Declutter your life

Clutter is not only unattractive, but it also distracts us from what really matters. It can be overwhelming to try to organise. Besides, a cluttered house often leads to a cluttered mind.

You may simply start off by deciding what to declutter in your room and make it a habit in the course of time. For example, consider decluttering one corner of your room at a time, in 30-minute bursts. Set aside a few hours on a Saturday afternoon to tackle your wardrobe, then have a break for 30 minutes, then work for another 30. The goal here is to avoid the frustration and high-running emotions that come with deciding to keep, donate, or throw away the things that you own.

It’s easy to get attached to things, either because you’ve had them for a long time or they have some special meaning to you. That’s completely normal, but when you’re looking to downsize and declutter, you have to try and separate yourself from those feelings a bit. Here’s how:

1. ......................, ask yourself “What does this item do for me that nothing else does?” Start thinking about the utility of the item you’re looking at. What makes it unique among your other possessions? What does it do? Does it do multiple things or is it a unitasker?

2. ......................, ask “Do I have anything else that does this better, or at least does something else as well?” This is where you choose between your wireless mouse and another wired mouse which has been sitting in your drawer for ages. Pick the items that add more value to your life.

3. ......................, do not forget to ask “Does this have sentimental meaning to me?” When it comes to appliances, tools, and electronics, it’s easy to ask the first two questions, but if you’re looking at a box of photos, utility doesn’t come to mind. Sentimental value is important for a lot of things, so don’t overlook it, just try not to get bogged down in how an item makes you feel versus what it does for you and how much space it takes.

4. ......................, apply these three questions to almost everything you own. Don’t leave any stones unturned, open up that box and look inside. Even if it seems okay, it’s a box full of old papers to be shredded, you’ll be happier with them gone than taking up space next to your desk.