Clear head, clean house
Why clutter is a psychological issue – and 10 easy steps to overcome it
Is your home full of stuff you might not need, but you haven’t got round to clearing out? Possibly it’s because it brings back memories, or you can’t decide what to do with it – so you’ve ended up with a house full of clutter.
“Ultimately, clutter is decisions that haven’t been made,” says psychotherapist and interior designer Helen Sanderson, author of The Secret Life Of Clutter. “Things end up in a pile, container or drawer because that seems easier than deciding where to put them or what to do with them.
“You say, ‘I’ll deal with that later’, and probably mean it. But weeks, months or even years later, it’s still there, buried beneath countless subsequent things you’ve not processed.”
Helen says there are many reasons people avoid decisions in this way.
“It’s often because of the meaning and emotions we attach to our possessions,” she says.
“Memories of a trauma, or an unrealised creative project get stirred when we open those drawers. Sometimes it’s simply a busy life, or never having learned how to create order in the home. Usually, it’s some combination of these.”
However, she’s not suggesting people clear everything out.
“I certainly don’t encourage the people I work with to live in pristine, ascetic white spaces,” says Helen. “I believe there’s a balance to be struck in our homes between chaos and order, allowing us clear, harmonious spaces that give us room to think while still having a healthy amount of stuff that we love, find useful, or simply don’t want to lose.”
HELEN’S 10 STEPS TO HELP DECLUTTER YOUR HOME 1. IMAGINE AN OVERGROWN GARDEN
It can be useful to think of cluttered homes as overgrown gardens that need weeding, planting and maintaining.
The weeding process is about making all those unmade decisions, such as keep, let go, or action.
Planting means creating a plan, placing things in a beautiful, harmonious way and optimally organising what you choose to keep: a place for everything and everything in its place. And maintaining is about building new habits with compassionate self-discipline, so your home supports you to live with greater ease.“
It’s crucial to declutter in this order, start with letting go and once you’re clear, maintain.
2. UNDERSTAND THE REALITY
Look inside all the cupboards, drawers and boxes and establish a clear picture of exactly what you’re dealing with. This isn’t to discourage you, but so you can effectively plan your declutter project. It will also help motivate you by creating a tension between where you are now and your vision of where you want to be.
3. CREATE A CLEAR VISION
Imagine exactly how you’d like your home to be. Write it down or create a vision board of inspiring images from magazines or Pinterest.
Then write down why you want to create space and order – is it for a creative project? Do you want to feel more comfortable inviting people round?
4. MANAGEABLE STAGES
This can be room by room, cupboard by cupboard, or drawer by drawer. Master one room, then move to another. It’s important to experience successes, even small ones.
5. IDENTIFY OBSTACLES
Are you a big procrastinator, easily distracted or likely to get very emotional?
Are you going to find it hard to make time to do the work?
Do you get brain-freeze when you see the chaos and then struggle to make decisions?
Once you’ve understood the barriers you might face, put some clear strategies in place to help you overcome them. Maybe get a friend to help, or even consider employing a professional organiser or coach.
6. SET ASIDE TIME
If you really loved decluttering, you probably would have done it long ago. So accept that once you start, other things are likely to be much more appealing than sorting out those piles of stuff.
So turn off your phone, cancel other plans and send the family and even the pets out – unless they’re helping. Maybe even take time off work to fully focus on the project.
7. PUT CLUTTER IN FRONT OF YOU
Start a timer, collect your stuff and stack it in front of you – so take out a stack of books, paperwork or empty a drawer into a box.
What works best is if you can have someone to help. Their job is simply to bring things to you, and your job is simply to make decisions.
No putting things away, just ask: Is this staying or going?
8. KEEP, RECYCLE, BIN, DONATE, ACTION
One by one, decide are you going to recycle, sell, keep, bin, action, or donate each item – these are the core decisions that have to be made.
Creating a ‘Don’t Know’ pile to help maintain momentum. That way, if you aren’t sure, you can put the item there and come back to it later, instead of breaking your flow of decisions.
However, if the ‘Don’t know’ pile gets too big, it’s important to refocus.
9. COMPLETE IT
Make sure you allocate time at the end of the session to complete the job properly – this means immediately taking out the recycling and rubbish, and putting all donations in the car, so you’re not tempted to review your decisions and undermine your hard work. Completion here is key.
10. PLANT AND MAINTAIN
The next stage is the planting stage, when you efficiently categorise and put everything away, followed by maintaining what you’ve achieved. By creating space in your home, you’re making room for new experiences and opportunities. l
The Secret Life Of Clutter: Getting Clear, Letting Go And Moving On by Helen Sanderson is published by Piatkus, priced £16.99