So how do we stay clutter free after decluttering as a minimalist? You want to be a minimalist and adopt better way of life. You’ve decluttered and reduced your purchases, yet you still have a cluttered home? Decluttering is part of the process, but there is more to do to develop your minimalist habits. That’s because you need a system. You need some guidelines that will transform your home to remain clutter free and develop a minimalist home.
How to stay clutter free after decluttering as a minimalist:
Here are 10 golden rules of minimalism to stay clutter free…
- Purge often – One way to stay clutter free after decluttering is to keep decluttering. You may think you have decluttered everywhere in your home, but you will be surprised with how generous you were when you first started. This means you need to keep going over the same area a few times to get it to where you want it to be. This is also because going back to an area will help you reassess those questionable items that you weren’t sure about whether to declutter or not. If you’re questioning it for a second time, it’s time to part with it.
- Have a home for everything. Another way to stay clutter free is to think about where everything is kept. This means you need to think about how you use the item. Is placed where you are likely to use it? You will then be more likely to return it to the right place.
- Keep a junk drawer – this can be a powerful tool for those awkward and unsure items. It may take a while to find a suitable place, so keep it here until you do. That way, you will know where to find it. Consider it organised chaos and an acceptable minimalist habit.
- Stop clutter before it enters your home – this is referring to junk mail, envelopes from mail, brochures, catalogues, etc. Don’t allow them to sit but the doorway. Get them straight to the recycle bin. If you don’t need to use receipts for tax/budgeting purposes, then say no to them at the till. Do you have any packaging from parcels and deliveries could be recycled?
- Go paper free – this one may cause anxiety. Bills are online and easy to access. They can be save digitally. Turn off paper copies for as many bills as you can and get into the habit of downloading them each month.
- Complete 1 minute jobs straight away – there is too much temptation to leave little jobs for later and do them all in one fell swoop, but this creates a bigger job that you may start to avoid doing. Complete any job that would take less than a minute to complete straight away. i.e. putting a cable away when unplugging it, filing receipts from your purse to your filing cabinet, resetting the cushions and blankets before bed. It will be worth it, as you will feel a sense of freedom as you will no longer have bigger jobs to sort needing a larger chunk of time.
- When decluttering remove the items straight away – you may think you’ll leave the box of donations until the following week, but that will sit there and take up valuable space mentally and physically. It can be tempting to take items out of the donation box and return it into your home. Make sure you remove any decluttered items asap. The longer it sits in the garage or home, the less likely you will get rid of it at all. Doesn’t that defy all your hard work in the first place?
- Buy only what you need – think carefully when making purchases. Do you really need that item? Is it going to work for you in your home?
- Only buy replacement items that you love – when you finish using up an item or an item breaks, decide whether it is worth replacing. Did you love it? Did it serve a purpose? If you didn’t love it then don’t buy it again.
- Have a one in one out policy – This could work for a multitude of items, such as clothing, cleaning products, towels, shampoos, etc. Only buy a new one when the other is finished.
What are your thoughts about staying clutter free?
Each of these golden rules work together to keep your home clutter free and manageable.
Rachel, Declutter Your Life x
More ideas on how to declutter your home… https://declutteryourlife.co.uk/minimalism/little-acts-of-decluttering-part-3/
For more information on each step check out my youtube channel… https://www.youtube.com/c/RachelNoakes
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