Less Stuff, More Smiles – Why De-Cluttering is Important

By Open HouseWednesday 11 Feb 2015Open House InterviewsChristian LivingReading Time: 2 minutes

You may not have one thousand boxes of old knick-knacks and memorabilia around your house but the truth is that you own some things you simply do not need. Kim Carruthers is a de-clutter expert and in her interview with Open House, she gave some helpful tips on how to de-clutter your life and why it’s important. 

Ask yourself, what can I do with less? Could you travel more, move house, finally rid the fear of pests and rats in your house? Kim Carruthers suggests reflecting on how much time you spend on your stuff and the effect it’s having on your life. Kim reminds us that just because you may use it later is no reason to keep something when you could donate it now or just be rid of it. It may be hard, especially sentimental items like children’s clothes or toys, but when thinking logically about these things, it is better to give them away now when they’re needed and useful rather than keeping them for a family member who may not want or like them.

Kim has made the process of de-cluttering easy with a four-pronged approach.

1. Set yourself a small goal – maybe spend 20 minutes on one shelf on a given day
2. Set yourself up for success – have all the materials ready; a garbage bag for rubbish, a box for donations, etc.
3. Work in set time periods and STOP after the time is up – it’s easy to keep going until you have no energy left but Kim says it is vital that you stop while you still have enthusiasm so you can clean up after yourself.
4. Think of a system for the day-to-day – think of some way that you can maintain a de-cluttered approach to life!

Once you have mastered these steps you’ll find that not only your home but your life will become less cluttered; if you give a little time you’ll get a lot of time, space and freedom as a result.

One listener, Lizzie, has gone a step further in de-cluttering her life. After going through all her belongings and clothes, Lizzie has decided to de-clutter her social media and has deleted her Facebook account. She found the response from her friends has been encouraging and that her mind and day feels less cluttered now that she doesn’t have to worry about updating her Facebook newsfeed.