It’s no secret that I don’t enjoy cleaning or organizing things. Luckily, a great benefit of living with less is … less cleaning and organizing. By living with less, I don’t have to search for my things, reorganize drawers, and closets or shuffle papers.
There are many ways to simplify your life and decluttering helps you set the stage by giving you more time and space to take the next steps. Find inspiration in these 10 articles about decluttering.
1. 10 Tiny Tasks to Declutter Your Home
Try these tasks once a month, in addition to your other decluttering efforts. You don’t have to do all of them, but choose a few that resonate with you to be part of your adventure in discovering a simpler, clutter-free life.
2. I Got Rid of the Toys
If you have young children, this experiment is for you.
3. Let Go of Sentimental Items with a Victory Lap
If you are struggling to let go of sentimental items, you are not alone. I resisted that category of clutter for years, because as a sentimental person, everything felt sentimental. It all had meaning to me.
Things still feel sentimental to me, but now it’s mostly moments, glances, rising new moons over mountains, ocean sunsets, and precious words.
4. 8 Ways to Get Rid of Clutter and Get Your Life Back
#1 made the biggest difference in my life. I love the research behind decluttering shared in this article along with 8 helpful recommendations.
5. Back to Basics Decluttering
If you feel overwhelmed or confused about the benefits of decluttering, simply remember that your home is not a container for your stuff, but rather a place for joy and connection. I can’t think of a better reason to declutter than to make room for more of that.
6. 15 Clutter Busting Routines For Any Family
Becoming Minimalist’s Joshua Becker shares “Several years ago, my family and I decided to start living a minimalist life. Since then, we have tried to remove all of the possessions from our home that are not essential. In doing so, we have found new opportunity to spend our time, energy, and finances on the things that are most important to us.”
7. The Panic Room: Own Less, Live More
These powerful words from Erin at The School of Enough will help you let go. “When it comes to stuff, what if instead of holding it loosely I just don’t hold it at all? Then I don’t have to stress over whether I’m holding it loosely enough. It’s akin to not worrying about getting that dress at 30% off or 40% off because it’s 100% off if I don’t buy it.”
8. Why You Should Give Away 50% of Your Stuff
If you want to experience all the benefits of a clutter-free life, 50% is a great place to start. It sounds extreme, but once you start moving from room to room and removing the things that don’t matter and that you don’t care about, you’ll reach the half way point sooner than you think. There are some tips in this article to help you banish fears about giving away that much too.
9. Where to Donate Your Stuff: 101 Places Your Clutter Can Do Good
Miss Minimalist’s Francine Jay says, “Of course, from an environmental standpoint, it’s best to keep your castoffs in your community; the fewer things we ship around the globe, the better. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to check out local options for your unwanted items: like churches, hospitals, schools, libraries, animal shelters, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, halfway homes, food banks, senior centers, day cares, prisons, and charity shops.
However, if you can’t find a good home for your stuff nearby, or you want to support a specific cause, this list will provide you with plenty of resources.”
10. How to Finally Clean Out Your Closet For Good
Have fun with this step-by-step guide to cleaning out your closet. This could be the last time you ever have to do it.