What is clutter?

Most people think that clutter is just having ‘too much stuff’, and many people believe that the opposite extreme of minimalism is having ‘too little stuff’.

But it’s less to do with the quantity of possessions than how those possessions impact you. That is down to organisation. A better way to define clutter is ‘a disorganised heap’. If we can combine clarity of purpose with organised arrangement (and simple storage), we can make more sense of everything.

The benefits of decluttering

Remove clutter to open your space and help clear your mind.

There are some great and straightforward reasons to declutter your home and work environments:

Safety

Objects strewn around you are a hazard – especially in the dark when you have to pick your way carefully to the bathroom!

Efficiency

If things are left wherever they are last used, it’s hard to find them when you need them.

Focus

Tidy environment = tidy mind. Messy places can make it hard for us to process information – and as many of us spend more time at home for work, it’s a real advantage to keep your working environment ordered and tidy.

So, decluttering – easier said than done?

A recent Yale study found that for some people, the brain reacts the same way to the anticipated loss of valued possessions as it does to quitting an addiction. Many people keep things they no longer need, sometimes to the extent that they become a ‘hoarder’. It can help to use a few steps to make decluttering easier.

Steps to clearing

1. Sell things
   It feels less like a loss if you can realise some value by selling things online or taking them to a car boot sale
2. Don’t tackle too much at once
   Break it down into sections or rooms, make a plan for each room. Recommended to not do more than 3 hours clearing in a day
3. Get organised
   Prep 3 different areas or boxes for while you are decluttering. Label these Keep, Bin, Sell/Donate. Keep these simple and use them as tools to help you clear the clutter.
4. Get sorted
   Buy a good storage system to ensure you have somewhere sensible to put the things you are going to keep. And make a ‘home’ for everything so you know where to find things every time you need them.
5. Be decisive
   If in doubt, throw it out. Most organisers use the rule “if you haven’t used/worn/looked at it in a year then you don’t need it”. Don’t keep knick-knaks just for sentimentality.
6. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy
   When you’ve paid a lot for an item, and then find you have no use for it, you tend to keep it simply because of the money you spent. Selling it might not get you much of that money back, but keeping it and not using it gives you nothing!
7. Share and celebrate your progress
   When you hit a certain milestone, (clearing and tidying a room) reward yourself with by going out and sharing what you’ve done with family and friends. Before and after photographs are a great way to document it.
8. If necessary, get help!
   If the job overwhelms you, don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to give you a hand. There are even professional organisers out there who can come in and help you get to where you need to be! Once you’re there, a regular cleaner can help you keep it that way.

If you’re fighting clutter, We hope this helps you declutter and improves your life.

Let us know how you get on – do send us updates on Twitter at @CleanhomeYork