Embracing a baggage-free lifestyle in today’s credit-based and consumer-driven society is ideal in maintaining peace of mind. However, this is nearly impossible to people with demanding jobs who obviously don’t have time to declutter, organize their stuff, and keep their lives in balance.
The result? A cluttered home that keeps you from staying sane. Messy homes aren’t just unpleasant to look at. They mess up with your head too. Seeing the clutter or even realizing that there are hidden junk underneath the bed steal your sanity and make you more vulnerable to irritability.
With this, you may help yourself by having a regular purge day: a day devoted to cleaning, organizing, and decluttering your home. Start by having four boxes to sort your items out and separate the treasures from the junk.
And just to make cleaning and decluttering more interesting, let’s label these boxes as if they are commandments you should obey.
Box 1: Thou shalt keep
From useful items like home office supplies, interesting books, and captivating wall decors to the priceless treasures like family photographs and world travel collections, for sure you have a clear idea of the items you would love to keep and store.
To declutter faster, put the well-chosen pieces inside the box. If you’re having second thoughts on an item, put it aside first. Try to look at the present, revisit the past, and predict the future. If it was, it is, and it will be necessary and useful to you, and you just can’t imagine seeing the item in someone else’s hands, then it’s a must-keep.
Box 2: Thou shalt give away
If the item is still useful but you lose interest in it, then you might want to sell or donate it. Who knows? Your unwanted treasures may benefit other people. You may organize a small flea market or simply hand out your old stuff to friends, relatives, and strangers who are in need.
Let’s categorize the items that are likely to be sold or donated.
Kids’ outgrown treasures
Kids grow up so fast, aren’t they? Instead of letting their abandoned valuables gather dust, go on and let other youngsters use your children’s belongings such as little clothes, cribs, children’s storybooks and textbooks, toys and educational materials, and other stuff they won’t use anymore.
Outdated possessions
If you keep up with the trends, you tend to have a pile of old clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories which barely fit inside your dresser. Free yourself from the baggage by giving them out or selling them at a very reasonable cost.
Old gadgets and appliances, which are still working but you’re not interested in using anymore, can also be appreciated by other people, especially those who are avid fans of classic pieces.
Excessive items
If you’re aiming for a clutter-free life, a few pieces are enough. With this, try to let go of your extra kitchen tools and tablewares, abandoned collection of figurines, duplicated toy cars, and other items you have in excess.
Box 3: Thou shalt recycle
If you have the required time and skills to recycle and repurpose, you can give new life to your home’s garbage and convert them into a usable item and a good source of passive income.
Instead of throwing your town and stained linens away, transform them into dusting rags or sew them to create a pillow case.
Box 4: Thou shalt get rid of
While there are items that cause you to think twice about keeping, repurposing, and donating, there are those items that you should, without any doubt, throw away without having second thoughts.
Toxic and expired items
Take time in checking your pantry, fridge, medicine cabinet, and toiletry containers. Get rid of expired food, condiments, cosmetics, and medications.
Papers, papers, papers
Though they are small in size, random papers such as travel brochures, take-out and delivery menus, expired coupons, old magazines, outdated calendars, used scratch papers, year-old test papers, and used gift wrappers create a huge mess when they get piled up. Free yourself by throwing them away immediately.
Useless stuff no one would benefit from
There are belongings you enjoyed once but since they are useless now, there’s no other way than to get rid of them. Some of these items are DVDs you’ll never watch again, old books devoured by termites, dried up pens, useless wires and chords, and broken things not worthy of being repaired.
Additional tips in decluttering:
- Don’t buy a ton of storage boxes without decluttering and organizing first. Make sure each box has a specific purpose and ensure the boxes will fit in your space.
- Organize area by area. Don’t bite off more than you can swallow. Chill and take your time organizing a specific room or area before moving on to another.
- Stop procrastinating. As much as possible, decluttter gradually and complete each task to free yourself from further worries.
- Keep calm and declutter. Instead of devoting your entire day in sorting out your stuff, use only 2 to 3 hours to avoid getting your energy burned out. Do this at least twice a week and maintain the habit.
