How to Start De-cluttering Your Life One Step at a Time

In this day and age, we all seem to accumulate mountains of stuff. Many of us have drawers and cupboards full of old receipts, dead batteries, discarded technology and clothes that either no longer fit or are completely out of fashion. Even our virtual lives are affected, with inboxes stuffed full of junk emails or ones that we have simply not got round to answering yet.

De-cluttering is a task that we put off endlessly, reasoning that we will get round to it 'one day'. However, if you tackle it in the right way and with a positive attitude, you can clear your home and make some money in the process. The saying 'tidy home, tidy mind' really is applicable to us all.

Baby steps

Break the process down into a series of small, easy to achieve tasks. Set aside fifteen minutes every day to tackle one area - whether that is a kitchen drawer or your junk mail. If you set yourself a series of small tasks, you are far more likely to succeed than if you attempt to clear your whole life in one day.

If you have decided to tackle physical clutter, sort it into three piles of things. The first pile should be items you need or love too much to discard (be realistic!), the second, things that can be recycled or sold and the third, things that can be thrown away.

Moving on

Once you have built up a big box of items to be either recycled or sold, you can start to consider the best option for each object, for example listing them on eBay, or selling at a car boot sale. Old technology such as mobile phones can often be sold on very successfully. Whether you wantto sell an oldNokia 5230, a Samsung Galaxy S3 or even a outdated iPhone model, there are several popular on-line sites that will give you an instant quote – this can be a surprising amount if the phone is in high demand!

Any items in good condition that you don't think you could sell on successfully can be taken to a local charity shop whilst older items should be recycled in the appropriate fashion. Your local authority will be able to give you advice on how to go about this.

Virtual de-clutter

It is not just physical clutter that can hold us back. Once your home is a shrine to minimalism, turn your attention to your computer. An overflowing inbox can leave us feeling that our work lives are out of control. Go through emails slowly and steadily, discarding those that are irrelevant. Once you have cleared the bulk, set aside five minutes at the end of every day to delete any further extraneous emails and sort the rest into folders for ease of use. Additionally, set your junk mail filters to the highest level possible.

Practice makes perfect

Once you have got into the habit of short sharp periods of de-cluttering, you will find it easy to keep going in the same vein. Keep your mind on the task at hand and try not to over think the process. Once you have started down this road, you will soon find that you are keeping your life clutter-free without even thinking about it.

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