Minimalism has been a growing trend that doesn’t seem to outlive its purposes. The design style which intentionally limits material possessions in a bid to promote quality over quantity encourages removing of unnecessary distractions. The trend can attribute its successes to the fact that it promises to significantly improve the quality of life of those who follow it and delivers.
The first step towards living a minimalist life is decluttering. Our lived-in spaces tend to get cramped up with things we buy and forget about, or that we outgrow. More often than not, we assign certain cupboards to this particular function: that of holding things we don’t really need but can’t seem to get rid of. The effect of this is that we have less space for storage, turning organization into a nightmare. 6 Ways To Deal With A Hoarding Issue
This doesn’t have to be your reality anymore. Picture the extra cabinet space and the therapeutic relief of purging undesirables from your life, leaving room for the things which you really want. On top of that, think of the money you could make by selling off some of that junk, or the charitable donations you could make. One man’s trash is after all, is another’s treasure! Here are a few tips to get you started on your journey to Zen.
- Relax
This process is supposed to be light and relaxing, so take a deep breath before you begin. Doing this under stress could cloud your judgement, causing you to throw out things you might need or to overlook things you don’t need. Play some music if you like. Make sure that the time you have allocated is sufficient for you to finish up in each room so that an interruption doesn’t make you leave things halfway done.
This is a process best done over the weekend so that you can move through each room systematically.
- Sentimentality v Practicality
It is very important to be honest with yourself. As much as you’d want to keep all those cards from your high school KCSE examinations, or those ragged old fuzzy slippers your ex gave you, you will have to decide whether the sentimental value is truly enough to validate having those items.
This also applies to your wardrobe. All those clothes you’re holding on to for when you’ll finally hit the gym and fit into them again need to go. If you haven’t worn it in over five months, perhaps it’s time to let it go as well. Think of it as a purge, now you have all the space to redefine your style.
- Cost of fixing
That dress that will be perfect as soon as you tailor it, that phone whose screen shattered into a spider web likeness, that iron box that you keep meaning to open up to fix the heat problem… All those pesky little items stored with the intention of getting them fixed even though you already bought new replacements just have to go. Especially if the cost of repair overrides the value of the object. You do not want to throw money after a bad investment to try and salvage an item. If the item is electronic, you could find a dealer who could offer a good deal for the faulty item.
- Filing
Paper clutter can an absolute nightmare. Sorting through it could take quite a bit of time. However, colour coding files to separate bills and receipts from work documents is the easiest way to do away with this.
- Designated destination of the castaways
This should be part of your plan from the very beginning. Unless you are clear about where you intend to take the trash, they will end up sitting in your cupboard again in a sack or a box. Your options are varied; from the dumpster to donating to charity, to selling (on OLX/Instagram/yard sale) to gifting your little sister who is just moving out.
- Consistency
After you’re done, the hardest part begins- keeping your space permanently free of clutter. This means that your purchasing habits need to change. That is, prioritizing necessities so as to kill the habit of impulse buying. You could schedule a closet purge for once every three months or so to prevent build up. For more tips on decluttering room by room: Decluttering Your Entire Room
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