To know how to declutter effectively, we must first learn how to analyse, separate and regroup our belongings. After this process, things almost seem to find their own perfect place in the home. Not convinced? Time to try it for yourself.
1. Analyse Every Single Item
Choose one area of your home to start decluttering. Don’t get overwhelmed, you don’t have to take on a whole room to begin with. Let’s say a set of 3 drawers in the kitchen-or even just one is enough if you’re feeling shaky on the starting block.
Take everything out of this selected area. All of it. Look at each individual thing for what it really is. You’re probably thinking that this sounds a tad unnecessary. You know what everything is because you bought it/acquired it and put it there, right?
It’s amazing how blind we become to items that have always just been there.
The brain tends to skip over the familiar: “Pay no attention to that grotty vegetable slicer, it’s slotted in that nook for the last 10 years so of course it must retain its spot! No matter that we don’t love our veggies frittered or that hand-washing the contraption is more hassle than throwing a knife in the dishwasher.” You get the gist. Now get rid.
Singling out and analysing every piece rewires other thought processes too. We become more observant and objective.
Retraining the mind will help avoid the accumulation of paper-based clutter like catalogues & brochures. It prevents knee-jerk purchases that you’ll later regret. You’ll consider whether the newest tempting gadget in the store might be a short-lived infatuation rather than a lifetime love.
Once you’ve mastered how to declutter, use your strengthened analytic muscle to reject items that could potentially enter your home, nipping the problem in the bud. A second of well-practiced analysis can save years of wasted storage space in your home, and a lot of wasted money.
2. Separate Into Categories
Now you’ve passed the analysis stage of how to declutter, and initially purged your area, give yourself a pat on the back! The biggest step to an effective declutter is getting started. But don’t go anywhere just yet, we’re not quite finished.
When you begin to let a few things go you will experience a feel-good factor. Freeing yourself from the overwhelm makes you feel lighter, in charge of your environment, and capable of taking on the rest of the challenge. Let go of a bit more and the buzz kicks in. You will find yourself comfortably in the zone, where you will quickly build momentum and greater confidence in your decisions.
After the initial kickstart to decluterring. The items that are left over must be separated into categories. Split the remaining items into new cohesive piles, putting like with like. This way, you’ll be able to see at a glance if there are any multiples that could be pared down. Keep the best, bin the rest (best two if a spare is really necessary, and ‘bin’ others in a charity donation bag).
Be sure to group items that are used for similar tasks. Do you have one tool that could achieve the same outcome of several others? I can tell you that I don’t own a vegetable slicer, apple corer, pineapple wedger, or a “cake tester” (yes it’s a thing) because just one good kitchen knife can do all of these jobs. It also won’t take up a whole drawer.
3. Regroup for Effective Home Organisation
This is the organisation process that has begun by putting like with like, but we need to go beyond this. The regroup stage is when we reconsider how we use our space, and think about how it would serve us better. Don’t remain in a rut that no longer works for you or your family.
Think carefully about how you move around your space: What item do you always have to cross the room to retrieve? Could it find a home nearer the action? To tackle effective home organisation in greater depth, read how to Master Home Organisation: 3 Steps to Creating Task Zones.
Once you begin placing your reduced amount of things in practical and permanently allocated areas (a place for everything and everything in it’s place) then organisation begins to happen at an increasing and encouraging, speed. You’re making sense of your space by allowing it to make sense for your life.
How to Declutter Permanently
Decluttering isn’t a one-and-done process; it’s a way of life. However, you will maintain your home with greater ease with good systems in place.
Use what you have around the house to keep your new categories separated, or mindfully invest in a few helpers. Drawer dividers make full use of space while maintaining organisation, and basket labels remind the whole family where things are kept.
Choose systems that are easy to use so you and your family will stick to them, and declutter as you go to avoid another build-up.
