A Quick Guide to Cleaning up Your Clutter at Home
One of my favorite habits that I’ve developed since changing my life nine years ago is tidying up the house. Now I understand that I have always disliked the mess, but I put off thinking about it because it was unpleasant. The thought that I would have to deal with all this mess was overwhelming and I had too much to do or too tired, so I put it off.
This post was originally published on the Zen Habits site .
It turns out that disorder is procrastination.
But I learned to deal with this procrastination piece by piece, and got rid of it. It was really amazing.
It’s amazing because I really didn’t believe I could do it until I did it. I didn’t believe in myself. And amazing, because when it was done, background noise, distraction, annoyance were removed from my life.
Clearing the clutter of my house meant a more peaceful, minimalist life. This means I spend less time cleaning, taking care of my belongings, looking for things. Less money to buy things, store things. Less emotional attachment to things.
For those looking to start getting rid of the trash, I would like to offer a quick getting started guide. Be aware that this guide is not exhaustive and it can take months to truly get to your messy home … but if you do it right, the process will be fun, liberating, and uplifting every step of the way.
1. Start small . The clutter can be overwhelming, so we put it off. The best thing I did was just focus on one small place to start. The kitchen counter (only part of it) is a good example of this. Or a dining table or a shelf. Remove everything from this place and put back only what you really need. Put it back neatly. Get rid of the rest – give away, sell on Craigslist, donate, recycle. Cleaning and sorting will take 10 minutes, and you can give your items later when you have time.
2. Work piece by piece . If you start small you will love it, but there is still a whole house full of things to sort out. How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time. (Not literally – I’m vegan .) Just like you did one small area to start with, keep doing this for just 10 minutes a day, maybe more if you’re feeling really enthusiastic. If you have a day off on the weekend, spend half the day doing most of the work. Spend the whole weekend if you like. Or just do one small bite at a time – no rush, but keep progressing.
3. Follow a simple method . For every little piece you make, clear out the area of interest and put everything in one pile. Take the first thing from the heap (don’t put it off to decide later) and force yourself to make a decision. Ask yourself: Do I love this and do I use it? If not, get rid of it. If so, find a place for it – I call it “home.” If you really love and use something, it deserves a home that you assign and where you put it every time you finish with it. Then move on to the next one and make the same decision. By working quickly and quickly making decisions, you can sort a stack in about 10 minutes (depending on the size of the stack).
4. Put your things in the trunk . After collecting things for donation or distribution, put them in boxes or bags with groceries and put them in the trunk of your car (if you don’t have a car, somewhere near the door). Choose a time to deliver them. Enjoy taking them out of your life.
5. Talk to all participants . If your significant other lives with you, children or other people, they will suffer if you start cleaning the house. You should talk to them now before starting work so that they understand why you want to do this and involve them in the decision-making process. Ask them what they think about it. Submit this article to them for review. Ask if they can support you in your desire to clean up the clutter, at least in your own belongings, in the kitchen or living room, to find out what it looks like. Don’t be assertive, don’t try to force, but keep the conversation going. It’s okay if they resist. Try changing what you can control (for example, your personal belongings) and see if that example inspires them to consider making further changes.
6. Pay attention to your resistance . There will be many things that you either don’t want to get rid of (even if you don’t actually use them) or you don’t want to get down to business. This resistance is important to watch out for – it’s your mind that wants to escape discomfort or find rationalizations. You can give in to resistance, but at least pay attention to it. See how it goes. In truth, we put a lot of emotional attachment into objects. A photograph of a loved one, a gift from a family member, a souvenir from a wedding or travel, a treasured thing from a deceased grandfather. These items do not actually contain the memories or love we think are in them, and the practice of letting go of the items while holding on to love is good practice. And the practice of removing the clutter you are afraid to deal with is also a wonderful practice.
7. Enjoy the process . The danger is that you will start to see disposing of unnecessary trash as just another chore on your to-do list. Once you start doing this, it becomes something to put off. Instead, rephrase it as a liberating practice of mindfulness. Smile when you do this. Concentrate on your breathing, on your body, on the movements of moving objects, on your feelings for objects. This is a great practice and I recommend it.
These steps will not help you get rid of the clutter in your home over the weekend. But you can enjoy the first step and then the second, and before you know it, you have taken 30 steps and your home has been transformed. You will like this change as much as I will.
Quick Start Guide for a Messy Home | Zen habits