How tidy is your life? Discover how to reduce the accumulation of clutter holistically now. Say goodbye to unwanted things, people, and issues that block your happiness.
Minimizing clutter is not only about avoiding buying new things. You also need a long-term strategy for clutter management.
I will write about various kinds of clutter, not just the physical ones. This will help you create a powerful system that, when implemented, will drastically reduce the amount of clutter in the long run.
Something will also be written about spiritual, mental, and emotional clutter and how to reduce its accumulation.
Table of Content
How to Reduce Accumulation of Clutter
It is not just about not getting new clutter. You also need to have a long-term strategy for achieving this goal. How to do it? Start by learning why you accumulate clutter, then set the goals of clearing it, changing your habits concerning clutter, and creating new systems to reduce the accumulation of clutter.
1. Examine Your Reasons for Accumulation of Clutter
There are many reasons why clutter accumulates and persists in the long run. I will focus on the four most frequent and serious ones.
1.1 Filling the Void
It can be a physical, emotional, and mental void. For example, you want to make yourself feel better by getting a new suit because you got bored of all the old ones. Another reason is that you buy new things to fill a void you cannot. It is nicknamed “retail therapy”. You may also want to salve the pain of bereavement or breakup.
1.2. Perfectionism
How could a perfectionist have clutter? Perfectionism paralyzes you. While you know about having clutter, you do not feel equipped to deal with it perfectly. Therefore, you do nothing. And the clutter accumulates further.
1.3. Changes in Life
It is easy to accumulate more clutter when making significant life changes: having a baby, getting married, starting a new job/business, or moving to a new place. Then, you spontaneously buy new things, often without thinking long-term. For example, after a while, you do not like your desk or sofa and buy a new one, not necessarily removing the old one.
1.4. Too Much Clutter to Clear
No one wants to start clearing the clutter when there is a heap of it. This is discouraging and overwhelming. In this article, I will discuss how to avoid this problem in the future.
1.5. No System of Clutter Management
You are disorganized and spontaneously put things wherever possible. This also concerns digital clutter when you save new files wherever possible and then struggle to find them. You may also have no calendar where to write your meeting dates and tasks and, therefore, forget about important appointments or deadlines. What to do? Continue reading.
1.6 Destructive Shopping Habits
I will write about them more in a minute. Here, just be aware that your shopping habits can dramatically contribute to the accumulation of clutter. Just think about how many new items you have bought recently and which of them you used.
2. Define your goals
Because various kinds of clutter can be overwhelming, set your goals. First, set goals concerning clearing the clutter, and then those concerning minimizing it.
More about setting goals:
You might be saving up for a big goal, embracing minimalism, or just saving yourself from the overwhelm that clutter brings. Whatever it is, keep the goal in the forefront of your mind and define what you need more or less of.
3. Form Good Habits to Reduce Accumulation of Clutter
You have set your goals concerning clutter reduction, and that is fine. However, these goals may be impractical without changing some habits and training new ones. What do you need to do?
3.1 Change Your Shopping Habits
There are some excellent habits concerning shopping that will significantly decrease the amount of accumulated clutter:
- Define your priorities – every time you go shopping, define your goal, make a shopping list, and stick to it.
- Learn how to defeat temptation. Always ask: Will I need it in 90 days or 5 years? Discover the trigger and find deeper reasons for surrendering to temptation, such as the void in your life.
- Buy only the things you have space for—Before buying anything, consider how much space it will take and whether you can keep it neatly in its designated place.
- Avoid buying duplicates – Before purchasing a new leather dress, make sure you have used the old one thoroughly and that it is worn out.
- Say NO TO FREE STUFF – If you are a person who cannot pass up a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal, prepare and wear a bumper sticker that warns, ‘this car makes frequent stops for curbside groceries/clothes, etc.’ also, do not buy stuff just because they are on sale and instead, instead think you saved so much money.
Live within your means—Use only a debit card and never overdraw. You can also transfer part of your surplus money to a particular savings account that is not easy to access.
Buy individual items, not sets – Sets of pots, liners, pans, or clothes are typically a waste of money and space because people rarely use the entire set.
These are not all shopping habits you can change but work on those listed above as a start. Every time you go shopping, have a reminder of what to be careful of.
Learn by heart and ask the following questions when shopping:
- Do I need it?
- Do I have a place to keep this?
- Do I have anything similar to this item that does the job?
- Is it a need or a want?
- Will it add value to my life?
3.2. Clutter Management Habits
Let’s say that you have mastered smart shopping and buy less clutter. But it still can be a problem unless you create practical clutter management habits. What do I mean?
