DECLUTTERING can be the panacea for the soul that we all need in the busyness of our lives.
Removing the visual clutter in your home can help to destress a brain which is overflowing with to-do lists, tasks and responsibilities. Try the five R’s, an easy hack for clearing a calm oasis in your living space. Remember, the less time spent organising your things means you’ll have more time to spend on the things that really matter to you.
Review
Rather than organising your cupboards or buying extra storage containers, instead sort your belongings into three categories: Keep, Toss or Donate. Return the now smaller Keep pile to your cupboards, throw the broken or worn items in the Toss pile away, and take the Donate items to your local charity or thrift store to pass on to someone who needs them.
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Reduce
We all have more than we need in our homes, but remember that your surplus possessions can eventually end up possessing you, like the garage that needs to be tidied every six months or the linen cupboard that continuously needs reorganising to fit the extra duvet into it. We do need more than one towel, but do we need 10? Reduce your possessions to free up physical and mental space in your home.
Resist
Resist the urge to buy unnecessary items. Buy only what you need and not what you want, and only when you need it. Don’t add more into your overflowing cupboards or onto your countertops than you can frequently use. Rather spend on experiences than ‘things’ – make memories instead of accumulating more possessions that you might be donating to a charity in the future.
Remove
If your things don’t fit into a cupboard, ask yourself if they should be on display where you will need to look at them every day. If you use the item daily, then do keep it an accessible place. Convenience is a prized tool in a busy life. However, if it’s on the kitchen counter because the cabinet is full, then the time has come to do another review.
Relax
Enjoy your newly decluttered and relaxing space.
