How can I keep my environment in order? Discover the mindset and habits needed to maintain a tidy space by decluttering in one go.
Despite its importance, no one teaches us how (rather than to) keep our living space in order. Furthermore, most of us believe that it is better to ‘tidy a little every day’ rather than organising everything in one fell swoop.
The truth is that keeping a clear environment requires habits that emerge from a different mindset. Such a mindset you can only get when you tidy in one shot. The radical result will change your perspective, which will empower you to keep your space in order ever after.
We make a mess of our environment because it gives our mind something to pay attention to. When our mind is in a state of distress, for example, studying for a test, it is all to happy jumping from one distraction to the next. When your environment is clean and uncluttered, you must examine your inner state.
In this situation, the only possible course of action is dealing with it. From the moment you start tidying, you will improve your life. As such, it helps to see tidying as a means, rather than an end in itself.
The storage myth
It is in our nature to take the easy route and resort to storage solutions when our place is a mess. However, putting things away only puts the mess out of sight. Sooner or later, the storage units are filled, and we are left back where we started. Real decluttering starts by discarding.
Organise by location
The first core lesson of keeping an organised space is to tidy by category, and not by location. We can have the same items in multiple places, and when we organise each of them separately, we will not do any of them away.
When you start your declutter marathon, go from books to clothes, not from cabinet to cabinet or room to room. Per category, there are only two essential steps: discarding things, and deciding where to store the rest. Of the two, discarding must come first.
Once you have put your house in order, tidying becomes a simple task of putting things back where they belong. In fact, this becomes an unconscious habit.