- 1). Envision your ideal space. Flip through pictures of professionally-decorated homes in magazines or online. Notice that they all have one thing in common: open spaces. Cutting clutter may be daunting, but the advantages are worth it. Not only will you feel more proud of your space, but you will also feel more relaxed at home.Keep your ideal space in mind to motivate you as you sort through your belongings.
- 2). Work on one small space at a time. Clearing clutter can be overwhelming, and you might be tempted to just keep everything if you feel tired. Chose a space as small as a drawer and sift through its contents. Everything in it should be considered and either set aside or put back in an organized way.
- 3). Ask yourself questions about each item. At first glance, everything might seem valuable. Analyze what you own, asking yourself if you love it and have use for it. Everything in your home should fit into one of those two categories. Clothing that fit you a decade ago is no longer useful, and some souvenirs might be less important than you remembered. Broken things are not useful, so decide if they can be fixed. If they can, send them out to people who can do it. If not, they should be thrown away or recycled. Many electronic devices can be recycled or refurbished.
- 4). Keep an "outbox." You may be on the fence about some things. In that case, keep a box or space in a hidden part of your house where possible castoffs can live temporarily. Try putting your things in this outbox for a month and see if you miss them. If you do, or if you find that you do really have use for something, keep it. If you don't, it will be easier to let it go. You will probably find that you miss less than you expect.
- 5). Donate unwanted things to people who need them. There is no better way to feel good about letting go of your things. A friend would appreciate clothes that no longer fit. Younger relatives furnishing their first apartments would love to inherit household goods. Countless charity organizations will gladly accept donations of clean, gently used items. National organizations such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army have stores across the country, and you may know of local charities such as women's shelters that have wish lists. If you start to regret what you let go, think about the people who needed it more than you did. You will find that it was worth it.
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