When I removed my son’s toddler bed from our co-sleeping setup, returning my bedroom to normality, something hit me. Aside from separation anxiety, there was an emerging buzz that everything could now be put in its place. Goodbye overwhelm, hello tidy home.
The sight of my cleared bedroom sparked an urge to declutter, reorganise, and reclaim more space in my home. I always valued having a place for everything and everything in its place but this awakening was another level. There wasn’t one square meter of my house that wasn’t purged of things and organised to its core. If you’re in need of A Kickstart to Decluttering, here’s how I began:
Declutter Just One Area at a Time
It wasn’t a top show tidy home I was after so I didn’t plough through rooms in a general surface sweep. This wasn’t about creating a few clear surfaces, or finding better toy storage. I wanted to systematically work through detail by detail with one mantra in mind: Simplify to Run Smoothly.
In every area, big or small, I’d start by questioning: “What could I do here that would make our lives a bit easier?” To begin this change in your home, read my quick guide on how to Master Home Organisation: 3 Steps To Creating Task Zones.
Donate to Charity, Family, and Friends
I assembled multiple bags of items ready for donation to charity, family, and friends. Donating can help you let go of things more easily, as it forms a feel-good factor over the uncertainty; why keep unused items lying around your home when other people could be benefitting from them? Good karma is great for everyone.
With that said, don’t consume in the belief that items can be passed on when we’re done. Excessive consumption and cheap materials mean that many donations end up in landfills. We must all become mindful of what we bring into our lives in the first place, choosing quality and longevity over fads and fast fashion.
Try to donate your belongings to individuals or specific organisations wherever possible. Websites like Freecycle are a great way to pass items on to people who actually want and need them, rather than just bouncing off another stepping stone en route to the dump.
You can also offer things for free on Facebook marketplace if you simply want to move them on. I’ve done this with furniture that needed a little fixing up; it wouldn’t have sold easily in its condition, but multiple people were excited about upcycling it.
Set a Deadline for Clutter
I made a sell pile for things that couldn’t be donated, like electrical spares, and made a strict deadline. My “strict” deadline came and went, twice, so I offered these up to a more eBay active family member to profit from. This way I regained space quickly without causing landfill, and I’m happy someone else made a little cash.
Ask yourself if the free space and peace of mind are worth more than a few pounds made weeks, or months, down the line.
Maintain a Tidy Home
The entire decluttering process was hugely cathartic. Since then, I constantly look for areas of the home to purge and improve with better organisation.
You don’t have to take on a whole house at once, it’s overwhelming and counterproductive if it’s not in your natural makeup. Start in one room, one area of a room, or one shelf. Once you see the outcome, and live the benefits of a decluttered zone, you’ll soon want to repeat the process again and again. Take it at your own pace.
Final Thoughts
The trick to creating a more minimalist home is to just start from where you are. Don’t worry about how much you have in front of you, deal only with the now.
You’ll probably come across some items from old times that transport you momentarily to your past or a relative’s past. These can be the roadblocks that make us want to give up decluttering or even not start at all. If sentimental items are holding you back, read my guide Sentimental Decluttering, Let It Go
By decluttering our space, our lives and routines are decluttered too. Our tidy home feels like it can breathe again. Tasks become simpler. There’s no more hunting around when everything is where it needs to be and nothing obstructs the path.
