Over the weekend, I spent some time decluttering. It's one of the easiest yet hardest things to do. Clutter has become such a problem for a lot of people now of days. Everyone seems to be holding on to stuff. There are those who absolutely love to declutter but for the rest of us, we have to make sure we take time to keep our things from getting out of control.
From a design point of view, clutter takes away from the style. How can you see that wonderful find you have on your shelf if it's surrounded by useless items. Your home doesn't have to look like a magazine or museum it should feel lived in but it doesn't have to be cluttered. You should feel at home while you're at home and not let the clutter be in control.
Some tips I like to follow:
- Keep your mail organized, the last thing you want to do is lose something important.
- Don't let magazines, books and newspapers pile up (a great tip for some is to go digital)
- As the old saying goes: "When in doubt, toss it out".
- Try to do a little bit at a time, so you don't want to get overwhelmed especially if you have a lot to do.
- Donate gently used items you no longer use to charity.
- Learn how to say no (to yourself) and to let things go. You don't need to buy everything or keep everything. If you did where would you put it all?
