarity thereby allowing positive situations and people to enter your life.