How I started decluttering my home : Simplify Your Life Series 2016

As I've shared before I was always a bit of a neat kid, not in an obsessive way, but having the smallest bedroom growing up made me try my hardest to keep things tidy-ish.

However as an adult with a disposable income I began slowly buying more and more stuff.  Retail became my therapy.  I found myself coming home with clothes and stuff that I never found a proper home for, so stuff just began to pile up in my spare room (where I could shut the door on it and pretend I was not in danger of becoming a hoarder!).

Why I started to change:

A few years ago I began doing up my first home and really enjoyed the process of taking an area I did not enjoy and turning it into a room that was a pleasure to be in.  I also met and had the love of my life move in with me, so creating a cosy, enjoyable home together became even more important to me.  I wanted a space where we could entertain and have family round without being embarrassed of our home.

How I started to change:

With my already confessed love of YouTube I began to watch more and more people who were organising their homes, wardrobes, planners, etc.   This inspired me to really look at the stuff I had and begin to reduce it.  I mentioned in two of my earlier blogs on my favourite YouTubers who helped me finally feel energised to tackle the clutter once and for all.  See links below.

http://my-favourite-lifestyle-youtubers-part-one.html
http://my-favourite-lifestyle-you-tubers-part-two.html

Mistakes I have made:
Due to all the research I'd been doing I had too many ideas going on in my head.  So I made a very common mistake...buying storage solutions with the intention they would revolutionise my life.  Of course they never did and just ended up being left empty most of the time.  Another mistake I made was just moving stuff from one place to another and never getting rid of it.

What's finally worked for me:
Honestly no big deal here - just getting up off my backside and tackling it face on rather than ignoring it has worked.  I started with my wardrobe and purged anything I hadn't worn for over a year, was not in great condition or did not fit me anymore.  Suddenly I had loads of wardrobe space and found it easier to get ready in the mornings as my choices were limited.  So I finally realised that the best solution is to get rid of stuff and being quite ruthless with it.  Some things are obviously sentimental, so I find that moving these items to a "parking space" which is pre-donation, gives me time to see if I really would miss it.  If not it goes to charity.

Later, inspired by the Kon Mari Method [The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up], I tackled books, DVDs, Kitchen stuff, towels and bedding.  If I do not love it or have a real use for it...it's gone!  Now everything has a place, ok that is not entirely true...90% of things have a place, the rest is bundled in the cellar!

Hidden benefits:

Don't get me wrong - we are by no means perfect and this is a process we will be doing for a long time (just see the picture above!).  I find though that my new found determination to be clutter free has seeped into other areas of my life as well, including work.  After all a tidy desk = a tidy mind.  I find I am better organised and more productive for it.  

My purchasing habits have become more considered.  For example with clothes I am trying to keep to a "one in, one out" rule.  I am not buying storage solutions without really considering their purpose.  As I'm saving money on less wasted purchases I feel more comfortable investing more in good quality items, such as luxury towels and candles for the home.  I find that the house is easier to keep clean with less stuff to navigate around, so I never feel unprepared for guests to drop in.

Basically the benefits are well worth the effort and I encourage anyone to do the same.

Do you struggle with clutter?  What are your tricks for keeping it at bay?