The philosophy of minimalism is being embraced by people everywhere. It’s appealing to consider simplifying your life by getting rid of unnecessary possessions and concentrating instead on the experiences that bring fulfillment and create memories. Except, for many, the actual process of lessening their load can be daunting, especially if you’ve accumulated years of stuff all in one place. Let’s make things more manageable and take a look at some specific ideas for how to handle the decluttering overwhelm.

 

What Is Your Why?  

In multi-level marketing, the phrase, “Know your why,” is used as a motivator to remind people of the reasons they went into business for themselves in the first place. The same concept is essential for keeping you on-task when the decluttering process becomes difficult. Understanding your reasons for wanting to live a minimalist lifestyle is crucial to your success.

 

Set Aside Enough Time  

The first step to getting a handle on your feelings about decluttering is to understand that you don’t have to accomplish this massive task overnight. Set aside blocks of time for the project, knowing that your timeline can be slightly flexible, if necessary. Having a time frame provides structure, but allowing wiggle room takes away the pressure.

 

Have a Plan

Having a plan is essential to the smooth completion of any goal you hope to accomplish. It only makes sense that mapping out your steps to decluttering would also be beneficial. Write down things like the order you wish to tackle your clutter, how many rooms or areas you would like to complete each week, the manner in which you want to sell valuable items and where you will donate the rest. This proactive step can go a long way toward making it all seem more manageable.

 

Visualize Your Ideal Living Space 

One more thing to do before actually getting down to the business of decluttering is to form an idea in your head of how you’d like your finished space to look. It may even help to jot down some drawings and notes. Doing so will help you decide what to keep and what to discard because you will have a better idea of whether a particular item will complement your vision of a Zen living space.

Know that the hardest part is often actually getting started. Now that you have some concrete ways to manage the overwhelm of decluttering, hopefully, you’re feeling energized to begin, if you haven’t already.