“Mom! I can’t find my brown trousers!”
“Mom! Someone stole my green sandals!”
“Mom! I can’t find the stainless-steel pot in the kitchen cabinet. Where is it?”
I can’t talk enough about the magnitude of clutter our family was drowning in while living in a 1 BHK house back in 2010. Our house was always echoing with the sounds of clutter and we were never able to find our own stuff. And then we shifted to a 3 BHK apartment the same year only to find out that we were still living underneath a mountain of clutter. My Mom once expressed her frustration over how her kids were the messiest lot ever. No matter how much she cleaned, her efforts would all go in vain because her messy kids didn’t appreciate her efforts.
I remember how she once told us that space was never a problem in our house, the mindset was. She still says that even a 10 BHK house wouldn’t be enough if you don’t know how to utilize and manage the space efficiently.
Once you learn to silence the chaos in your house, you’ve mastered the art of decluttering.
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I still sometimes buy things on impulse and struggle with clutter but over the years, I have learned the importance of a chaos-free living space. It would be wrong to say that I have mastered the art of decluttering but I’m gradually learning to silence the chaos in my home. Here are a few things I practice on a regular basis to keep my living space clutter-free:
1. Slow Declutter
We, as humans, get attached to our homes just as we do to our friends and family. And to expect ourselves to part with stuff that we have invested our feelings in is inhuman to say the least.
I can’t forget how long it took me to get rid of the containers and utensils in my kitchen because they had stayed with me for years. I wish I had realized it earlier that it was alright to part with my stuff slowly and steadily rather than decluttering it all at once. I sometimes just mentally prepare myself for parting with my old possessions before getting rid of them a few days later.
2. Make Space Rather Than Filling Space
The biggest mistake I made was buying a lot of things only because I had free space in my house. It looks easier to buy furniture, books, clothes and utensils to fill up the vacant space but what I didn’t realize earlier was that stuff needs to be managed. It took me a few months to get rid of the items that I had spent years to buy but I feel happy knowing that my study room shelf has a lot of vacant space for my books to breathe. I love how it has become easier for me to find clothes in my otherwise stuffed up closet. I love repeating my limited clothing items and find it to be a better idea than having a lot of clothes that I didn’t like wearing.
3. Practice Detachment
How would you detach yourself from someone who doesn’t reciprocate your romantic feelings? You would most likely remind yourself that holding on to unreciprocated emotions would do more harm than good and cutting off all possible contacts would be good for your mental and emotional health. The same goes for material things.
If you believe that a certain sentimental item isn’t serving you any purpose, it’s a sign that you need to detach yourself from it. It might be a greeting card that you got from an ex-lover or a dress that an old friend gifted you or just an old piece of jewellery that you got from your great-grandmother. If that object isn’t adding value to your life and is only filling up the space in your house, donate or sell it today.
4. Take Photos Of Sentimental Stuff
There is stuff that is too hard to part with. And stuff that you know you don’t like but can’t get rid of because it was gifted by someone with love. Many people inherit a lot of material things from their parents and grandparents but don’t have the space for it in their house. The best way to go in such a case is to take photos of these items before getting rid of them. This will allow you to look back at these photos every time you find yourself missing the stuff or the people associated with it.
5. Let Go Of Maybe Items
I’m guilty of having bought books that I never read and clothes that I never wore more than once. But the thought of getting rid of them never crossed my mind because I always assumed that I would use them someday, except that ‘someday’ never arrived. Life is fast and it’s important to know that if you haven’t used an item in the last one year or so, you’re unlikely to use it in the future. I still carry the guilt of having to let go of a lot of ‘maybe’ items but I love the vibe I get from the amazing clothes and books I now have and use.
6. Think Of Your Stuff As Humans
If you find yourself struggling to get rid of unused items lying at the back of your kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets, think of them as human beings with emotions. Now ask yourself how you would feel if you were left neglected for years by someone close to you.
You are stopping the neglected stuff in your home from serving its actual purpose by unnecessarily holding on to it. The best way to make this stuff useful is to donate it to someone who needs it and would appreciate it more than you do.
Clutter is never created by the things you own. It’s rather built by the stuff that you hold on to despite knowing that it’s not adding any value to your life. The only way of silencing the chaos in your home is to get rid of everything that’s lying unused for a while now. You will know what it means to master the art of decluttering when you’ll find yourself finding joy in the limited stuff that you own because this is the stuff that adds value to your life.