I always find myself wondering if decluttering as an activity needs to be done as often as I say here. After all, we are all busy people with lives that are very demanding, and to take time to declutter your home isn’t as easy as it seems to be.
I have even talked to people who believe and implement the idea that decluttering can be done only when required and not on a regular basis. It should happen when you are moving homes, or when you’re downsizing, or when you’re moving towards a minimalistic lifestyle, or when there has been a death of an old member in the family.
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I personally declutter my home more often than it needs to be done. Although my home is spacious enough to keep a lot of stuff, I like having enough space to breathe and move around. But this wasn’t the case when I lived in a tiny dorm during my college days. I shared the room with another girl and the two of us never bothered to declutter the room until a family member was visiting over. Of course, we cleaned and organized it on a regular basis, but decluttering was a far call.
Having spent so much time learning and writing about decluttering, I have certainly realized that the word ‘decluttering’ holds different meaning to different people. For some, it is an ideal way of living life and for others, it’s just a requirement that needs to be fulfilled when needed. And to be honest, none of the two meanings are right or wrong.
But how exactly do you decide if your home needs to be decluttered on a regular basis or only when required? Well, that depend on a lot of factors:
How Much Stuff Do You Have?
Your decluttering requirements depend majorly upon the amount of clutter you have in your living space. If you have a big family, there are chances that your home will have more stuff than a home with a small family. Each one of you will have clothes that match your personal styles and books of different genres. If you have kids, you are going to have to deal with a kids’ room that is full of toys, games and tiny clothes. And if you are a parent to a teenager, you might have to deal with a messy bedroom that is barely ever cleaned. In these cases, you might have to get into the habit of decluttering as often as possible if you don’t want to drown into clutter.
For people who are living alone, or with a partner, decluttering might not be as big a need as it is for others. But if you or your partner is a hoarder, you might have to start taking the job of decluttering a bit more seriously before your home gets taken over by unneeded stuff.
Even if your home doesn’t have much stuff, it doesn’t discount you out of the need to declutter. Of course, your decluttering efforts in such a case don’t need to be too intense.
How Often Do You Shop?
If you are an impulse buyer who shops too often, you might have to declutter just as quickly as you shop. If you want to avoid the need to declutter too often, try following the ‘One In, One Out’ rule where you get rid of an item before buying something similar.
If you continue to hoard without decluttering, your home might soon turn into a junkyard, and the mere idea of decluttering will make you feel overwhelmed. Also, consider giving up the habit of buying things on impulse. Here’s a detailed post that can guide you through the process of curbing impulse buying.
How Busy Is Your Lifestyle?
If your job keeps you busy all the time, clutter might be the last thing bothering you. The best and the most practical way to go (if you are a busy bee) is to take time out on weekends to declutter your living space. While I’m not a huge fan of decluttering in one go, this might be your best bet because decluttering stuff in phases or taking up a ‘40 bags in 40 days’ challenge won’t be a possibility for you. If possible, dedicate at least one weekend every month to decluttering your home. If order to avoid overwhelm, consider inviting your spouse or kids or a friend to help you out.
As a busy person, you must also try not to let the clutter settle in your home.
If you have enough time to declutter your home on a regular basis, you can take up different challenges to make it more fun. Try taking a 7-Day Declutter Challenge to begin with and you will be amazed with the amount of difference it can make to you home.
What’s Your Mindset When It Comes To Decluttering?
If you are a hoarder, decluttering too often might be too bad an idea to consider because of the emotions involved. But even in this case, you must push yourself to declutter. Here’s a detailed post I wrote about ‘decluttering as a hoarder’ and another on ‘Decluttering Motivation Tips’.
As a hoarder, you need to declutter your living space more than anyone else but if that’s not a possibility, consider cutting down on your tendency to hoard stuff.
The mindset with which you declutter your living space also plays a huge role in how often you should declutter. If you are someone who has a habit of keeping old things or has trouble letting go of stuff, consider forming a habit of decluttering at least one old item per week. It will help you change your mindset as you start witnessing the results of your decluttering efforts.
It’s not easy to declutter your stuff no matter how much of it you have. And when it comes to deciding how often you need to declutter, there is no one size that fits all. It’s on you to decide it for yourself. But no matter what decision you take, be honest to yourself in deciding what stays and what goes because getting rid of items that don’t add value to your life is extremely freeing.