Are you feeling boxed in by the amount of clutter in your home? Are you wondering how to dig out from under the overabundance? Do you think back to when things were simpler?
You’re likely awakening to the possibility of change in your life!
Think about what life could be like if you reclaimed your space. Envision a simplified home – a place that stays clean and organized because it has been pared down to just the things you love and need. A refreshing place where you can spend time on what matters to you! A place that recharges you instead of diminishing your energy!
Decluttering requires purging, and parting with possessions can be an emotionally charged and overwhelming experience for many people.
There are many ways to make the process easier to help with decluttering. Choose from one or more systems to break the process down and make it more bearable.
Continue reading to learn the decluttering methods of minimalist masters and see if one inspires action!
The KonMari Method
You’ve probably heard of Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method due to its popularity and the inspired “Tidying up by Marie Kondo” Netflix series.
Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is considered by many to be a decluttering guru. This book was such a success; over four million copies have sold! It may be worth looking at the way her method works to see if it inspires another mindset that allows for freeing up your home.
Kondo’s method requires centering on what to KEEP, rather than what to respectfully let go. Core principles include categorizing your items (from your entire set of belongings) and sorting through each category. Going through each of these then, one is asked to be mindful and intent only to keep the ones that bring joy. For instance, if you collect figurines, you would gather all of them from home into one spot. Then, from this entire collection, you pick up and inspect each, carefully determining which ones you love for their sentimentality or unique characteristics. KonMari has you go through less sentimental items first, trying to ensure a perfected process by the time they get to the trickier and potentially emotionally charged pieces. Overall, things that do not ‘spark joy,’ are then to be boxed up for donations.
365 Less Things
365 Less Things, from Colleen Madsen, is an exciting approach to paring down possessions. Ms. Madsen resolved at the start of 2020 to work toward minimalism by giving away or selling ONE thing every day for the whole year. Madsen documents both the tangible results of the project and the psychological aspects of this on her blog. Doing this small but steady process reminds me of the theoretical question ‘how does one eat an elephant?’ and its answer ‘one bite at a time..’
The Minimalist Game
To take the daily give away approach even step further, consider playing the Minimalist Game. The Minimalists, famous blog authors, write that this method requires you to get rid of the quantity of items that match each date. Giving away one piece on the first of the month is easy, but can you come up with 31 to part with by month’s end? (Some people have success purging in the opposite order where they get rid of 31 things on day one, 30 things on day 2, etc. It does seem like the other way around would build more mental muscles to be able to get rid of stuff in the ever-increasing order.) Those who stay with it will have a home with 496 fewer pieces of clutter! Make this a challenge among your friends and family to up the stakes.
These are just three creative methods to help you begin the decluttering process. There are many other popular strategies such as Project 333, Oprah’s Closet Hanger Experiment, 5-Minute Decluttering Tips from Zen Habits, and the Packing Party.
Choose one that resonates and start making headway today! Remember, this is a journey and enjoy a variety of these methods as you learn about yourself as you go to ensure lasting change. Gamify the process and get the family involved. Once you start to feel the space free up around you, time opens up to spend on what you love.
