Lifestyle

Decluttering Tips For Beginners

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Are you looking to declutter your home? Dreaming of a calm and clutter free living space? 

I'm on a mission this year to clear our clutter and create a more minimalist and organised home. 

This isn't an easy task as we've basically been hoarders for years. We have so much stuff... a lot of it we've forgotten about completely over the years. 

What's the point in having it if you don't even remember that you have it? 

The article 33 decluttering tips to get the whole house in shape breaks down the step by step of how to tackle each room of house (well worth reading and very useful). Another great resource is this article on how to declutter a room in 30 minutes by Janita Grift, decluttering and frugal living expert and owner of the Frugal Fun Finance blog. I wanted to give a clutter free list of tips specifically with beginners in mind though. 

I've read so many blog posts recently in my search for tips about decluttering but I've noticed that the super long, detailed ones (whilst great for information) can seem overwhelming.

I'm new to the world of decluttering and still building my minimalist mind frame. I need to keep it simple. If you're like me, this post is for you.

You might also like: How To Start Decluttering Your Home

Practical Tips To Conquer Your Clutter

Here's a few of the tips that I think are simple and doable even for a decluttering novice like myself:

Allocate a decluttering time

I think it's important to make a realistic goal. If you're like me, you probably don't have a huge amount of free time to dedicate to decluttering your home all in one go. Even if you did, the idea of such a huge task probably makes you want to quit before you even get started.

One way to make decluttering more manageable is to schedule a set time to do it. For example, block out 10 minutes in the morning to spend decluttering. 

Set a timer and work through until the time is up. You'll be surprised at how much stuff you manage to get rid of in that time. 

If you do this everyday you'll soon be making progress on your declutter mission. 

Make a list

I'm a list maker by nature. I find it helps give me focus. Plus I like the satisfaction of ticking things off my list. 

Decluttering can feel overwhelming, especially in the beginning. Making a list can really help make it seem more manageable. 

By room, general areas, smaller areas. Break it down into bite-sized jobs.

Analyse storage

Being more organised goes hand in hand with decluttering. Take a look at the available storage you have and plan accordingly. What do you have space for and what needs to go?

Having attractive storage for the stuff you decide to keep also be motivating.

Start small

Decluttering is an on-going task. Like I said before, you're not likely to be able to declutter your whole house in a day. 

Clearing out a cupboard or decluttering your kitchen counters might seem like tiny tasks but if you add up all those small tasks it will make a big difference. 

Seeing a small area transform into an organised, clean environment is also a giant motivation to keep going. 

Stay clutter free

Once you've decluttered you need to make sure it stays that way. 

Be aware of what you bring into your home. Do you really need it? This can be particularly hard when it's the sales period. Discounted prices can make you think you're getting a super bargain and saving money. If you don't actually need it or wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on sale you're not actually saving money. You're just spending less because it was on offer. You save money by not buying it. 

Put things away in their place. As you go through the process of decluttering your home you should create places to store everything that stays. Everything should have a home. To keep your home looking clutter free, clean and tidy make sure you put things away as soon as possible after use. It's easier to maintain a clutter free area than have to do a big declutter all over again. 

Are you new to decluttering too? What's the hardest part of getting started for you?

Already have some experience in decluttering? What tips would you give to people like myself who are just starting out on their decluttering journey? What helped you adjust to the minimalist mind frame? 

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