Do you love the idea of the minimalism movement, but feel overwhelmed by the process it takes to get there? There’s always some new decluttering method that’s taking the world by storm, but not every technique works for every person and every situation. Instead I like to collect methods and use whatever jives with my mind at the time. These are the different techniques that I’ve gathered over time.
Does it spark joy?
This one comes from the popular Marie Kondo technique. She has a couple books and now a Netflix series outlining her technique. The basic premise is to go through your entire house, hold each item and ask, does this spark joy? If it doesn’t spark joy, thank the item for its service and let it go.
The best takeaway I got from the book was about how to deal with sentimental items, or gifts that you don’t want. Marie says that the purpose of a gift is the joy it gives the giver in the moment it’s gifted, what happens to the gift afterwards it irrelevant because the gift has already served its purpose.
Would I buy this again today?
You should value the space in your home as much as you value your time and money. Ask yourself, would I spend money to buy this item today? If the answer is no, then you probably don’t need it. If you don’t value it enough to invest money in it again, you probably shouldn’t invest your space in it.
Does this fit the life I’m currently living?
Do you own a bunch of pretty dresses for that future when you’re totally put together and wear dresses everyday? Yeah me too, despite the fact that I wear jeans and a t-shirt everyday.
Do you have cake decorating supplies you bought after watching too much food network and you’ve used twice?
If things don’t fit into your current life, then they probably shouldn’t take up room trying to fit into your house.
The hardest ones to notice are things that you used to do, but no longer do in your current life. Maybe you used to sew all the time, but haven’t touched your machine in ages. Don’t necessarily get rid of your machine, but maybe ruthlessly purge your fabric stash and patterns.
What would I do with this if I were moving?
This one came to me after I had a few friends move houses recently. They all commented about how they wished they’d purged their house long ago. I have a tendency to let things gather into limbo. Mostly I’m putting off deciding on what to do with them.
By asking myself, “What would I do with this if I were moving?” it forces me to make a decision. Spoiler alert- the decision is usually to chuck it. This is how I get rid of the clutter that tends to gather on my counters, tables and dressers. If it’s not valuable or sentimental enough to pack, get rid of it.
If you can buy it again for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes, get rid of it
This is a technique I see pop up in the tiny house community a lot, which makes sense, because they have such limited space. While I think there can be value in holding onto less expensive things, this technique helps convince me to get rid of lots of little things I’m hanging onto, just in case. “Just in case” can easily turn into a spiral of junk.
Find a balance between frugality and hoarding.
Decluttering can be so overwhelming because there’s so many decisions to be made. As you work on keeping your home clean and uncluttered, I hope these techniques help you see your things in a different light. A light that helps you better see what’s important and what’s not.