Entering Your Clutter-Free Era

In today’s fast-paced world, a serene and clutter-free space within your home can provide a much-needed sanctuary from daily stresses. But I understand that it’s easier said than done. So, here are some practical tips to transform your home into a serene, clutter-free haven.

Declutter For 10 Minutes

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

Even if you’re not consciously thinking about that pile of paper sitting at the end of your dining table or the collection of knick-knacks and family relics that’s been passed onto you from your extended family, visual clutter in your home can contribute to increased stress levels.

I agree that it’s easier said than done to just “go declutter,” but it’s also important to be honest with yourself and avoid holding onto items out of guilt, obligation, or laziness.

We often procrastinate tasks when we think they’re too big or too difficult which is why most people never get around to decluttering. Clutter is often just the result of decision delay. But if you delegate a small amount of time, like 10 minutes a day, and have small, achievable goals, like decluttering a certain drawer in your wardrobe or the surface of your sideboard, the whole task is that much more manageable.

Source: Design Files | Photography by Amelia Stanwix

Implement Habits To Manage Your Clutter

Decluttering is unfortunately not a once-done and never-think-about-again thing. Yes, the main work is getting rid of all your excess things, but once you’ve done that you need to maintain it. Clutter attracts clutter so if you let it build up again, even just a little bit, it is bound to only get worse.

Try to implement some of these habits:

Have a place for everything and put it all back in their designated spots after each use (as I’ve said many times before, it actually takes the same amount of effort to put things down in a random spot vs away in their designated spot)
Clean your kitchen after every meal
Regularly sort through mail and paperwork (I personally dedicate half a drawer in my entryway for mail, so I can dump them and deal with it in batches).
Schedule regular short-burst decluttering sessions
Have a donation box or basket around your house (mine is near the entryway). Anytime you come across things you want to part with, put them in the donation basket. One of my subscribers also mentioned that she has her donation basket in the car, which I think is a great idea.

Slow Down Your Accumulation Of Possessions

The slow accumulation of things in our homes is what gets them cluttered in the first place. So before the next time you get sucked into our consumerist society, ask yourself some of these questions:

Do I have space at home to store this item?
Will this product add extra work to my life?
Do I really need this product? Can I repurpose something I already have?

These questions aren’t supposed to completely stop you from making purchases ever again in your life. Rather they have the purpose of increasing your intentionality. If you’re just a little more aware of how your purchases could lead to clutter, your home will become less cluttered over time.

Anchor Your Items

Have you ever tried to organize things on a table or kitchen counter and found that no matter how you arrange it, it never feels quite right? More often than not the issue is a lack of cohesion. Without an anchor to tie everything together, your knick-knacks will look like a random assortment of items rather than a unified display.

The straightforward trick to fix this is to gather your things on top of a tray, cutting board, or some other base so your bunch of things feels like one item and therefore more unified. Here’s a secret: The same things placed on a tray will look less cluttered and more intentional than without a tray. Don’t believe me? Try it out yourself!

Beautiful Space

***Inside a Century-Old LA Home*** | Written By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar, Photography by Marcus Meisler, Styled by Danielle Armstrong

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