Online dictionaries define clutter as follows: “to fill or litter with things in a disorderly manner”. The exact opposite is the word declutter defined as follows: “to simplify or get rid of mess, disorder or complications”.

Be honest – do you feel relaxed and happy if your room, home, office or car is full of mess and litter? Disorder certainly does not bring about a sense of calm – it can rather create added anxiety to your life.

Why do we have the tendency to hold onto clutter – a junk drawer, a disorganised pantry, etc.? The truth is – it is often because we have an emotional attachment to clutter. Or maybe the thought of having to declutter just seems completely overwhelming and time consuming?

Let’s try a different angle: in today’s day & age most people will agree that there are definite health benefits to removing stress factors from your life. So consider this:

Declutter = destress = less anxiety in your life.

Maybe decluttering is worth more than you originally thought?

Many times we become a hostage to our possessions. If we keep in mind that all matter takes up space and energy, we will realise that we use a lot of our valuable time rummaging through stuff. If we can spend small bits of time decluttering, we end up saving time in the long run.

And the idea of having more time available in our busy lives is a very tempting one, isn’t it?

Pick one space at a time and try these 3 steps:

• Assess – decide what you need and the best way to declutter this space.
• Visualise – aim for the picture in your mind of how you want it to look, but be realistic.
• Clear the space.

In each step, you must remain honest and non-judgemental. No one (not even yourself!) is judging you for the clutter. Keep the end goal in mind. And with each item, honestly assess why you are holding on to it and if it is serving you in any way.

Now you can relax and enjoy finding things fast and easy in your newly cleared space.