As I stood in my kitchen looking around at all the clutter littering my bench top, I felt fed up and frustrated. How did my house get so out of hand? After all, it was almost a decade ago that I had started on my minimalist journey. Yet here I was going from room to room cramming stuff in every drawer and cupboard, trying to keep my house in simple order.
It was clear, I needed a new strategy, a more drastic approach!
Declutter like you’re moving!
I decided I needed to declutter like I was moving. More like, our whole family was moving! We have lived in our current home for over 8 years now but we have definitely toyed with the idea of moving out of our city many a time. This was an opportunity to declutter as though we were moving.
Filled with a new found enthusiasm I began to assess my items in a new light, asking the questions;
- When was the last time I used this?
- Would I want to pack and unpack this if I were moving? -Or would I want to pay movers to pack this for me?
- Does this item add value to my life now?
- Could someone else find this item more useful than I do?
- Do I want this item to take up space in my new home? (If not then why do i let it take up space now?).
- If I had a limited number of boxes to fill per room, would this item make the cut?
- Would I miss this if it were to get lost while moving?
- Is it worth my time handling this item again?
I use this method one room at a time and imagine I am packing up that room as I handle each item. I decide then and there if I want to keep, donate or sell. To make this decluttering experience seem more real then you could actually pack up your stuff and only take out what you need. This is what ‘the minimalists’ call a packing party. You can read about it here:
Personally the packing party method is just too much time and effort for me, (plus my hubby may become a little concerned;) But it may be something for you to consider if you need that extra push.
Find inspiration for your new space
Visualising my new uncluttered home and imagining going through the tortuous moving process really helps me to remove all of the unnecessary stuff cluttering up my home. It helps put things into perspective of what I really need and love. There are no more maybes with this approach.
For added inspiration and motivation I save some pinterest pics of minimalist interiors of what I prefer my home to be.
This is a great opportunity to remove all of those pesky little items like excess jars, paper napkins, shampoo samples, broken pens as well as duplicates.
Once I have decluttered all of the small stuff, I then evaluate the large items, particularly furniture and storage. In our last move I had decluttered a very large timber bookshelf and found that I actually did not need this shelf any more so I sold it. It was great not having to haul this large item to the next house. Downsizing furniture you no longer need instantly creates a more open space.
The great outcome of all of this is that once you have gone through your home decluttering like youre moving, you will be left with a new home!
Let me know if you have tried this approach and how it went for you. Until next time.:)
