How to Declutter Your Home and Simplify Your Life

Clutter builds up throughout life, and many people's homes contain a lot more stuff than they really need. Of course, it's up to you to decide when it's too much, and that's different for everyone. But having a lot of clutter definitely comes with some downsides.

Excessive clutter can have a negative impact on your mood and is linked to depression and anxiety. And in purely practical terms, it can make it difficult to find things you need and makes maintaining a clean and tidy home more difficult.

Unfortunately, even people who have decided that they need to get rid of some junk can find it difficult to actually get started. If this sounds like you, follow these tips and begin the process of decluttering.

Set the date

It's easy to endlessly put off something you don't want to do, unless you decide firmly on a day to do it. Set yourself a date to begin your decluttering, and don't change your mind without good reason. Write it in your diary, on a calendar, leave notes for yourself, and inform anyone else in the house what's going to happen.

Make a plan

Going into decluttering blindly and throwing things away randomly can lead to failure. Decide — and write down — which rooms you're going to go through, and in what order. Designate places where things will be kept neatly, and decide in advance any spots that are going to be forbidden for use as storage.

Go shopping

Buying more things seems counter-intuitive, but it might help to get a few neat storage boxes, drawers and cabinets that you can use to keep everything tidy. This only applies if you need them, though — don't be tempted to splash out on more things you don't need!

Hire a large bin

You might be surprised at how much stuff you'll get rid of once you begin, and your regular bins can get filled up quickly. It's best to make sure you have ample space for disposing of rubbish so you don't have to stop and delay finishing. To accomplish this, hire a rubbish bin to dispose of your items in.

Start slowly if you need to

Remember, you can do this on your own terms. If the idea of having a massive clear-out fills you with dread, just begin with the things you know for sure you won't miss and have no emotional attachment to. Once you get into it, you may just find yourself becoming more ruthless with what you throw out, as your simpler life moves into view.