How To Declutter And Throw Away Without Regrets

They say that a cluttered house leads to a cluttered, stressed mind. But how do we declutter when we're really attached to our stuff? This article will help separate yourself emotionally from your stuff and throw it away without any regrets. From this moment, you're at war with clutter. And so far, it's winning.

Stuff gets everywhere. Books are piled on top of one another on creaking shelves, wires are coiled endlessly around each other like a family of snakes, clothes are sprawled on the floor because there is no longer enough room for them in the wardrobe, and you can't seem to move for bits and bobs. And finally, you've had enough. You're tired of waking up each morning faced with all the clutter. It's depressing, and hardly puts you in a get-to-it, productive frame of mind. All you can think is that you have to live in a jungle of stuff. Maybe you've heard about minimalism, a simpler way of life with very few possessions. But to live that type of life, you need to be brave enough to get rid of your clutter without regretting first. How to do that? Let's take a look!

Attack The Biggest Problem First
Don't start with the stuff that bothers you a tad. Dive straight into the deep end with the stuff that bothers you a lot. Start with the clutter that's been annoying you for weeks and months on end. This means that you also shouldn't try to do everything all at once. Instead, focus on one particular problem area that's been really bugging you and attack it with all that you've got. The idea is that, because this area has been causing you so much stress over the last few months, you shouldn't feel any regrets when it's finally gone. In fact, you should feel nothing but relief. And once you've experienced that sweet feeling of relief, you'll be motivated to move swiftly onto the next area (after a celebratory glass of wine, of course).

Attack The “Maybes”
There will be stuff that you can easily get rid of with no hassle. This is the stuff that's been annoying you for ages. But as well as stuff that you really don't want to part with (it would literally make you cry), there will also be stuff that you could maybe get rid of. As a general rule, any maybe stuff is stuff that you should just get rid of. If it was key to your happiness, it wouldn't have been relegated to a maybe already. However, we recommend holding onto your maybe's for a month to see if you really do need them. If you find that you don't, get rid once the month is over. There really is no need to keep them.

Identify The Reasons For All Your Clutter
Unless you identify the reasons for all your clutter, it will probably just come back within a few weeks after decluttering. That's what decluttering does. It's like a pesky plant that will keep re-growing until you've killed its root. To kill your clutter's roots, find out why there is also so much clutter. For a lot of people, it's simply because they don't put their things away once they've finished using them. Watched a movie? Instead of putting it straight back into the DVD cupboard, we leave it on top of the DVD player.

“I'll put it back tomorrow,” we say. But tomorrow never comes and stuff gradually accumulates in one spot. Find out why you're so bad at creating clutter and attack this cause.

Remember That Your Memories Are In Your Mind

We're all guilty of attaching memories to stuff, believing that a memory is encased within inanimate objects. Seriously, Beauty and Tips once saw a guy blubber over a watch. A grown man! You're the same. We all are. We cherish items because of the fond memories associated with them. But while you should hold onto one or two items extra special items – such as grandma's wedding ring that she gave to you – it's important to remember that the memory is never tied into the object; it's always in your mind.

Throw Things Out Once You're Done With Them

When it comes to throwing stuff away, you need to be very mindful of your habits. Because the longer we hold onto things, the harder it is to throw them away. We become sentimentally attached. Take magazines. We finish a magazine but never get around to binning them. We let each one pile up on top of the other, and then decide to hold onto them all in case there is something in there we'd like to re-read later on. Either throw the whole magazine away once you're finished (you won't read it ever again cover to cover – no one ever does!), or cut out an article you really loved and store it in a scrap book. Simple!

Give Your Stuff Away To Friends And Family
Ever wanted to hold onto something incase you'll need to use it again at a later date? Of course you have – it's why you're finding it so hard to declutter. A simple trick here is to give your stuff away to someone you know and who lives close by. Then, if you ever need to use it again, you can just pop over to borrow it! (provided you've agreed to this beforehand). You could open a Facebook group and share your items with just close friends and family members only. And even if you never see/use the stuff again, at least you know it will be going to a good home!

Picture Your Stress-Free Life Once It's Over

If you're finding it hard to declutter because you're afraid you'll lose a part of you and that you'll turn into an absolute mess who can't cope with life anymore, just picture how you'll really feel once your home is no longer a jungle of stray wires, bulging book shelves, old video games and a million anklets.

You feel so relaxed, serene, stress-free, relieved and amazing! You'll be able to think clearly and walk around without worrying about what you're going to step on! Yay!

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Beauty and Tips