Declutter for Your Peace of Mind

In a world that values commercialism and accumulation, the art of decluttering and purging has become a hidden gem of modern living. Whether you’re stepping into a new phase of life or finally fed up with the clutter and how much it actually takes from your well-being, decluttering is nothing short of liberating. Every little bit helps, so let’s jump into this and declutter for your peace of mind and start purging your junk!

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Why Purge?

Let’s first understand why decluttering is so important:

1. Mental Clarity: A cluttered space often means a cluttered mind. If you walk into a room that’s cluttered and messy, your focus goes right to it. If you walk into the same room that is clean and uncluttered, your focus and mind is calm and clear and free for other things important to you. So free up some mental space, reduces stress, and declutter for your peace of mind.

2. More Space: Say goodbye to crammed closets and overflowing drawers. Do you feel like you’ve outgrown your home and need more space? The reality is, we don’t need more space; we need less stuff. Decluttering gives you your space back, so you’ll have more room to breathe and move around.

3. Simplified Living: Removing excess stuff means simplifying your life. Lots of stuff takes lots of time to keep clean. It becomes a never-ending job because there is always something to clean or reorganize. Decluttering eliminates this and gives you time for you to focus on what truly matters.

4. Better Productivity: An organized space boosts productivity. Do you often spend time wondering where something is and looking everywhere? Decluttering allows you to create a place for everything and easily keep everything in its place. You’ll spend less time searching for lost items.

Getting Started

1. Set Clear Goals

Before you dive into the decluttering process, establish clear goals. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking for more space, better organization, or just a cleaner home without stacks of stuff on the floor? Knowing what you want the outcome to be will help you accomplish what you want and be happy with the results.

2. The Room-by-Room Approach

Start small. Pick a room or area and tackle it systematically. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed and ensures steady progress. Typically, this isn’t a day or weekend project, but something that will take time. Don’t worry if it takes several weeks or more to complete. This is a major lifestyle shift after all. But once you complete an area or room, it’s important that it stays decluttered going forward.

3. The Three-Box Rule

As you go through your items, use the three-box rule: one for things to keep, one for items to donate or sell, and one for things to throw away. Be ruthless but fair in your decisions. If there are items that you are hesitant about, keep a list and commit to making the decision in 6 months. By then you’ll know if you still haven’t used it or forgot about it, you can get rid of it.

4. The “Spark Joy” Test

Channel your inner Marie Kondo and ask yourself if an item truly sparks joy. If it doesn’t, it’s time to let it go. If you really want to declutter, you’ll find that this is easier than it sounds. Remember there are many reasons why we keep the possessions we do. The reasons don’t need to make sense to anyone but yourself, and this process shouldn’t cause you stress.

Tackling the Activity

1. The Bedroom

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary. Start by going through your clothes. Donate those you no longer wear or that no longer fit. This was one of the hardest areas for me to do but was so rewarding in the end. Having the room to organize my closet and not having to make a mess every time I wanted to find something specific is a great feeling. Read my post Closet Cleanout & Reboot Your Style for Ageless Self-Expression for an in-depth perspective on how to go about this.

Clear your nightstands and dressers, keeping only the essentials like lamps, a book, and things like plants. Get everything off the floor and out from under your bed. Anything that makes the cut to keep, find a place for it to be ‘put away’.

Tip: Hang a 3-4 hook wall fixture by your bed (or behind the door if you don’t want to see it) to hang your pajamas, bathrobe, and clothing from your day. It’s an easy way to keep clothes from ending up on your floor.

2. The Kitchen

The kitchen is often a hotbed of clutter, so declutter for your peace of mind and you’ll be happier every time you’re in this space! Go through your drawers and make decisions about gadgets, cookware, dishes, and coffee mugs you can get rid of.

Check your pantry for expired items, empty containers, and unused gadgets. Simplify your collections and free up precious cabinet space.

Tip: Many of us have extensive cookbook collections originating from before the internet (or as my daughters’ call it, the olden days!). Even though it’s easier to find recipes online than it is to use a cookbook, I still have a hard time letting go. But if there are a few recipes in a cookbook that you love, take a picture of them with your phone, and donate the book. Check out my blog post on how to Create Family Recipe Binders for ideas on what to do with your favorite recipes.

3. The Living Room

Your living room is where you relax and entertain, and it should reflect your style and make you comfortable. Declutter the shelves, getting rid of books you won’t read again, decor that no longer resonates with you, and furniture that doesn’t serve a purpose. Keep only what adds function, character and coziness to your space. If this is the space where you spend much of your time, you definitely need to declutter it for your peace of mind!

Tip: If your living room tends to get messy with toys, books, magazines, and the like, try adding a decorative bin to your decor. This will not only look nice, but double as space so you can quickly tidy up. You need to be able to ‘live’ in your space, but creating a way to quickly clean-up will keep you feeling calm and relaxed in a well-used room.

4. The Bathroom

Your bathroom can easily become a haven for half-empty bottles, expired products, and a multitude of products for hair, skin, bathing, and cleansing. Clear out your medicine cabinet, ditch old makeup and products you don’t like, and organize your toiletries for a streamlined daily routine. This 10-piece Organizing Set is great for holding products in your closet or under your sink, and you get an assortment of sizes.

Tip: If you have a morning and nighttime skincare routine, get some small plastic bins to hold your products in. In the morning, take out your morning bin with all the products you use, then easily put it away under the sink when you’re done. This not only helps keep your counters clear but keeps your routines simple, which make it easier to follow daily.

5. The Home Office

A cluttered home office can hamper productivity. Sort through paperwork, file what’s essential, and recycle or shred the rest. Think about how you can go paperless if you haven’t started that journey yet. Understanding the flow of work through your office can help ensure that you have it set up to best support your needs and give you optimal efficiency. And when your workspace is clear, you’ll be amazed at how much more focused and productive you’ll be, so declutter this for your peace of mind!

Organize your desk, cables, and tech gadgets. Establishing a place for everything to be organized and put away when not in use allows you to easily tidy up at the end of the day.

Tip: Create a charging zone for your electronics, utilizing a charging station and cord organizers. Having a single place to charge your tech keeps other countertops clear and eliminates time wasted on looking for your chargers. Sounds simple, but it’s so efficient!

6. The Garage

There’s a good chance this is the worst space in your house for clutter (and if you’re lucky, your car!), so I couldn’t forget it on the list. The garage is where so much of our stuff ends up getting stored in our house: holiday decorations, seasonal items, gadgets and appliances we don’t use often, sports equipment, tools, and surplus household items just to name a few. And since nobody ever sees that place, we unfortunately don’t spend much time organizing it.

It’s a big job, but one of the best ways to tackle the garage is to take everything out and lay it all out to make decisions of what to keep. If you have to physically move something after you decide to keep it, you tend to be more critical of what you’re going to keep. Before everything goes back in, take the time to clean the garage even if it’s just a thorough sweeping.

Tip: Storage shelving units and clear totes allow you to store the stuff you don’t use year-round and still gives you the ability to see what it is. If you store things logically into clear bins, you shouldn’t have to take the time to label the containers.

The Journey of Decluttering for Your Peace of Mind

Decluttering isn’t a one-time event; it’s a journey. As you simplify your surroundings, you’ll discover the profound impact it has on your life, and probably some things about yourself you may not have realized before. It’s not just about throwing away stuff; it’s about creating space for the things that truly matter, including moments of joy, creativity, and a clearer mind.

So let this journey be a celebration of authenticity and happiness in a space that truly reflects your values and personality. Your space should be your tranquility – so declutter for your peace of mind!