Many people struggle with the idea of decluttering or have a hard time even getting started, simply because the project seems all too daunting. In some cases, that is a certainly true, but very often it only takes a little more confidence and pushing forward to get a lot of things done in a reasonably short time.

I have been cheering for decluttering to be done from the bottom up and in a big way, in order to create a basis that allows for the cleared spaces to remain decluttered with a minimum of effort. There will always be a need to clear things away regularly, but a single decluttering session – if done properly – can do a world of good and save a lot of time and effort on the regular stuff.

The reason for giving decluttering a go is not necessarily just a ‘lack of space for things to put’ but rather the ‘feeling of lack of space’. Many believe that decluttering is about getting rid of stuff and to some degree they are certainly correct, but that is only the physical side of the equation. I believe that decluttering is very much about making sure you spend your time in a space that feels right.

A friend of mine has lived with a huge collection of books for the longest time and he recently came to the conclusion that he needed to reclaim some of his space. He started placing the books he really didn’t want or need any more on a “discard” pile, and created an area for “keepers”. Thirdly, there was the “grey zone” pile of books to be revisited after the first triage phase had finished.

While this was a good way to start, you can probably guess what happened next:

While a home contains things of a practical nature, the very idea of a ‘home’ as opposed to a “house” is that there is an emotional attachment to the space and all it contains. Yes: a scrubbing brush, mop, furniture and clothes have a practical use, but what if the furniture comes from your parents’ house or the clothes hold a sentimental meaning to you?

And there’s the rub: emotions and sentiment are very personal feelings. That sweater that you love so much may have seen better days, but you still wear it because it’s comfy. The sofa you sit on looks positively shabby, but it reminds you of your college days and how you came across this piece with your friends and have kept it ever since. You may get the odd remark about either item because others might not see these items the same way you do. Sometimes it is necessary to challenge your own perception of things.

Kitchens are probably one of the troubled clutter areas in any house. Not only is there a lot of surface available to deposit stuff on (remember: you put that down there just ‘for now’ about 2 years ago?) but there are lots of cabinets and drawers around here (what better place to store those small things than a drawer, where else than that overhead cabinet to put the Christmas decorations?). You get my drift, I’m sure.

Let’s concentrate on the small items for now, and especially the kitchen drawers – we’ll have a look at the cabinets at some other time.

Knowing your ‘clutter profile’ will determine your decluttering path and, ultimately, your success. You should have understood by now that there is a link between the way we feel about our things and the way we behave when it comes to our things. This link and the knowledge of our feelings are important bits of information that can help you determine which clutter personality you have and how to best approach decluttering as the person that you are.

A lot of people have to deal with too many emails every single day of their lives. While we can do little to limit the sheer number of emails we receive each day, there are a couple of little things we can do to simplify our own lives (and, incidentally, those of our correspondents), and ultimately save some time in the process.

Yes: emails are a blessing and a scourge at the same time. We can quickly communicate with a lot of people, but that also means a lot of people can quickly communicate with us!

So far, most of the discussion here was centred on the “too much” aspect of our homes, and it is time to address another aspect of wellbeing: some of the things we have in our homes have a very simple function: they are beautiful. Where we live should be a sanctuary to retreat to from the world and, well, feel at home. Beautiful things are an important part of how we manage to create this feeling.

We all have items in our homes that we feel very strongly about because we perceive them as beautiful and we believe they enhance our home. That could be a series of canvases on the wall, a couple of little things on the mantelpiece, souvenirs from holidays, a blooming orchid, anything really. Beauty is a very subjective thing and while you like the Chinese vase on your windowsill, others might not.