Life can get messy. When it does, it can often be overwhelming, so it doesn’t help when your physical environment feels the same way. Your home should be where you feel the most comfortable, and usually, that means a clean, organized one. But it can be tough knowing where to start, so below are some tips and tricks for decluttering your house and habits you can build to keep it that way:

How to Declutter Your Home

1. Take it Step by Step

   Decluttering your home is a big project, and it can seem like a lot to handle at once. That’s why it’s important to take it step by step. Approach decluttering as a process that will take some time, whether that’s days or even weeks. Keep it within reason, but set a loose schedule that fits your availability, where you declutter areas room-by-room. If needed, you can split up big rooms into different days, too. For example, you might plan to declutter the bathroom(s) one day, your wardrobe the next day, then your bedroom, and so on. That is the best way to prevent burnout and make a seemingly overwhelming project achievable. 

2. Set Rules and Expectations

   Setting expectations for yourself is a great way to keep yourself on track and motivated. This includes planning what days to declutter what areas, but also includes establishing detailed rules to follow and goals to meet. To declutter the most efficiently, you should keep your rules fairly rigid. For example, clothing or items you haven’t used in a year get donated, or anything expired immediately gets trashed. Having set rules like those will help your decision-making become a little bit easier.

3. Make Quick Decisions

   Unfortunately, the hardest part of decluttering is actually getting rid of the clutter, even if you set rules and expectations. Whether it’s guilt, nostalgia, or uncertainty that’s preventing you from making a decision, there’s one approach that will always help: trust your instincts. Avoid thinking too long about an item and make quick decisions. Get rid of the items you forgot you had, and don’t let yourself make too many exceptions.

How to Keep Your Home Decluttered

Great, you did it! But that doesn’t mean your work ends here. The buildup of clutter often stems from a lack of tidy habits, and developing them will save you a lot of time and hassle in the future. But don’t worry, it’s easy to do: 

1. Shop With a List

   Make a list or a budget every time you plan to shop, whether for necessities at the grocery store or for your wants at the mall. Doing so prevents you from buying just for the sake of it, or impulse purchasing, which inevitably turns to clutter in your home. Save yourself the guilt of buying a new set of clothes only to never wear them and plan ahead instead. It may seem silly at first, but you’ll thank yourself later. 

2. The One In, One Out Rule

   When you do buy something new, remove something old. For example, if you plan to buy a new shirt, donate one you don’t wear anymore first. This makes the purchase more intentional, reduces impulsive decision-making, and prevents the buildup of clutter. 

3. Give Everything a Place

   Everything should have a place to belong. If everything has a spot, anything that doesn’t will be easy to identify as clutter that needs to be donated or thrown out. This practice will also lead to a more organized home and make it easy for you to keep track of all your belongings. 

4. Refresh on a Schedule

   Examine your home and belongings periodically: anything out of place, put back in place; and anything without a place, donate. While how often depends on you, taking a few minutes every two weeks or every month will prevent clutter from building up. This will keep your home organized and will save you a lot of time and hassle later on. 

It’s easy for clutter to build up, and an unkempt and restrictive physical environment can be detrimental to your mental well-being. Fortunately, if you use the above techniques and work on building healthy habits, it can become a lot easier not only to declutter your home, but to keep it that way.