1. Start small.
If Decluttering seems overwhelming start small.. Pick one drawer, on basket, one pile, or one room. Break it down to something that is achievable. Even a small corner of opened space will create new energy in your home and your life.
2. Look for paper clutter.
Paper clutter comes in many forms. Junk mail, catalogs, newspapers, magazines, even books. Be ruthless with the paper clutter. Ask yourself if that piece of mail is necessary and if it is file it away in an appropriate place. Go through your filing system quarterly or at least yearly to eliminate things that no longer need to be saved. Can you archive anything online instead? Books you don’t read? Donate them to your library.
3. Give away gifts you don’t want
This is a tough one for people. Almost everyone has been given gifts that they don’t want or need. Out of guilt we hold on to them. That guilt can way us down tremendously. Give yourself the permission to let go of old gifts. Give them away to someone else. Shed the guilt. You won’t hurt your aunt’s feelings. And if you do, she will get over it.
4. Ask yourself, “Is it sacred to me?”
One point of point decluttering is to only have things around you that you find meaningful and sacred. By eliminating the unnecessary and the never used, you can reveal the things that do hold importance to you. And most of them won’t be things. Clear out to create a sacred space.
5. Let go of “just in case”
Keeping things for just in case scenarios is very tempting. We have the fear that the minute we get rid of something will be the minute we need that thing. In actuality this is rarely ever the case. Let it go and make space for the new. Don’t reinforce to yourself that there is a lack or scarcity in the world that you need to be prepared for. Instead, grow your social connections, your family and friend time. These are the resources that will really matter.
