Part two of our list of fifty ways to help you de-clutter literally every part of your life. Postconsumers doesn’t believe that clutter is just about bad organization or too much “stuff.” It’s an intricate connection between mental, emotional and media factors as well as just the noise and business of contemporary society. Today we’ll tackle tips eleven through twenty. If you missed our first ten tips, you can find them here.
11. Just Like Cardio – Five Minutes. Every Day.
Learning to be “fit” in your effort to de-clutter isn’t any different from your effort to get physically or mentally fit. A little bit each day can add up to big results over time. And, unlike cardio, you don’t need to dedicate half an hour of your day every day to your effort to get uncluttered. Take five minutes, just five minutes, each day to clear away an area of clutter. That’s a shelf, a drawer or a kitchen counter. That’s all. It’s only five minutes, which for many people is less time than they spend standing in line at Starbucks in the morning. At first, it may feel like you’re not even making a dent. But over time five minutes plus five minutes plus five minutes will add up to clear spaces and less stuff. Now, you just need to not re-clutter those spaces! But we’ll get to that later.
12. Get Outside More Often.
What does getting outside more often have to do with de-cluttering your life? Visualization leads to inspiration. Here’s a fact about nature: it’s by default not cluttered. Everything has enough space to breathe and live – something you’ll experience in your own life once you start to let go of clutter and “stuff.” The more time that you spend outside, the more you’ll want what’s inside of your house to find the same state of alignment as what’s outdoors. An added benefit is that time outside makes you both mentally and physically healthier. As we pointed out before, the relationship between holding on to “stuff” and your own mental, emotional and physical health is very entwined. There are millions (literally!) of benefits to making sure that you spend at least some time outside each day. The gradual impact it will have on helping you let go of clutter is just a minor one. But trust us, it will help change your mindset and release your emotions that are bound to “stuff.”
13. Reward Yourself (Or the Opposite).
The carrot or the stick? The carrot or the stick? Whichever works better for you, it’s important to create rewards (or deterrences) whenever you’re making big changes to how you run your life or trying to break bad habits. If you’re a reward system person, set up a weekly reward for meeting all of your de-cluttering goals (and yes, it’s a good idea to create a goal list before you start). What’s your reward? Anything but more clutter! Choose a great meal, a trip to the spa, a night out at the movies or a night to yourself with no interruptions. Whatever will make you feel happy and rewarded. And while we typically don’t like to advocate for deterrences instead of rewards (the world is just a nicer place with rewards), it’s important to understand what works best for you when you’re making personal changes. If you need to penalize yourself for not meeting goals in order to make them happen, then by all means take that route instead.
14. Avoid Impulse Purchases.
Not all clutter builds up because of over-shopping, but a significant amount of it does. Clutter and today’s addictive consumerism go hand in hand. After all, when was the last time you heard about a clutter or a hoarding problem in a non-westernized country? Controlling impulse buys can be difficult, and we have some tips further down in the list that will help you. For now, here are two tips that can “get you over the hump” of an impulse buy. Put a 24-hour hold on any item you’re thinking of buying that wasn’t something you specifically went to the store to get. You may find that, a day later, you’ve realized that you don’t need it (or want to spend the extra money). Our second tip is to be strong and aware when you’re in the checkout lines at a store or purchasing an item online. Items placed at a checkout line stand or “recommended” to you when you purchase online are both designed to do one thing – get you to make an impulse purchase. Awareness is half the battle!
15. Check Expiration Dates and Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet.
How cluttered is your medicine cabinet or bathroom with old medicines, makeup and health and beauty products? A quick way to de-clutter these items is by checking the expiration dates. Yes, expiration dates on skin care and makeup products do matter, and expiration dates on both prescription and over-the-counter medications matter even more. One pass through your bathroom or medicine cabinet can clear out a lot of clutter and give you the opportunity to not replace it! Remember, though, that how you dispose of health and beauty and cosmetics products matters. Not only is there a recycling opportunity, but many of the products themselves should be disposed of carefully to avoid water or landfill contamination.
