Make A Fresh Start by Decluttering Your Home & Mind

If you are feeling like you need a change and have already snipped into a new hairstyle and sassy outfit try decluttering! A fresh start can seem scary, but decluttering your home and mind is a tried and true way to kickstart a new beginning.

By simplifying your surroundings and fostering a clear mindset, you can open the doors to a more focused, fulfilling, and stress-free life. With vigilance and consistency, you will discover the profound benefits of living without excess stuff while nurturing mental clarity. I am not suggesting you live like a monk. I am saying there is more to life than acquiring stuff.

Transformations

Transforming your home by clearing out the clutter is not just a physical task; it is an emotional one as well. You might hold a lot of value for your sentimental items or feel overwhelmed at the thought of letting go of old stuff.

By gradually decluttering your living space, you create room for new experiences and cherished memories. Adopting a minimalist mindset will not only make your home feel more spacious, but it will also have a positive impact on your stress levels. Again, minimalist does not meaning giving up comfort.

Studies show a direct link to messy cluttered physical environments and our minds. If you have to repeatedly go through the decluttering process something isn’t right. Finding the root of why you have to keep decluttering will be of enormous value to you if you want to end this cycle.

Boosting Mental Health

When you keep your home clutter-free, without any unnecessary items, your mental health can greatly benefit. I can’t stand having stuff around that is not either functional, beautiful or, deeply meaningful to me.

Living in a clean and organized space helps reduce my stress and anxiety and helps me to focus in any space in my home and art studio without distraction. Taking the time to declutter your environment can help you feel more in control, providing a sense of accomplishment and boosting your self-esteem.

Improving Personal Relationships

A clutter-free environment also positively impacts your relationships. Some people are to embarassed to entertain in their homes due to the mess of clutter and disarray. When your home is tidy, you can welcome friends and family without feeling embarrassed or overwhelmed.

Your loved ones will appreciate the inviting atmosphere, and you may find that you strengthen your relationships as you share your comfortable and organized space with them. Most important is you will feel better.

Promoting Healthy Habits

Keeping your home and mind decluttered promotes the development and maintenance of healthy habits. This is because often a well-organized space carries over to an organized and balanced lifestyle. Sticking to routines and creating positive patterns in your daily life is much easier for a well organized person.

A clutter-free environment helps you prioritize self-care, ensuring you have time to exercise, eat well, and get enough sleep. In other words you have time to do the things you most love to do, whether it is reading a book or doing a yoga pose on a paddle board in a lake!

Getting Started with Decluttering

Decluttering Checklist

To begin decluttering, create a checklist to keep track of your progress. Start by listing the rooms and areas in your home that need decluttering, then break each room down into smaller tasks. Sort tasks by priority to make it easier to tackle one task at a time. Make sure to update the checklist as you work through your tasks, and congratulate yourself on items you’ve accomplished.

Or just start picking up things as you pass by them and throwing them away or donating them to a charity shop. I say this because some people are not list makers and do not care about tracking progress. Other folks are sticklers for tracking progress and love the idea of recording in a spread sheet.

Find a way that works for you.

Sorting & Organizing

Now that you have decided your strategy to declutter start sorting and organizing items in your home.

I find the best way to start decluttering is to get 3 heavy-duty black contractors’ trash bags and label them trash, donate, and sell. For the items you are keeping put them in their designated spaces. If there are no such places make some dedicated spaces to house your things.
With organizational systems in place, it will be much easier to keep your beautiful new tidy spaces well maintained.

Discard, Donate or Sell

After sorting out unwanted items, decide whether to discard, donate or sell.

Discard

You know the piles of things you are going to get to one day like the sewing and the piles of old magazines, you probably are not. If these things were important the sewing would be done and the magazines read. I finally got rid of my piles a while back. Two things to note. I never once missed the stuff. I am now mindful of not making new piles of stuff. This is what I call a win-win.

Donate

Charities and non-profits often appreciate a donation of gently used items. I have put together a free valuable resource guide on how to get rid of most things for cheap or free.

