Getting started

Decluttering can often feel like an overwhelming task and it’s this sense that it’s a huge and difficult job that can stop people from getting started. That is the main reason why I set up ‘Redeem’ to make decluttering possible, enjoyable and with definite results for you and your family.

I thought that it might be useful to have a few pointers about decluttering at the start of your journey, that may help you to feel able to begin with more confidence.

It could be very easy to go in all guns blazing, empty every cupboard and drawer and feel totally overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. Then you might panic declutter and just get rid of everything or be stuck in a place of not being able to move forward.

Here are a few steps to consider at the beginning of decluttering.

1. Don’t attempt too much at once.

There are different schools of thought on decluttering, progress room by room or by category of item. If you have a lot of things to sort, I recommend going room by room and as you gather momentum and create one room of calm, you can use that progress as a springboard to tackle other rooms.

2. Think about your mindset before you begin

How do you want to feel when you open this drawer, cupboard or walk into this room? What do you want to change about how you are currently living? Consider your possessions; why do you think you have so much? Is there a root of accumulation to consider? Do you think carefully before you buy something or are you more impulsive?

3. Remember there is always another way

You are resourceful. Even if you let go of something and realise you need it in the future, there are ways around it that you can work out. There are very few things we need to survive. Can you do something a different way or ask to borrow it from someone?

4. Be generous

You can view the giving away of items differently.

If you give this item away, it could help someone else and so bless them. It’s not a loss for you, but a new opportunity for someone else.

5. Don’t live in the past

We can’t go back in time and undo some of the excesses we’ve bought or accumulated, but we can affect the future. We can change how we manage, accept, purchase things from here on in.

6. Decluttering vs Organisation

Over the years, I have fallen into the trap of simply buying more storage thinking that this is the solution to conquering my clutter. Instead consider; what do you really need? What toys do your children love? What aren’t really played with that can be donated? Where can you be generous? Where is decreasing what you have better than just storing it and it take up room somewhere else?

A good thing to remember is ‘one in, one out.’ If you something to replace something else or you are given a duplicate item to something you already have, can you pass the original on?

Thinking through these things and working out how you want things to change around your home, will help you in being able to sucessfully start this process. I know that it can feel very daunting to start, so I’d love to be that extra pair of hands to help. Please contact me at clair@redeemspaces.co.uk and I’d be delighted to come and help you get started!