Establish a cleaning routine for the whole family. Train your children and partner to put away the things they use. You can also designate baskets or storage containers for them to put their clutter in.
Have a specific time every day for decluttering. It can be only 15 minutes, but you will quickly notice that clearing clutter becomes less painful and stressful.
Spend more time decluttering than organizing. Organized clutter, such as a pile of books on the dining table or desk, is still clutter. Put away everything, including everything you do not currently use. Keep kitchen and bathroom counters clear because any clutter accumulating there will attract more clutter.
Use one, get rid of one. This applies to toiletries, food, clothes, and books. Before you buy another piece, use the one you have.
Watch junk mail, freebies, and what you have. Therefore, setting up a landing strip by the front door is brilliant: Clutter must come into your home somewhere, and you can stop it at the source.
Use daily resets – spend 5 minutes tidying, picking up things, and clearing the clutter daily.
Recommended reading:
“Atomic Habits” by James Clear
Transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour, starting now.
People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions: doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.
I have read the book and can recommend it to anyone who wants to change his/her life. The techniques presented in the book can obviously change any area of your life. For example, I recently set my goals for the upcoming year according to the formula described in this book. There are still more things to implement.
4. Create Systems to Reduce Accumulation of Clutter
Systems make life better organized and save your time and energy. Here is what you can do to manage your clutter accumulation better:
Physical Clutter – General Advice
Get rid of clutter-catching furniture, such as wastepaper bins and storage boxes. Even if you organize clutter there, it will still disturb your energy.
After deciding what to put in the organizing containers, buy the ones that are ‘just right’.
Reduce the accumulation of less visible clutter – junk drawers- If it is junk, eliminate it all. If not, use small bins and organizers to keep everything in place.
Go paperless whenever possible
Watch your hot spots – Clutter tends to accumulate in the same places. Some of the worst include the front door and the kitchen table, where clutter accumulates slowly but constantly, little by little each day. Focus on these areas at the end of each day, clearing the clutter.
Workplace
Next, look at the remaining things. How can you organize it so that less clutter will be generated in the future?
Think of the system for gathering documentation, printing, and filing and consider some changes that will help you keep your office nice and tidy. On your desk, keep only things necessary for your current work and put away the rest.
Your Relationships and Time
Clutter from relationships can be even harder to clear than the clutter from your house. The reason is simple: people have emotional connections, and no one wants to be treated as objects. Hence, do your best to always keep your relationships tidy and stay assertive. Here is what you can do to clear the relationship clutter:
Be strict about your time with others, not just during business meetings. When the time is over, e.g., one hour, kindly assert the end of the meeting.
Have time to charge your batteries and be assertive in that case.
- Never make too many commitments.
- Nourish the most precious relationships.
- Cut off toxic people and energetic vampires.
Recommended reading:
Buy on AmazonDigital clutter
Prepare an excellent archiving system if files/folders are older than a month. Group the files according to their type, purpose, and whether they are personal or used for work.
Save the files to the destination folder or discipline yourself to clear designated folders (e.g., Downloads, Pictures) regularly.
File your music, images, and videos in neat folders. Back up your new photos and videos regularly. Keep your electronic devices always tidy. Regular purging of unwanted files will make your work smoother and more pleasant.
Emotional and Spiritual Clutter
When it comes to emotions, always vent them constructively by playing sports, singing, journaling, or cleaning your house. Never subdue your negative emotions; notice them and let them go.
You also need to take care of your aura. Clean it regularly by meditation, sea salt bath, smudging, or even contacting someone who works with energy. Do not forget to protect your aura when leaving your house or meeting a problematic person.
Further reading about emotions and aura:
Explore More on Awaken Happy Life:
- Aura and Chakras (7)
- Emotions (7)
- Energy Field Care (15)
- Energy Healing (10)
- Happy You (7)
- Mental Challenges (5)
- Mental Health (15)
- Mind (18)
- Personal Development (11)
- Relationships (7)
- Self-Healing (8)
- Spiritual Growth (8)
- Spirituality (11)
Credits to Apartment Therapy, Messy Yet Lovely, Life Storage, Simple Lion Heart Life.
In a Nutshell
Clutter accumulation can be prevented, and you can avoid it by changing your habits, creating systems of clutter management, and setting goals concerning clutter clearing. Good luck keeping minimal clutter in your physical, emotional, and spiritual space. With lots of love and light,
Vicky Yang
Last update on 2024-12-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This product presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