16. Skip the Bulk Aisle. It’s Rarely Worth It.
If you’re truly feeding a large family (or a large pack of dogs), then the bulk aisle may make sense for you. But in most cases, studies reveal that the amount of waste generated by buying more than you need in bulk exceeds the savings that you may experience. It’s always tempting to want to get more for less, but are you really spending less if you’re buying more than you need? There’s certainly a role for bulk shopping in present day society. But just because you can get more, it doesn’t mean that you should get more. That’s especially true if you’re trying to de-clutter your life. Take some time to sit down and really do the math on what you’re spending versus what you’re saving versus what you’re wasting. You may find that buying smaller amounts more frequently actually works out better for you.
17. Get Off Some Social Media! It’s Nothing But Mental Clutter.
Social media doesn’t have to be evil, and it can have a place in your life. But being connected to multiple social media networks all day long, every day isn’t healthy and contributes to a mindset of stress and clutter. In fact, there are now numerous studies that show that increased social media use correlates to increased stress. The more stressed you are, the more you’re unmotivated to make changes in your life and the more likely you are to add to clutter by resorting to emotional shopping. Social media can be a great way to get news and keep in touch with people, but keep it manageable. We like to suggest removing social media apps from your phone and limiting yourself to no more than two hours per day of social media time.
18. Don’t Use Retail Therapy for Emotional Issues.
Speaking of emotional shopping, it’s one of the biggest contributors to clutter and clutter’s evil child, hoarding. If you use “retail therapy” as a way to deal with emotional issues or blue times, it’s high past time to let go of the idea that “stuff” can make you feel whole or happy. Much like a drug, a retail purchase can give you a temporary high, but the crash is quick and the cost from your pocketbook adds up. This is a complicated issue – separating your “fix” from your emotional issues. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to do this one on your own – or even quickly. If “retail therapy” is something that you do every once in a while, then it’s nothing to necessarily stress about. Simply recognize what you’re doing and have the presence of mind to step back and think about whether you really want to make that purchase. But if retail therapy is an overpowering part of your life, please seek professional help. You’ll find that the reward of letting go is worth it.
19. Think Classic. Not Trendy.
We all need clothing. We all need furniture. Ok, actually we don’t all need that. But we’re fairly certain that the majority of Postconsumers aren’t ready to give it all up and live in a tree (though applause to you if you have!). What creates more purchases, more clutter and more “stuff?” Being tied to the idea of having to be “on-trend.” Trends change. Remember when we all wore shoulder pads every day? Even in casual sweatshirts? The more you tie yourself to trends, the more frequently you’ll have to purchase items and the more unused, out-of-trend items you’ll have cluttering up your home, closet, office or car. What’s the solution? Instead of thinking trendy, think timeless classics. Not only will you need to buy fewer items, your style will be stunning!
20. Enlist Help. Make it a Team Effort.
Whether you’re flying solo or part of a loving (and cluttered) family, turning getting de-cluttered into a team effort can help. Make it a friends and family day the day you do your biggest de-cluttering job. If you’re a family, make sure that everybody is assigned weekly “clutter chores” to keep things moving ever forward. If you’re flying solo and single, make a “de-clutter group.” It’s like a book club, but instead of pretending to talk about books you hold each other accountable for your weekly clutter count and then drink wine or whatever. In most things in life, having people to help hold each other accountable (and lend a supportive hand) leads to more success. No man or woman is an island. That is true when it comes to de-cluttering as well!
Those are our second ten tips on how to de-clutter your entire life, but we have thirty more! Continue on, and if you think we missed one be sure to share it with us using the social media channels below.
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Related Information
Talking Yourself Through a Stuff Purge
Tips for Staying Decluttered After a Stuff Purge
Twenty Ways to Reduce Noise in Your Life
The Relationship Between “Stuff” and Memories
Consumer Traps of Online Shopping
Photo Credit: Mary and the Baby Cheeses via Flickr
