How to begin decluttering your home

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’ve finally decided enough is enough.  Today is the day you’re going to get back in control of your home and it starts with decluttering.   But you’re wondering…where on earth do I begin? 

You begin with creating a Vision Statement.  “A vision what?” I hear you ask.  “I just want to get rid of all this stuff!”  The thing is, if you don’t carry out this very important step and create your personal vision statement you won’t be giving yourself the best chance of success.   A vision will clarify the impact you want decluttering and organising your home to have on your life.

What is a Vision Statement?

Most people will say they want to own less, have a tidier home and be able to find everything.  They want to feel less overwhelmed, less stressed, less out of control.  They want more space and more time to spend doing things they love.  Are you nodding your head?  Great.  But sorry, it’s not enough. 

A really strong vision asks you to dig a little deeper, to add in layer after layer of detail.  It needs to be personal, unique and explicitly yours. 

Download your free vision planning guide and decluttering checklist here.

Why do I need a Vision Statement?

As you start to declutter, you’ll find items you want to keep and some you’re immediately happy to discard.  Those are the easy decisions.  Unfortunately there will be an awful lot of should, would, could, maybe and mights in the middle.  If you don’t know exactly what you’re trying to achieve it can be harder to make these tricky decision.

Having a specific plan, desire, ideal lifestyle and ideal environment will help with this more difficult decision-making.  In addition, it will keep you motivated, focused and help you to recognise the progress you make.

Setting your goals

If it’s been some time since you asked yourself what you want out of your life, it may feel challenging to imagine a life beyond the stuff.  I’ll admit I neglected this step in my own KonMari journey. As a busy mum of three very young children I didn’t know exactly what I wanted.  Consequently I was just getting rid of stuff rather than creating the home environment that I needed to achieve.  You need to know what you’re working towards and why.

So, I went back to the beginning and started again. I considered really carefully how I wanted my family to spend time in our home down into the tiny detail.  It included what I wanted our home to look like, function, feel and what experiences it needed to support. Then I understood the most important changes I needed to make. 

To help you create your vision, here are EIGHT questions for you to consider.  Remember, think carefully, think in detail and be totally honest with yourself.

1. Why is it important for you to tidy your home?

Sometimes people want to tidy their home because of an event.  Maybe it’s because you’re about to have a baby and need to have the house in order before the birth. Perhaps you’re moving home and want to declutter before packing day. Possibly you’re looking to retire and want to live a life with less stuff going forward.   Other times people want to tidy because of a feeling – overwhelm, guilt , to change negative habits.  What’s your reason?

2. What impact do you hope tidying will have on your life?

When you think about owning less and living in an organised home, what do you hope that the benefits will be?  For a busy family it might be less housework, less to manage, fewer toys to put away at the end of the day.  For others it might be to reclaim a spare room for a new hobby, or the new baby. When you’ve decluttered what do you want the benefits to be?

3. Why is it important to do this now?

This question is always an interesting one, as to undertake a full KonMari tidying festival is no small undertaking.  It is a big commitment to an incredible lifestyle change.  Why is doing it now and not next year or next decade important to you?  This question of timing will help keep you on task and stay focused and not let your decluttering efforts drift.  If you have a deadline, make a note of it now.

4. Imagine you’re sitting in your ideal, tidy home after you have completed your decluttering.  I want you to describe it using your senses.  What does it look like? How does it smell? What can you hear? What is its texture like?

This detail can be tough, but it’s so vital.  Do you want a home that is minimalist, clear and clean, with natural wood and white surfaces that smells of a spring day and just the hush of a gentle breeze.  Or maybe it’s bright, colourful and vivid filled with the sound of friends’ laughter echoing around the walls. Or maybe it’s cosy and warm, with the crackle of an open fire and children playing while you snuggle up in a cosy armchair.  This image doesn’t have to reflect your actual bricks and mortar home (though it can); it needs to reflect the feeling you want to create in your ideal home.

5. In this perfect home, what is a typical day like? Consider your morning routines and after work activities and describe them in as much detail as you can.

Think of routines and practicality, as this will help you understand how you want your home to function: how you want life to operate here and flow within your walls every day.  When you get up in the morning, imagine knowing where everything is, leaving the house on time without tutting at yourself or yelling at the kids.  Imagine coming home and putting everything back where it’s meant to be and preparing your ideal meal with your family, or knowing you have time to go to the gym because you’ve created a functional space at home.

6. Imagine you’re sat in your tidy home right now.  How does your new home FEEL? 

Describe your emotions.  Be as specific as you can and give yourself three words.  Is it cosy, comfortable and warm or colourful, vibrant and lively, or perhaps relaxed, easy and welcoming.  Pick three words that summarise how you want your home to feel.

7. On a perfect day in your ideal lifestyle who are you with and why are they important?  

I ask this because it’s important to visualise how you want your relationships with friends, family and loved ones to fit into your ideal life.   As you declutter you’ll evaluate what, out of all your belongings, supports you spending time with those precious to you and what is just a distraction.

8. When you are alone, with no obligations what do you do?

I know having a full day off without any commitments is pretty much unheard of in today’s world, but imagine it for a few minutes.  Are you going to read the 400 books on your shelves, spend hours completing a room full of craft projects, or listen to the 3000 CDs in your collection? Or when you have a full day off are you more likely to watch TV, enjoy coffee with friends or go for a walk in the countryside? Knowing how you want to spend your time will mean you can make decisions on what to keep support this part of your vision.  Think carefully, as spare time is precious and short.  What are your priorities?

How you express your answers to these questions is totally up to you.  You can create a vision board using pages from a magazine, photos of a loved one, or collect images on a Pinterest board.  If you prefer words, write down your answers in a notebook or create a list. You could even just have a photo or an object from a time in your life that somehow summarises just how to want life in your home to feel.  Whichever method you choose it needs to be something you can display or refer to easily, so that you can access it when the going gets tough. Have this as a reminder of why decluttering and organising your home is the life changing magic you’re after.

“The question of what you own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”

Marie Kondo

If you’re ready to create your ideal lifestyle in your simpified and organised home, download my free Tidy Home Planning Guide and Decluttering Checklist HERE.