Sell

Selling items can be a great way to make some extra cash. Consider using online platforms such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace, or organize a garage sale.

Decluttering your entire house is not an overnight thing it is a gradual process — give yourself the time and space you need to think this through, set a goal, and make a realistic plan that works for your schedule. Don’t forget to include a timeline. You will be amazed at the results you will get just doing a little at a time on a daily basis.

Strategies for Maintaining a Decluttered Home

Establishing a Routine

I have certain daily routines I do without even thinking about it. Because I prefer a minimalist aesthetic keeping my home in good shape is relatively easy. I don’t think much about it. As things come up I deal with them right away. The key is consistency.

 
Just investing say 15  minutes daily will save you countless hours of cleaning and organizing in the long run. If you are too rushed during the week to spend a minute at home maintenance try an hour or so each weekend to put things away, clean, and organize various areas of your home. You need to fit into your schedule the best way that works for you and your family.

Dealing with Family Members’ Clutter

Speaking of which, if you live with family members who tend to create clutter, it’s essential to involve them in the decluttering process. Because everyone is so busy today it should never come down to one person to be responsible for all the home organization responsibilities.  

Make this a teachable moment for the kids. I never win any points with kids when I suggest this! Creating designated areas for each family member to store their belonging is a good way for a lot of people to deal with this. 

Purposeful Shopping

Nothing gets in my home that I don’t need or want. Mindfulness will be your friend. Before you click the buy now button think the purchase through. Do you need it or is just going to be another item that ends up in the landfill?  

Avoid impulse purchases, especially at those awful systems they have in stores when you go to check out. That was a retail marketer’s stroke of genius, the idea to wend the buyers through an aisle of stuff they don’t need while waiting to check out. Those impulse buys or ‘add-on’ sales are designed to make you buy more stuff you don’t need.

A Bankrate report shows in the last year Americans spent a whopping $71 billion on impulse purchases. Ask yourself before you open your wallet if this thing will add value to your life. 

The Role of Mindset in Decluttering

Clutter-Free Attitude

To make a fresh start, it’s essential to embrace a clutter-free attitude. This means viewing decluttering as a positive, transformative process. With this mindset, you may possibly be able to muster some enthusiasm to get the job done. Shift your perspective by recognizing the benefits of a tidy home and mind, including increased focus, a sense of accomplishment and above all peace of mind.

Practicing Gratitude

Gratitude plays a significant role in decluttering your home and mind. By appreciating what you have, you’re less likely to accumulate unnecessary possessions. Practice daily gratitude by:

Listing three things you’re grateful for each day.

Cherishing memories and experiences over material items.

Recognizing the value of a simplified lifestyle.

Reframing your mindset to focus on the abundance in your life, rather than the clutter.

Harnessing Self-Talk

Your inner dialogue, or self-talk, can either support or hinder your decluttering efforts. Some tips to cultivate positive self talk…

Acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small.

Remind yourself of your decluttering goals.

Silence your inner critic and replace negative thoughts with constructive ones.

By creating a supportive mental environment, you can overcome obstacles and maintain momentum in your decluttering journey. The right mindset and consistency is a crucial aspect of decluttering both your home and mind.

Dealing with Overwhelm

People tell me they are overwhelmed at the thought of decluttering your home. What does this mean? They don’t know where to start is a consistent answer. Start where you are.

Wherever you are now, in the living room, your home office, or staring into your junk drawer pick up the first item your eyes land on. Ask yourself if you need this object. If the answer is yes, put the item away – now. If you do not need the thing put it in one of the 3 bags you labeled trash, donate, or sell. It is really this simple. Now that you have started continue to the next item.

Get Motivated

There is no perfect time to start any task. Make a commitment, and start. Don’t wait to find a time until you are motivated. Getting motivated to pack for your all-expense paid exotic trip is a lot easier than motivating yourself to do a task you do not want to do. Start anyway.

Start small and stay with the task at hand which is getting rid of household clutter. The first easy step is to get rid of all the duplicate items. The junk drawer is another easy win. Dump out the contents of the drawer and only put back things you use, not the things you ‘think you may use’ one day, If that day ever comes you can get another one.

