Decluttering can be seen as a self-care technique where you get rid of things that no longer bring you joy and clear space so that you may welcome all that brightens up your life.
As winter approaches, you may find yourself changing your wardrobe from summer items and pulling out those Home Choice blankets. So, now is a good time to declutter as well. In this article, we dive into the different methods of decluttering that will have your space cleared up in no time!
Method 1: KonMari
The living legend, Marie Kondo, made this method popular, as evidenced by her bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which has sold over 4 million copies.
KonMari is a simple method of decluttering clothing pieces by deciding which ones you want to keep. So, you may begin with all the pants you own. Then, you begin trying them all one by one and decide which ones still fit and look good on you. Then you also compare that to what you already own. This method is effective because you get to clear out what is torn, old, going out of colour, and just no longer your style. This can also apply to books and miscellaneous items.
Method 2: Four Boxes
This can be seen as a game. You get four boxes and label each one: put away, throw away, give away, and undecided. Then, as you are sorting your room or house, you place items into one of the four boxes. This is a straightforward method and even lets you think longer about an item by putting it in the undecided box. However, you shouldn’t just place everything in the last box. Only things you are really conflicted about.
Method 3: Packing Party
This is an extreme method best used when moving into a place or if you have the time and energy to pretend you were. Once all your things are in their moving boxes, take out only what you need to use when you need to use it and leave everything else. As your days progress, you’ll find yourself taking out item after item, such as a hair straightener or toothbrush. After three months, whatever is still in the box needs to be discarded. Side note: This is not a reliable method for seasonal items or things you would use once a year. This one takes “out of sight, out of mind” quite literally.
Method 4: Ski slope
This is good for decluttering a room. View the room as a ski slope and work through it from one corner to the other, occasionally taking a short break. This is productive because you don’t just throw yourself in the middle of it and take on everything at once, but rather work through it slowly and with a clear path to follow.
It is important to note that these methods do not often consider seasonal items such as birth certificates and insurance documents, or tents and spare tyres, which you only need to use once or twice a year. But for the most part, they do show you what is important and what is just taking up space.
Method 5: 90/90
This is a personal favorite. It’s a method that looks to the past and future and forces you to think if you have used this It’s looking at items and determining if you have used them in the last 90 days, and if not, will you use them in the next 90 days? It can be applied to everything you can think of. But consider the seasonal items again because you wouldn’t want to regret discarding something just because you didn’t use it for over four months.
It’s important to note that decluttering is not the same as organising and tidying up. Though sometimes used interchangeably, decluttering aims to minimise the ‘clutter’ you have because owning less stuff creates a sense of ease, comfort, and peace. With that said, we hope you pick out one of these methods and tackle that closet that hasn’t seen the light of day.
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