Do you have a hard time getting rid of stuff? There’s nothing like a move to motivate you to get serious about decluttering because no one wants to pay for space on a moving truck for things that they don’t really want or need. But even if you’re not relocating anytime soon, you can use that strategy to help you pare down fast.
The idea is that if you act like you’re going to have to pack everything you own up and pay to have it transported, it’ll get you to finally let things go. Ready to enjoy having less clutter in your home? These hacks can help you get there:
- Only keep what fits in a certain space - This starts with the space you want to use for specific items rather than the items themselves. So, if you decide to store all your mugs on one shelf, you gather them up and only put back those that fit on that shelf. It’s a good way to slim down categories, if you can stick to the designated space.
- Eliminate duplicates - How many vegetable peelers and travel mugs do you truly need? If you were paying to have them moved, would you still keep all these duplicates? Probably not, so let them go.
- Only keep the “best, favorite, necessary” - If you’re running out of space and faced with having to get an additional moving truck or a storage space, the “best, favorite, necessary” strategy can help you make those tough decisions about what to keep and what to part with.
- Keep only what sparks joy - Organizing pro Marie Kondo’s method is proven to help with decluttering. To put it to use, you have to hold each item in your hands and ask if it “sparks joy” for you. If it doesn’t, then you can let it go and if it does, it gets to stay.
- Know when you got your use out of something - Try to let go of the guilt of parting with something you spent money on that you no longer need or use. Sometimes you already got your good use out of an item and keeping it just doesn’t make sense anymore. In that case, pass it along to someone who can use and enjoy it and your space is less cluttered, so it’s a win-win.
Source: Apartment Therapy