Lots Of Stuff? Here's How You Can Declutter Spaces (And Your Mind)

If you have come across Khloé Kardashian's majestic pantry or the trendy 'organisation ASMR' videos online, chances are you felt a sudden urge to get yourself up from the couch and haphazardly try organising your home. Yet, minutes into taking down all the things you own from their designated shelves, you feel a rush of exhaustion take over your mind and body, forcing you to feel discouraged. Don't worry, we've all been there! Professional organisers like Marie Kondo and Khloé's trusted duo Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin exist for this very reason. Organisation and decluttering are an art that requires patience and guidance. 

Art is not about perfection, neither is organising. You have to do what suits you, in the most effective way that is. You also do not have to swear by all the book rules, just those that assist you in daily accomplishments. This mental health awareness week, let's learn how decluttering spaces around us can help free our minds of exhaustion and stress.

Konmari Method & Art That Sparks From Within

Globally acclaimed professional organiser Marie Kondo has Netflix specials that teach us the art of organisation, where she speaks about her effective technique for decluttering. Her strategy, which has come to be known as the 'Konmari Method', gets us into deeply involving our psychology in the process. 

via GIPHY

"Does it spark joy?" she asks, pushing us to delve into our attachment to objects. It could be just a tattered teddy bear to someone else, but if it reminds of you the times you hugged it tight for comfort as a child, you can keep it. Conversely, if an expensive dress that would make heads turn does not make you feel like your best self, it's time to resell or donate it.

In the book The Spiritual Art of Being Organized, author, Claire Josefine beautifully put together writing, “Chaos is conquered as much by awareness, gratitude, grounding, and breath as by a well-labeled filing system. Simplicity and order are valid - even crucial - choices. And they are found within.”

Five Ways To Organise Effectively

Following are essential five ways in which you can cultivate the habit of organising in compliance with your own space -

1. Stop Procrastinating

“Procrastination makes things hard, hard things harder.” -  Mason Cooley

The longer you wait, to do something, the more difficult it is going to become in getting it done. Also, merely thinking of the future without acting in the present will worsen your creative capacity. Therefore, rise to the occasion and do what you are needed to, right at that very moment. Justify the work through your effort. The most effective advantage that you gain from not putting off work for later is that it reduces stress. Do it NOW! 

2. A pen, some paper and the calendar

You don’t have to try and remember everything that comes your way. Memory is a good thing but conveniently adapting measures for important things to remain important is even better.

• Write it down - Write down things that matter. Things that need your utmost attention for a certain period and refer back to them when stuck. Rely what you relate with, a planner, diary, memo, sticky notes, smart phone, computer, anything. Whatever suits your style.

• Schedule and work for the deadline - You do not have to live by the Google calendar, but utilising calendars and planners to lock your schedules and manage them can largely contribute to your organising skills. Referring back to them is a blessing in this rapidly moving, busy life. 
• Of Bucket lists -  Organising well stems out to make space for all the activities you wish to do, places you want to visit or the entertainment you long for. Making a bucket list of your wishes and slipping them into your schedules accordingly will do wonders.

3. Declutter - Make room for everything

Giving a much-needed space for everything that is a part of your daily routine is the first step and the hardest one.

• Making room for the tangible stuff at your home, workplace, and even during travel, will provide you with instant and convenient access to your things. Labelling your boxes, drawers, and files is one easy way that will prove to be helpful for a very very long time.

• Make backups of the important stuff, your documents, photographs and files that you cannot do without. Store them in a folder, make photocopies and most importantly, try and resort to digital storage.

4. Work Hard

“Sometimes there's not a better way. Sometimes there's only the hard way.”  - Mary E. Pearson, The Fox Inheritance

Putting in your best effort out there to fulfil your goals is what works, all the time. It is a no-brainer that hard work takes you closer to your objectives every step of the way. Organising capacity and hard work go hand in hand, as the best way to use your capabilities is to manage them in your life. Staying organised requires you to put in effort to reap the benefits of a sorted routine later.

5. Let Go - Recycle and Donate

More the unnecessary stuff, more the clutter. Figure out a way, look into your spaces and you will find things that you have to let go of sooner than later.

• Recycle - One of the most environmentally friendly techniques is to recycle. Make a visit to a recycling centre or put them to a more efficient use. Do not let things pile up in dust just for the sake of keeping them.
• Donate - Some people wish for what you regard as your unnecessary extras. Let go of these too. Donate them to the needy or to those who require their maximum usage.
• Sell -  If you feel there’s extra baggage of stocked-up stuff that you won’t look at again, sell them. Sell them for a convenient price and make room for the important ones.

Artistically Define Your Kind Of Organising

It does not matter if your handwriting is not neat, you prefer faded, twisted lines and do not believe in long-term planning. That’s not important. What matters is how you use your instincts in shaping your time. There are layers of detail, hard work and order that are a part of the system as a whole. 

Remember, what is organised for you may look disorganised to someone else. Don't compare progress and keep yourself encouraged. You have to live through the madness and find your own relatable one, one day at a time.

Putting in the required effort wholeheartedly for things to get done in time will automatically release the baggage you carry for the later work. There is absolutely zero point in trying to predict what happens next. However, what you can control are the moments of your present, because, what you do today is what matters most!