(ENG only) There are moments within a year when decluttering seems the perfect thing to do. For me one of those moments happens to be the beginning of a new year. Because the beginning of a new year feels like a new blank page, a fresh new chance, a fresh new start.

To declutter means to eliminate anything from your own space that doesn’t serve a purpose: you don’t use it, you don’t need it, you don’t really like it.

How I declutter my life

When I declutter my space or home, I don’t do it in one go, but I proceed per categories as needed: clothes and accessories, books, junk drawer, etc. This means I don’t always do necessarily everything in one day.

Once I have identified the are or category I want to declutter, the first I do is take everything out: this is the only way for me to see everything all at once and see how much I actually own.

Then I take every single item in exam and ask myself: do I use this? Did I use it within the last year or so? Am I keeping it because I am sure it has a purpose or rather because I am more attached to an idea I made up in my head? Do I need it? Does it mean something to me? If not, can I donate/sell/swap this? Is there something I can fix that will make it better? Etc. In case of clothes, when in doubt, I also try them on.

Asking myself these questions helps me understand wether or not an item for me is purposeful or not and therefore worth to keep. If not, based on the item’s conditions, I decide if I will sell it, donate it, swap it, upcyle it or, if broken or too damaged, simply discard it.

After I decluttered, I try to organize everything in a way that remains tidy and makes sense. Having less stuff to deal with gives me the opportunity to better organize the stuff that I keep. 

Also, let’s not forget digital clutter. 
Digital clutter doesn’t physically take up space in our home, but it is as equally important. Emails, photos, apps, various downloads, files… if we don’t keep them under control it might get overwhelming in the long term. Is your email box organized or do you still have random emails from 2007 in it? How many photos do you have on your phone? Do you need all of them? Do you have backups of important files or a big mismatch of files you don’t even remember you have on your phone or computer? How does your home screen or desktop look like? Just as you would do for your physical items, take your time and try to find out if something is purposeful or not.

To keep my space or area tidy after decluttering I use some simple methods:
1) buy less stuff. I find that living minimally and simply resonates with me in so many ways, having a clutter free space is one of the benefits.
2) 1 in-1 out rule. I try to keep some sort of balance between the things I get rid of and the ones that I introduce in my life
3) a place for everything and everything in its place. I put something back right after using it instead of leaving it in random places around the house. It only takes a few seconds and prevents tons of time and energy from being wasted afterwards when clutter piles up again.
4) make a periodical check of my items, both material and digital. This helps me stay more organized and prevents too much clutter from accumulating. 

If you want to have a little glimpse on how I declutter my home, you can watch my latest Youtube video: