get rid of the clutter for the minimalist home

Clutter like an infectious disease keeps growing in our abodes, unnoticed, neglected and overlooked by us. Take up the unnerving task of clearing the clutter for the minimalist home for your well being.

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Scrolling down a few videos, once I stumbled upon one of a bright and young girl dressed up in all her glory. But I was bewildered to discover that she was about to renounce the material world and embrace monkhood. While the tremendous resolve and courage of her decision deserved acknowledgment but it immersed me into sorrow.

My thoughts were clouded more by shades of sympathy than appreciation. Well letting go to such an extreme was inconceivable for me personally.

After a few months, we had to move to our new house that required a rigorous culling of our possession of years. We were almost on an archeological mission, unearthing a forgotten world, hidden in the closets, under a layer of dust. So much accumulated stuff to deal with!

Suddenly I was reminded of that young girl who had given up on a gleaming life to follow her passion. Here I was in the middle of the unnecessary stuff that was occupying so much space in the house.

Well, I am by no means saying that I am planning for monkhood! But I could sense the paradoxical situation. And that was the awakening call for me, the epiphany.

The realization of time to time decluttering dawned over me. We keep accumulating and shoving it into our closets in anticipation of using it someday. And that someday never arrives.

how to handle clutter ?

Marie Kondo is a well-known decluttering crusader who has written a popular book – The life-changing magic of tidying up. She sets out the famous KonMari principles for decluttering in her book. Recently I read a book on decluttering – The minimalist home by Joshua Becker. There is a lot of literature available on the subject.

Various methods are advocated by various people, to face the clutter at our home. But I believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the problem.

my approach for clutter

A few points that I personally relate to regarding the stuff monster at our homes are listed below:

buy thoughtfully

• Buy new items or products thoughtfully. Think before buying anything new. You are committing a space for that item in your house, no matter how small.

Personally, I am not an impulsive buyer and do not fall for the marketing gimmicks easily. But I have seen people close to me buying out of habit or just to keep boredom at bay. It is kind of therapeutic for them. What you buy comes home and disappears to occupy corners of your home. Soon resulting in clutter, without your realization.

keep surfaces free

• Keep the flat surfaces of furniture like table tops, kitchen counter tops, shelves etc. as clear as possible.

A simple act of clearing the tabletops of unnecessary stuff has a hugely positive psychological effect on me. People are generally in a habit of putting everything on the flat tops just for convenience. Keys, notebooks, shopping bags, newspapers, etc. Keep it where it belongs and free the surfaces.

minimize storage space

• Do not create storage spaces where they do not exist like under the bed, over the doors. The more you create more you accumulate.

Difficult to access hidden storage spaces are like magnets that attract all unwanted objects. We never access them and the stuff appears as a surprise find whenever we happen to open such spaces. it is very infectious to fill such storages up for later. Out of sight means out of our minds.

be decisive

• Make piles of clutter into categories like throw, keep, donate and take action decisively.

Let go of your stuff after due consideration. Get rid of donation bags fast. Do not let them hang around for long. I have experienced such bags hanging around in our car hoods, spare rooms for months. Donate to whatever place is convenient for you. Uday foundation is one such place where you can donate.

digitize

• Buy and go digital wherever possible. Digitization can help us reduce the visual clutter to a large extend.

We can easily scan documents, photographs, crafts made by kids, etc. Wherever possible we should try to store data on computers with backup. But be wary of the digital clutter you might end up with. Be organized with your digital storage well.

simplify your life

• Wherever possible use simple tools and devices. Do not clutter your spaces with specialized gadgets and equipment.

I remember buying a pineapple peeler for my kitchen. But found using it so cumbersome that doing the job with a simple knife was much quicker and easier. Simplify your choices wherever you can.

remove duplicates

• Remove duplicates. Shoes, clothes, utensils, stationery, there can be duplicates in all realms, in all probability. The reason is simple- just in case.

We keep on stocking on duplicates in the apprehension of needing the other in case we lose the first. But we don’t realize the amount of burden we are carrying in the name of the backup. The clutter is far more detrimental to our well-being compared to a little inconvenience.

be practical

• Don’t carry the emotional baggage along. Sometimes we carry gifts, inherited things, memoirs, etc just because we feel obligated to.

Nobody gives us a gift to burden us. No dear one who has left this world wants us to keep their stuff as an obligation. There are better ways of remembering people whom we have lost. If something evokes sadness or a feeling of regret it is all the more imperative to get rid of it.

get rid of t.v.

• I have always felt very strongly against having a tv in the bedroom. We must refrain from installing one in our or kids’ bedroom too.

Bedroom is a place to relax and unwind after the grind of the day. T.v has the potential to clutter not just physical space but also mental space. I always advocate against a t.v. in the bedroom. A t.v. requires a credenza and then you start eating in front of t.v. and slowly it only escalates from there.

organize

• Once you have done the daunting job of decluttering don’t forget to organize. Otherwise, it would be a wasteful exercise.

Organize according to color, category, types of item. Clothes, books, and utensils, or anything else should be sorted and stored in an organized manner for easy and quick accessibility.

word of caution

Few points where you need to exercise caution:

• Do not start with any feeling of guilt or regret. If we start regretting over having so much or the cost of items involved then the momentum breaks. You might end up feeling depressed and doing nothing to solve the problem.

• Be very careful when dealing with children and there stuff. Remember our aim is to reduce clutter and in no way hamper there growth or development. Explain the benefits and go ahead with their consent only. We don’t want to take the joy out of their childhood.

• Consider the fact that every person has a different clutter toleration threshold. I have seen some people enjoy being in a messy, chaotic place. Their brain cells work better if surrounded by clutter. Do not force your concepts and give people time.

• Do not be ruthless or impulsive while throwing stuff. You might end up throwing an important document or an important part of some equipment.

• Keep the balance between minimalism and maximalism. We do not want to end up with a hotel room with bare essentials. After all it is our personal belongings that adds warmth to our house.

• Be sensitive when dealing with old people. I remember visiting an old aunt and finding myself in the unbearable clutter, every time I went there. But what we perceive as clutter is the only source of joy for an old person, maybe.

In India, Diwali is the festival when people clear up their houses of all the clutter in a belief that Goddess Lakshmi visits only those houses that are clean. But ironically we end up buying and getting a lot of stuff home to celebrate Diwali.

benefits of removing clutter

Decluttering opens up spaces and hence promotes peace and calm. Less stuff means more meaningful belongings that gain attention and significance in our lives.

Less dust accumulating on objects and less time and resources going into maintenance and cleaning. Easy flow of positive energy. Less distraction with fewer but quality stuff. The benefits of minimizing are manifold and far-reaching.

At a more significant level, the act of letting go detaches us from our material possessions. In the process, we feel liberated and are driven to donate and help others. We get free of a consumeristic attitude that only driven by greed and hoarding. When we are not controlled by our stuff rather we control it.

I have shifted to my new home after letting go of so much of my stuff. Thanks to the lockdown we have not indulged in any shopping spree till now. And I am enjoying the relatively free space thoroughly.

Hope you got inspired to take up some simplifying of your own homes! If yes do share with others.

Happy decluttering!

Till next time…..