When I stumbled upon minimalism six months ago, I had no idea I would start a journey to declutter every space in my home. Six months later, I am still on my decluttering journey with no plans to stop! My decluttering journey has come with lessons, some of which were definitely eye-opening. We all know the saying, “If it’s easy it probably isn’t worth it.” This statement has been very true during the last six months. Although the journey has not been easy, I only have one decluttering regret. If I could start my decluttering journey over, I would have started the journey earlier!
Below are six lessons that I have learned from decluttering my home.
Decluttering is not a one-time event
Depending on your goal of minimalism and reducing clutter you will not declutter your home in one session. When we analyze our homes, we realize that the amount of clutter that we have accumulated was a process that happened over several years.
It can take months or years to fully reach your ultimate decluttering goals depending on your lifestyle. However, I have noticed that once you begin to see the benefits of decluttering, it becomes addictive and you will want to declutter daily.
Over the past six months, I have decluttered my home tremendously but I still have additional items that I feel like I can still remove from my home.
I now have a decluttering bin that I keep in my garage and add items that I no longer use to the bin weekly and plan a specific day on the weekend to specifically declutter a space.
Getting rid of some items will be hard
Many people detail how difficult it is to declutter sentimental items and this has been very true for my husband who has inherited items from very close relatives.
For me, clothing has been very difficult to let go of. I often have the burning question in the back of my mind, “What if I want to wear it again one day?” This has caused me to keep more clothing than I would like, but for me the question “Does this item add value to my life?” has helped me tremendously. Each day that passes, I recognize clothes and material things truly don’t bring me happiness or add value to my life.
If you have trouble decluttering, ask yourself the question above and also know that decluttering does not mean that you have to remove everything from your home.
Some family members don’t want to be a part of your journey
Every member will not be excited about your decluttering journey and that’s okay.
My husband has always been an organized person. I consider myself an organized person but didn’t learn the skill until I met my husband. He is a true model for an individual who gives a “home” to everything.
My husband is very organized, but he owns a lot of things. At the beginning of my journey, I would assume that he would see me filling up boxes with items and hop on board but that was not true.
He is okay at the moment with owning duplicates and items that he doesn’t necessarily use on a daily basis. I have to respect the fact that we both live in our home together and every journey that I embark on will not interest him and visa versa.
Although he hasn’t gone full rogue with decluttering, he has started to get rid of items and has loved the visual benefit of having less clutter in our home.
If you have a family member that doesn’t want to be apart of your journey respect their boundaries but don’t underestimate your influence as a model.
Decluttering will always have positive benefits even if you only declutter a few items
As you remove excess items from your life, you will create a sense of order and control. Your self-confidence will increase, your clarity will improve, and overall you will transform your life as a new mind shift often comes with your decluttering journey.
A clutter-free environment also promotes a sense of calm and relaxation, which can reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality. When your mind is at ease, you’re able to be more productive and accomplish so much more.
If you only have time to declutter a few items, know that you are making a difference!
Home organization and tidying will become so much easier
Home organization is my jam! I love to organize my home, my work area, and spaces for others. Through experience and trainings, I have learned that decluttering has to occur in order for a home organization project to be successful.
I often say, “If you organize without decluttering you are simply stuff-shifting.”
When you declutter your home, home organization will become easier as you will organize for your spaces not the items that you own. When this occurs the frustration in organizing will decrease. The time to organize your home and clean your home will also decrease. Besides deep cleaning my home, I can now tidy most spaces in my home in less than 15 minutes. This only happened by removing items from my spaces. Less items =Less items to manage, tidy, and clean.
This is a win for individuals with busy schedules or individuals who just want more time to enjoy life.
Click here for a free home organization printable and here for a list of items to declutter in each room in your home!
There will be seasons in life when you will have more
There will be seasons in your life where you will need more items.
As a mother with three kids there were seasons where my counters and cabinets contained baby bottles, food, and many gadgets. We also had baby bags, car seats, strollers, etc. There was no way around owning these items as they were needed for the safety and needs of my children.
While some may feel guilty for owning more during these seasons Dictionary.com describes clutter as filling or littering things in a disorderly manner.
While there are periods of time where your spaces will be filled with additional items, the items can still be organized in a way that is neat and functional. When the items are no longer needed declutter those items from your spaces.
Final Thoughts:
Anytime we take a journey, there will be lessons learned. The lessons that I have learned from decluttering and simplifying my home has encouraged me to stay on the journey of decluttering. I am grateful for the lessons that I have learned from decluttering and simplifying my home and can’t wait to see what the next six months bring!
What lessons have you learned from decluttering your home?
Read Next:
The Master Declutter Home Checklist: 90 Things To Remove From Your Home Now (Free Checklist)
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