You probably hear over and over again how good decluttering is for you, or perhaps you have a friend who is always expressing how great it feels to purge items or organize things in their storage space in Dubai. To you, however, the idea of getting rid of a lot of your belongings feels like an overwhelming, scary, emotional task.
Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. And you certainly aren’t strange for feeling that way. In fact, we are willing to bet your friend, who is now addicted to decluttering, once felt like that before she or he started.
Clutter as a concept is a funny thing because generally it is made up of a wide variety of items. There’s a dress that you wore to a friend’s engagement party a couple of years ago, which no longer fits. Here’s the treadmill you bought and used for a week a few months back, which you gave up on (and is now gathering dust in the guest bedroom) when you decided that walking the dog was all the exercise you wanted to do. And then there’s the entire shelf in the garage stuffed with corporate giveaways, tacky travel souvenirs, magazines you’ve been meaning to read, and your toddler nephew’s random arts and crafts projects (he’s a teenager now).
In other words, there are plenty of routes through which stuff can get accumulated (which is why so many of us feel weighed down by belongings), but you don’t have to go on living that way.
Keep reading to learn more about the whys and hows of decluttering.
1. Why is decluttering good for you and your health?
Here is the thing: Decluttering isn’t just beneficial for the aesthetics of your space or the heaviness of your bag (although those things are certainly pros). It can also have profoundly positive effects on your body, mind, and soul – as well as the world at large.
It promotes relaxation as the less time you have to dedicate towards cleaning and organizing and thinking about your stuff, the more relaxed you will be. This calming of the mind also helps to stimulate creativity. Additionally, because clutter demands your attention, by decluttering your home and office, you are able to have a sharper, more productive and more concentrated mind.
If that wasn’t enough, decluttering helps to purify the air around you because it gets rid of the dust that is attached to all your belongings. Moreover, by “throwing out” your unwanted or unneeded objects and donating them, you are helping people in need. So, there are lots of reasons why decluttering is more than just removing items from your life.
2. How are decluttering and organizing different?
Despite the fact that the terms “decluttering” and “organizing” are often used interchangeably, the reality is that the two are very different processes.
Decluttering has to come before organizing because the decluttering process entails getting rid of unnecessary, unused, or unloved items. This process requires you to pare down your objects by eliminating the surplus. Once you have decluttered (and you love and have a use for everything that remains), then you can move on to organizing.
The process of organizing involves devising an uncomplicated system of storage for belongings that you need, use, and love. To organize well, you want to have less to organize.
However, the essential difference between decluttering and organizing is that organizing is only temporary. Once you have organized your belongings, you have to keep it up. Decluttering, on the other hand, is permanent. Once those items have been removed from your life, you never have to think about them again. This is when you can truly find freedom.
3. How do I start the process of decluttering?
According to the Japanese organizing consultant and best-selling author Marie Kondo, her two-step approach to decluttering is to first place your hands on everything you own, ask whether or not it “sparks joy,” and if the answer is no, then you thank it for its service and remove it from your life. After this process, when you are only left with your most joy-giving belongings, you place each item in a space where it is visible, accessible, and easy to get and return.
According to Kondo, the best way to go about the process of decluttering is to tackle categories instead of rooms. While many people may start with the bedroom, then the living room, then the kitchen and so on, Kondo recommends decluttering by category — for example, every movie at once, no matter where in your home they are located. Otherwise, they will just proceed to be moved from room to room and the decluttering will never truly happen.
As the least emotional category, start with clothes first and then move on to books, and so on, leaving the most emotionally tinged categories for last.
4. Why is a storage unit useful?
For many people, renting storage space can significantly help in the process of decluttering and organizing your home. For example, records (such as bills and medical records) can be kept there until they are ready to be shredded. Generally, it is better to have file cabinets and boxes of paperwork kept in a spacious storage unit outside of your home rather than taking up precious space inside.
However, more than just bringing enhanced peace of mind for everyone in the home, renting a storage unit has other less-obvious advantages. For example, you are ensuring your valuables are safe from environmental damage and theft. What’s more, it allows you to have more space to live – you can prioritize making room for things that really matter. This will help you to stay organized, to keep the house clean, and to reduce the amount of time wasted while looking for something.
Additionally, many families like to store their seasonal items (such as sporting gear, patio furniture, winter clothes and toys) in a storage unit while they are not in use. Then, if necessary, you can get help with packing and moving and switch them out when the season is right. Furthermore, special mementos that you want to keep in your life but don’t want to declutter your home can be kept safe and sound in the storage unit.
If you need help with moving your items or finding the storage solution that works for you, then reach out to EasyTruck™, and we will be happy to discuss your options.
