5 Decluttering Rules to Live By

Hey friends!

I wanted to give you 5 decluttering rules that I want YOU to live by.

The idea of honoring the limitations of your home means respecting your space with your actions. Keep in mind, the first step to organizing any space is to declutter. 

Let’s get started!

Rule #1: Don’t feel obligated to take free stuff.

If you don’t want it, simply say no thank you.

Before you turn around to justify taking it — lean into accepting your space for how it is and only placing in it the things you love, use and need. 

Rule #2: Make decluttering a habit.

It should be something that you’re doing multiple times a year.

Making something a habit is not always the most enjoyable, especially when it may be something you’ve never done. FRET NOT! When embarking on this journey of healthy habits — pick one space. Now, we are not picking a space that is immediately overwhelming. What does this mean? I’m glad you asked. It means, we don’t start with any space that has been cluttered for 5, 10 or maybe even 15 years. 

Instead try these spaces: 

1. Under your kitchen sink in the kitchen or bathroom 
2. A linen closet 
3. One junk drawer 

The key to making decluttering a habit is to pick a space where we can allow for a mini win! These mini wins create a cycle of wins that lead up to confidence in conquering those more overwhelming spaces. 

Rule #3: Be the gatekeeper of your home.

Make sure you’re monitoring what’s coming in and what’s going out.

We can often struggle with decluttering and creating functional systems because we are overbuying. Be very clear about the “why and where” of  things coming into your home. 

Ask yourself these questions: 

1. Why am I buying this? —  Is it an impulse buy or is it well thought out? 
2. Where will this live when it gets home? 

What’s that saying? — “it’s the thought that counts!”

Being the gatekeeper means being intentionally thoughtful about new things coming in so that you can begin to override having to unlearn the bad habit of cluttering more of that valuable space you have. 

Decluttering doesn’t feel stressful when you know the things you own are intentional.

Rule #4: Be mindful of the reasons why you’re keeping things.

Remember, it’s your home. You shouldn’t have to keep things out of obligation.

Rule #5: Keep things because you love them, use them, and need them.

Adjust your mindset to understand that you are not getting rid of things you love or things you know you absolutely NEED. That is not what decluttering is about. I want you to begin to redefine in these terms what you are thinking when you hear the word “declutter”. 

Declutter means to make valuable space for the things we hold dear to us.

Peace and love.