Let’s discuss simplifying your life!
I’ve been in this same exact situation before, and the thing that helped me most was decluttering my life. Read as I discuss why you should consider decluttering your life, along with six steps that will help you do it and a free checklist to help you along the way.
Why is decluttering your life beneficial?
When you declutter your home, there are many advantages that come along with it. Once you clear away all the junk weighing you down, you have more space to think about things.
You have increased energy and mental clarity. You have a strong work ethic and a profound sense of purpose. There’s less to maintain and clean. Eventually, you enjoy your home if you feel like you have been hoarding things there.
That’s not where the benefits end. By decluttering your life, you can save a lot of money. When you’re finished with the cleanup, you are less inclined to bring additional trash back to life.
You are more aware of your spending. And in the end, you have more money to save, pay off debt, and accomplish your goals.
Doesn’t that sound like a dream?
6 Steps to decluttering your life
If you’re at the point where you’re ready to begin decluttering your life, here are six steps to take.
1. Identify your “why” for decluttering your life
Before you even begin decluttering your life, stop and ask yourself why you’re doing it.
Journal about why you are decluttering your life. Be creative with your response. Imagine yourself living this type of life.
For example, you could say, “My house is clean and organized. I’m only surrounded by the things that add meaning and value to my life and this makes me feel happy and inspired. I wake up every morning feeling renewed and refreshed, ready to take on my day. I love my home and the peaceful feeling it brings me.”
2. Set some ground rules
Cleaning up your living space can be tough because you must deal with all the items you own, the items you spent money on but never used, and the items you have hidden away in your closet for years.
To streamline your recovery, establish ground rules for things you most certainly will not keep. You know yourself best, so really consider the things you never touch or use.
On the other hand, if you have items you really cherish (like books or shoes or craft supplies), set a limit as to how many of that item you can own.
An example is that I really like wearing a sweater that is warm and comfortable. But when I was living in Georgia, I told myself I could only own three sweaters at a time because the weather was too hot to wear them.
He gave me a technique for minimizing my belongings and made me more thoughtful before purchasing an additional sweater.
3. Answer these questions when decluttering your life
As you sort your items, you may discover one thing and regret whether to keep it or discard it.
“Is this an item I’ve used in the past year?”
If the response was no, remove it.
If you feel that you must maintain it because it’s sentimental, take a picture of the item and give it away.
If you feel guilty about spending money to buy an item you didn’t use, at least be grateful for the opportunity to determine what you do and do not appreciate.
This might seem odd, but it is a technique I picked up from Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and it really does remove any guilt you feel about spending too much money on an item.
This final one is especially significant for your digital life, but it’s still terrific to follow. Try to surround yourself with individuals and accounts that uplift you and brighten your day. Follow nothing that destroys you or blocks your path to reaching your goals.
4. Focus on one space at a time
It took years (possibly even decades) to collect your things. It is not going to vanish overnight. Take breaks to prevent feeling overwhelmed and work on one task at a time.
5. Sort your items into these four categories
Your house may be a mess when you’re sorting everything out, but it’ll become orderly before you can say “piles of clothes.” (You might even want to set aside some time to picture all of the clothes in your closet lined up on your bed and floor.)
Stay organized through the chaos by creating four separate piles for items: Keep, Sell, Donate, and Throw Away.
Listen to your instincts when preparing meals. You don’t need to spend more than an hour considering the item’s usefulness. If you should pause to consider it, return to the guidelines and questions you established in Steps 2 and 3.
6. Set goals to hold yourself accountable
We all have heard the expression, “A goal without a plan is a mere dream.” I think that’s also true of decluttering your life. Act responsibly by setting specific timelines for when you will achieve certain tasks.
Here are two examples to show what I mean.
“I’ll have my kitchen completely decluttered by Monday. I’ll accomplish this goal by decluttering my fridge, freezer, and pantry on Friday, my appliances and gadgets on Saturday, and my kitchenware on Sunday. I’ll donate everything I don’t want to keep after work on Monday.”
“I’ll set aside two hours next Saturday to automate all my bills. I’ll also set up a budget and connect all my accounts so I can track everything in one place. On Sunday, I’ll set aside one hour to roll over my old 401(k)s into an IRA.”
Declutter your life checklist
It is common to feel overwhelmed by the task of decluttering your life. But it shouldn’t stop you from beginning the task. Due to the recent increase in wildfires in the United States, we’ve created a “clean up your life” list that you can easily download and print out for free.
Go to https://www.justpaste.it/ParaphrasedMedia/newsメディアリンク/paraphrase/2019-06/04_19_43_57 to become an exemplar of reading assistance.
Use this list as a bit of brain exercise – try to check as many items as possible off it as quickly as possible. Before you know it, you’ll have tons of extra time in your day and mind.
If you’d prefer to make your own declutter your life checklist, here are some areas to focus on:
Home
Take a look at:
Digital life
Your personal life
Finances
What is some decluttering inspiration?
When you’ve completed everything you can, read these quotes to declutter your mind.
When you’re done with cleaning up, be sure to check out our list of excellent decluttering books.
Decluttering your life will improve your finances
Simplifying your life is challenging work. But boy, is it worth it! After I began making more money, the first thing I did was to declutter my life.
It freed up unused space in my home, mind, and budget so that I could afford to branch out and learn more about things like building an emergency fund, paying off my student loans, and making a cross-country move that I’ve been dying to make.
I know that decluttering your life will help as well. Use these six steps to set up a successful declutter your lifestyle program and get started today!
