Sometimes decluttering is about stopping completely and doing nothing. How could doing nothing achieve anything? Will my space suddenly clear itself of anything that has had its day? Of course not. The fact of the matter is this: if you get too embroiled in trying to let go of things your mind is going to start playing tricks on you.

It’s a question of no longer seeing the wood for the trees. When you spend a lot of time trying to achieve one particular thing, your vision may become blurred, for a number of different reasons.

In a previous post we looked at electronic storage and the usefulness of removing apps and programs you do not use any more. This time, let’s take a close look at the actual machinery that you use.

We all have some gadgets in our homes that seemed unmissable when we bought them and proudly brought them in. We were excited to use them for the first time and then found that they weren’t quite as useful as they seemed at first…

Most of us will likely have a computer or a smart phone that is in constant use. You’ll also find yourself downloading and installing apps on your phone all the time, or updating programs or operating systems on your computer on occasion.

All this seems innocuous but not only leaves traces on your data trail, but also may clog up your storage space and make thing run slower than necessary.

Decluttering can be a challenging prospect to go into and – like so many resolutions – often ends as soon as you start. This can have a multitude of reasons: you may run out of time, you forget, you don’t feel it’s all that important, you are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work it requires… take your pick.

But maybe there are other ways to do this that are more suitable for your particular needs and style?