6 Ways to Reduce Clutter
Many Americans tend to think that bigger is better, aspiring to have big houses, fancy cars and designer wardrobes. But there’s a new minimalism movement that many say is changing their lives for the better. How can you have more by living with less? Consider abandoning the idea that you need to hang onto things because you might need them someday. Downsizing your life doesn’t mean sacrificing style or giving up things that are important to you.
Physical clutter turns into mind clutter, and removing everything but the essentials can restore a feeling of tranquility and control over one’s life. The theory is: the less we’re surrounded by too much stuff, the less stressed we’re going to be. That equates to fewer things to maintain, store, and/or insure. It can be very freeing. Consider these 6 ideas to cut the clutter from your life to feel better fast:
Clean out your closet. Throw out, sell or donate everything in your closet that you don’t love. This includes handbags and shoes. If you haven’t worn it in over a year, let it go. If you don’t feel good when you wear it, get rid of it.
Streamline your household. This includes kitchenware, décor and furniture. Do you really need 5 cookie sheets? Take a hard look at your array of knick-knacks, pictures, and books—anything that’s taking up space that you don’t truly need and really love.
Stop buying stuff you don’t need. We often buy something because it makes us feel better in the moment. Or maybe it’s on sale for a great price. Before you buy something, ask yourself, “Am I really going to use this?” Only buy food you’re going to eat, and be very mindful and selective about what clothing and other products you buy. Do you really even want them, or do you want to satisfy an urge in the moment?
Minimize what you unconsciously consume. Be mindful of your intake of things like food, social media and TV. Your rate of consumption of these things will affect how you feel throughout your day. Assess what things you consume daily and try to maintain a healthy balance.
Maintain the things you own. We live in an age of replacing, not fixing. Put time and effort into maintaining and caring for the things you already own, so you’re not constantly adding more clutter to your collection. This maintenance of material goods, however, can take time away from more important, fulfilling activities like spending time with family and friends. This is another reason why you should be selective with what things you keep.
It’s better for the planet. Too many people buy too much stuff, and eventually it ends up in a landfill. The only effective way to reduce what goes into landfills is to reduce our consumption. By doing this, less will need to be produced, so there will be less pollution to our air and water by the manufacturing and transportation of goods.
Life is really about the connections you make and the memories you create—not the material things you accumulate. As you assess all the things you’ve acquired, start small and take it one area at a time. Walk around your house and take a hard look at things you’ve been holding onto and ask yourself why you have it. Does it give you pleasure? Does it serve a specific purpose? If you can’t answer yes to those questions—or can’t remember the last time you used it—it’s probably time to let it go. You might be surprised to discover how much more abundant your life is by living with less.
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