Does your house feel cramped? Do you have more items than necessary? Here’s how to purge your house and lead a minimalist lifestyle.
We live in a materialist age, where we are surrounded by constant reminders of what we don’t have when we should be grateful for what we do have thanks to social media and advertising campaigns. Indeed gratitude is one way in which we can learn to be happy but we rarely are grateful.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can learn the tips needed for decluttering your house and your life, making you feel energized and ready to go forward without being bogged down by possessions that you don’t need.
Here is how to purge your house.
Make the Decision to Purge Your House
If you want to turn your life around then the first question you need to ask is not how to declutter but whether you actually want to.
To get a hold on the minimalist lifestyle you want to lead you have to be willing to let go. This means potentially becoming a more spiritual person and learning to resist the temptation of consumerism.
To do this let your brain think through the significance of some of the items in your house. Did you buy an expensive good such as a games console or a particular piece of furniture? Remember how much it cost you, not just in terms of money but in terms of the energy you used when saving up for it and investing in it.
Then consider the last time you used such an object? If the answer is more than a few months then it shows that you don’t really need the object and that the energy and money you invested in it was wasted.
If you can realize this and make the connections then you can start to make the decision to purge your house of goods you no longer need and live a less materialistic life.
Remember that decluttering is not just about your physical life but your digital life as well.
Get Support From Family and Friends
After you have made the decision to change your life around the next thing you need to do is tell your family, friends and even colleagues of your decision. You cannot start decluttering your house alone.
Without the correct support, you can fall at the first hurdle and feel as if it is a mountain too big to climb.
Family and friends can also be unhelpful at the best of times if they don’t know your plans. ‘Why are you giving that away? You spent so much money on that!’ is a classic retort.
Their advice might be well-meaning but it is unhelpful in this situation. If you explain logically your position on wanting to purge your house then they will know not to make these comments.
Perhaps once they know what you are doing they can even help you to clean out your house when they have free time. Otherwise, you might feel overwhelmed and alone in your own home.
One Room at a Time
Remember that you cannot hope to clean your whole house of goods you no longer need in one day or all at once.
Although some television shows have scenes of participants gathering up all of their possessions from their entire house in the living room, this can make you feel overwhelmed.
What’s more, if you haven’t sorted everything in one day then you might end up with all of your possessions still in one pile when you need some of them for cooking or other essential tasks. This can lead to the feeling you have simply messed your entire house up for no reason, not a great feeling.
Emotional Energy
Instead, you need to sort your house or apartment out room-by-room. Take your time and make sure you only work on it when you are well-rested and in a good mood.
Remember that decluttering your house takes lots of emotional energy as well because you are learning to let go. Be kind to yourself and take it slowly. One of the best decluttering tips is to time how you are going to spend each day or each week on purging your house and sticking to that allocated time.
The Piles
Whilst gathering all of your possessions up from your whole house in one room and sorting them from there can be drastic, you can make small piles for each room.
You could make a pile for items you are definitely keeping, items you are sure you want to throw out or give away and a pile for items you are not sure about.
Don’t put pressure on yourself by thinking that you have to get rid of what is in your throw out pile straight away but once you have made a decision try to stick to it.
Remember this is a process that may take a number of days or even weeks to complete and that is how it should be. Focus on the positives, the more space you will have in your home and the lighter your life will feel like.
Be sure to read more about what your life might be like with this checklist for a minimalist apartment
How to Purge Your House: Get the Job Done
If you want to declutter your life then you must first clear out your physical environment, starting with the place you frequent on a daily basis: your home. And to do that you have to want to change and get into the right mindset which can be difficult.
If you want to know how to purge your house then the answer is slowly. Once you have made the decision to change be sure to enlist the help of your family and friends to support you and then go about reducing the clutter slowly rather than attacking it in one go.
If you are interested in reading more articles about homes and apartments then be sure to check out other articles on our site.
