3 ways to consciously clear your house of clutter

We all know when we don’t tidy up, we run the risk of allowing clutter to grow which, if untreated, leads to the overwhelm that is created by disorder.

Most of us don’t live alone, or with no contact to the outside world. We have other people’s stuff to contend with, social media to keep us wanting more, and Amazon to help us get things – quickly.

It’s no wonder we are saddled with so much clutter. And no wonder it has become more and more important to clear your space of it. It is not just about decluttering.

 To actively create order in your space you need to be conscious.

That sounds funny but in fact we do a lot of ignoring in our day to day of what comes in.  We don’t decide quickly, if at all, whether what comes in is really liked or needed, or where it should be housed best in our living and working spaces. And because of it we have a harder time tidying up, and do a great job at breeding clutter.

To be conscious is to not only be more aware of what you have in your space but to embrace the fact that the idea of decluttering the space – removing and discarding the unnecessary – is not something you are supposed to do once. It is truly a conscious decision about how you want to live your life.

Life is too fluid and filled with too many opportunities to bring in stuff – physically into our space and mentally into our mind. So we must recognize this fluidity and be conscious of the need, consistently, to clean out the cobwebs, dust off the brain, toss out the unnecessary that is clogging our pathways to do more, and think and be better.

Embrace this need to apply more consciousness to the clutter!

Toss obvious trash daily. This doesn’t only mean trash in the traditional sense. This means anything you put your hands on that you know doesn’t serve you, isn’t needed, has run its course.  Paper, in particular, tends to sit for long periods of time mostly because we let it pile up until it feels too overwhelming to address. So many flyers and coupons and correspondences can easily, and quickly, be recycled.  Which continuously helps to lighten the visual clutter load.

Make your decisions more quickly.  This doesn’t mean you can’t take time to decide if you really like, need or will use the vase you got at your wedding from Aunt Peg who you hardly ever see. It means we need to be more conscious of the time we give ourselves to make such decisions. We tend to let fear hold us back from paying attention to how something really makes us feel.  And instead we suppress those feelings because the idea that you could even consider giving away something from Aunt Peg – regardless of how much you don’t like it – feels wrong. Preposterous even. Trust your gut. Be aware of the fear. And where you can, aim to decide swiftly.

Be aware of the invisible. Pay attention to the items in your home that have been ignored for so long that now seem to blend in and almost seem invisible. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make a plan to walk through the house, or one room, even, to identify those items that, when brought to the forefront of your consciousness, you realize you don’t care much for. Clearing this kind of clutter opens up the space physically, and mentally gives you more room to breathe.

After all, if items are blending in and not standing out, perhaps they are not helping add beauty to your space and your life.

Decluttering is not something you do once. It’s a conscious decision about how you want to live your life. Do it as much as is needed because with enough practice it becomes a beneficial life habit that will positively affect how you function daily.