Getting rid of things that are familiar in our homes can feel final, especially when we do it in a big way. Sometimes we get scared off or overwhelmed by decluttering because it feels big. Keep doing repeated rounds of decluttering until you can’t declutter anything further. When you’re ready, declutter the same area in a second sweep, removing what you can. Sit with that for a bit and get comfortable with what you’ve thrown out and what you’ve got left. The first time around grab the obvious big things that you don’t like or never, ever use and get rid of those. Read this post on how to declutter when you feel overwhelmed. However, if it makes the process feel more comfortable and more sustainable, then a slower pace will work better in the long-term. You don’t need to get rid of everything right now, slow baby steps will help you achieve the same end result, albeit a bit slower. If decluttering is scary because you’re wondering about the ‘what if’, go slow and be gentle. Just weigh up in your own mind whether you really, really value that item enough to keep looking after it. If something is high value, difficult to replace and I’ve used it a lot (but not just at the moment) then I’ll think long and hard about getting rid of it. And, I’ve got decluttering down to a fine art so I know what I’m throwing out (or donating) and what items I’m keeping. The benefits I receive from decluttering my stuff massively outweigh those very, very odd occasions when I’ve got rid of something I later wish I’d kept. But that happens so rarely that I don’t even think about it. The worst that can happen is that you need to buy or borrow another. I can’t honestly say to my husband that I’ve never needed something that I’ve got rid of. I always think it’s best to deal with this question head-on with an honest answer. It’s a common reason why we hold on to things in case we might use it or need it in the future. ‘What if I need that again?’ my hoarder husband would ask. Starting somewhere easy will help build this confidence. Confidence that the decisions you’re making are the right decisions for you. Confidence that you can make real and positive change even if it feels tough. Confidence that you’re doing something difficult right now but for long-term gain. Don’t start with somewhere notoriously tough like the attic or garage! Try these tips on how to declutter your bathroom.ĭecluttering is largely to do with confidence. I always suggest the bathroom is a good place to start as it’s not full of sentimental items to hold you up, you know what you use and what you don’t and it doesn’t tend to be a massive space with huge storage areas so you can get it done relatively quickly and efficiently. Decluttering gets easier with practice as you learn to sift through things and become more comfortable making decisions on whether you want to keep or get rid of something. Pick an area of your home, or a room, or a type of item that’s going to be as easy as possible to start with so you can practice your decluttering skills. Then start decluttering in an easy place. Prepare yourself for decluttering with these 11 simple things to do before you start decluttering. Admit that you find decluttering a challenge, that you’re easily going to be side-tracked or put off. If you’re new to decluttering or find the process difficult or emotional, then make it easy on yourself. So, using the benefits of my trial and error and learning how to approach the whole decluttering process with my own family of hoarders, here are some simple decluttering tips for hoarders. They gave it a go for my sake, but we had a few challenges and frustrations along the way. So, when it came to me announcing to my family that I was trialling out what I’d learnt about the scientific effects of clutter on stress by decluttering my home, my family thought I was nuts. The full impact of decluttering our home and making it easier and quicker to get everything done, and then simplifying the rest of my life in the same way, was pretty much lost on him… apart from the fact that he noticed I was happier and the immense knock-on effect for the rest of our family! To be fair, he works long hours so it’s mostly my job to run the home and look after the kids. He couldn’t really see the benefits of clearing our space and getting rid of stuff we’d spent money and time accumulating. I had the same problem with my husband who is a collector, a hoarder, a ‘what if,’ ‘just in case’ sceptic who doesn’t like change.
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