Procrastination

If you are feeling lazy when it comes time to follow through with your daily plan do it anyway. I found a good way to trick myself into starting something I wasn’t in the mood to do. If I don’t want to walk the dogs I make a deal with myself to just put on my walking shoes and start, if I don’t want to finish I don’t have to. This strategy works every single time for me!

Envisioning the benefits you’ll gain from a clutter-free space is always a good idea. Set yourself up for a win by making achievable goals and a detailed plan. You will see the decluttering process working and be motivated to continue.

Motivational Tips

Accountability

Share your journey with friends or family, so they can offer encouragement and support. Tell these folks your plan including your timeline. You will work more diligently to reach your goal if you have told others because no one wants to feel they did not achieve their goal. Any plans need to include a time-line

Vision board

Make a vision board made up of images of what you want the end goal to be, This is a powerful step to reaching your goal. Get the images from any source you want. Photographs, magazines, drawings- it doesn’t matter. All that matters is what is on your vision board depicts your ideal life.

I did this 28 years ago when I began my search for my perfect home. I took a picture of the ocean, made an 8×10 copy and posted this picture where I would see it several times a day. It took about a year to find my dream house on a little peninsula with a working lighthouse in a sleepy little coastal town. Yes, I still live here and the view I see looks just like the image I still have hanging.

Inspiration

Join an online decluttering community like DeclutterBuzz for inspiration and accountability. Like-minded people help each other. No one understands better, than another person going through what you are going through.

Seeking Professional Guidance

If you’re struggling to navigate the decluttering process on your own, seeking professional guidance can be a valuable option. Therapists and counselors trained in organization and decluttering can help identify the root causes of your clutter and provide tailored solutions to address them. Professionals can also offer emotional support and coping strategies for dealing with overwhelming feelings during the process.

We have so many professional people these days who truly want to help you live a great life and can help you find peace of mind. If you find that decluttering is causing too much distress or if you need help staying motivated and on track I urge you to reach out to a health care community.

Decluttering Beyond the Home

While decluttering your home is important, don’t forget to focus on clearing mental clutter as well. Life can get overwhelming, and maintaining a tidy living space goes hand in hand with a clear mind.

Clearing Mental Clutter

Identify Your Distractions

Make a list of things that cause you stress or distract you from being productive. This could include anything from an overcrowded inbox to the constant buzz of social media notifications. Take time to evaluate how each item on the list impacts your daily life, and find ways to reduce or eliminate those sources of mental clutter.

Schedule Time for Yourself

Set aside dedicated time each day to relax and recharge. Use this time to engage in activities that bring you joy and help you feel centered, such as meditation, reading, or spending time outdoors. Establishing a consistent self-care routine is essential for maintaining a clear and focused mind.

Cultivate Mental Boundaries

Learning to say no is a fundamental skill in maintaining your mental well-being. When we stretch ourselves too thin, we invite mental clutter into our lives. Establish boundaries with work and personal commitments to protect your time and energy. Know when to delegate tasks or let go of those that don’t serve you.

Limit Social Media Exposure

Social media can be a significant source of mental clutter. Constantly seeking validation and comparison with others can drain your mental energy. Set boundaries with your social media usage by designating specific times of the day for checking updates and notifications, or consider implementing a digital detox to free up mental space.

I spend a lot of time in front of a screen working. The first thing I do is turn off all notifications and sounds. I also do not scroll aimlessly. Any place I have business to tend to I use the notification systems to learn what I have to address. I read recently each time I get distracted it takes 23 minutes to regain focus. I can’t afford to waste that kind of time.

By addressing these key areas, you’re taking essential steps towards decluttering your mind and making a fresh start in both your home and mental well-being. The key to decluttering is consistency and determination and the key to a fresh start is decluttering your physical and mental space. Happy decluttering!

Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutter-er and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. “Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.

For more Declutter Buzz & Freebies check out our safe and private Decluttering community on our Facebook page. We are a safe and private space of like minded folks tackling this all encompassing clutter thing once and for all. No shame allowed! We will have a few laughs too!

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