Our homes should be a haven, a safe place that embraces you as soon as you enter; it’s the place you relax and feel most comfortable. We often overlook how important it is to invest regularly in reassessing and maintaing a space we love because we become so used to being in it. After each long day, it’s easy to want to walk in, see the clutter, see the things that need to be fixed or replaced or put back where they belong, and ignore it all.
If you’re in a place where your home isn’t serving you as best it could; perhaps you have too much clutter or your space doesn’t feel relaxing or comforting anymore. It’s such an easy situation to fix, keep reading and I’ll show you how.
1 | 20-Minute Declutter
Decluttering and simplifying your home is a process that can’t be done overnight. To kickstart your journey to a more simplified home, do a 20-minute declutter. It’s just enough time to blitz through the visible clutter and create a more streamlined appearance to your space. It’s not about completely decluttering your entire home (you can do more thorough decluttering sessions later); it’s about jump-starting that process without being overwhelming or stressful. Getting rid of the visual noise will instantly improve the aesthetic of your home.
During your declutter spree, focus on home decor items; things like trinkets and knick-knacks, toiletries, and bookshelves. Visual clutter is the easiest to identify and often quick to deal with. Don’t try to take on any big tasks like downsizing your wardrobe or decluttering kitchen cupboards. Instead, focus on the obvious clutter in each room; things that don’t belong and unwanted items. Bag them up, throw them away, or donate. The purpose of a 20-minute declutter is to remove the surface clutter and create a little extra space.
2 | Restyle Your Space
Simplifying your home is as much about styling as it is decluttering. Your home needs look good and work for your lifestyle. By investing time into restyling your space you can create a home that feels good to be in and allows you to be more productive from day-to-day. It’s about taking an intuitive approach towards interior style; combining form and function in a thoughtful way to create a living space that reflects your personal style, supports your lifestyle, and helps you maintain a tidy, clutter-free home.
Change one room at a time paying close attention to the way you want each room to look and feel. Expressing your style is important but be careful to avoid visual clutter; creating white spaces in your home will provide a calming, peaceful environment. It’s all about getting practical solutions to meet with personal style. Unsure how to style your space? Following the principles of minimalist home decor will help.
3 | Create Systems
Systems are ways of doing things that improve your efficiency and productivity or make your life easier. Just like habits, old habits take a while to break and new systems take time to learn for them to become second nature. Focus on the things you find most frustrating; maybe you’d like to make cleaning your home easier or create a system that allows you to be more productive at work. Find solutions through new ways of doing things that improve your efficiency and make those tasks quicker to complete. Keep doing it until it becomes a set routine.
Simplifying is all about the systems we use to maintain our space and maintaining a clutter-free home is about setting up solid foundations. You don’t need a rigid schedule or shared rota but defining what household tasks need to be done and when best to do them is a great start. Using systems in your home is the best way to simplify your home and keep it that way.
