Hoarding is a problem where a person finds it difficult to get rid of stuff and buys too much stuff. They usually live in a cluttered environment. Psychologically, one may suggest that they have a certain kind of fear of losing items which might have future use or might be valuable in the future. So, they tend to hang on to them. It is a problem because often hoarding results in life beg becoming an unorganized or getting out of hand. Minimalism could be defined as a lifestyle change strikingly different from hoarding. Here a person eliminates things he has no need or purpose for. They live a simple life with just as much item as they need.
The path from being a hoarder to a minimalist is a long one, but there is a destination. This article will help you find it. The first step to stop being a hoarder is to start slow. Otherwise, you might be filled with regret and anxiety. Start from one section and then the next. Think about whether you need it right now. Then think if you might need it in the future. If so, how? If you can not think of a reason right now, the general reasoning is that you will probably find a use for it later. Tell yourself it is not how things work. If you can not think of a reason to keep it now, it is probably of no use to you and there is enough change you will not find a use for it ever.
The second step is to stop collecting. You might have childhood items even in adulthood. Do you see any use for your report cards, test papers and notebooks right now? Apart from sentimental value do they have any other value to you? Do you find yourself using them often? Most of the time the answer is a big fat no. If you have kids, you are probably sentimental about most of their things. The art they create, the marks they score, the clothes they wore, etc. It is better if you click a picture of them wearing those clothes and then donating those said clothes. Click a picture of their test papers and send them to recycle. And do the same for the art they create. All of the said pictures can be stored digitally. Whenever you feel sentimental, your computer is right there! Or for clothes, you can create a blanket out of it. This way, it is at least of some use.
In case you fail to decide if you need an object or not, here is a quick tip. For this, you will need a trunk. Keep all the items in them for at least four months. If you do not open them in the said time, the thing is you will never open it. Do not buy more organizing product. You are just going to add them to your pile of hoarded items. The best thing you can do to organize your stuff is getting rid of your belongings. These bins will not work until and unless you begin to purge. Whenever you find yourself buying any organizing product, stop yourself. They might be cute, but they are only going to up space. When deciding which item to throw, think only for ten seconds. Do not think more. It is time to act rather than think. The more you think, the more your attachment to it will grow. You might google KonMari method which will give you exemplary tips regarding this method.
Since purging might cause anxiety in the mind of hoarders, practice yoga or meditation. It will calm you down. Whenever you feel regret, just think about how the air feels cleaner. Do not think of filling the space. Whenever you have this though, go on to Google and search for minimalistic images of houses. It will relax you. No one likes clutter. Not even the most cluttered person.
The concept of minimalism consists of two steps. One, identify the valuables and second, get rid of everything else. Yes, it is something hardcore. Do not be afraid. Like said before, the road might belong, but there is a destination. Minimalism is essentially the idea of keeping things which have value. And now with these tips, you can be on your way too! Step one is to get your priorities straight. This step is where you decide what is important to you and what is not. Or as KonMari put it, “things which provide happiness and things which do not”. Run your hand through the item if you need to but do it quick. 10-second rule! The second step is to evaluate. Do you keep an item just because it has a pretty appearance or makes you appear intellectual? The sort which is just ‘nice to have’. At the core, they do not really serve a purpose? They are just a waste of space. Ditch them because they are taking space while serving no actual value. Use the trunk rule, if you have to.
Now it is a known fact that most of the clutter in a house is made of paper. Yet it is the easiest to get rid of! Discard bills you have paid or no longer have any use, any documents which might be used in future can be scanned for prints, later on, sort lose sheets of important paper can be sorted into files, ask for digital bills and cancel the subscription for magazines. Anything else you need to give up for recycling. If you need a sheet of paper to write on, do not tear a page. Just use the back of a filled paper like a flyer.
Go through your closet to sort through clothes that do not fit you or you no longer like. In essence, clothes you do not wear for various reasons. Think about all the people who will actually wear it, those people in need who will actually use it as compared to it being in your closet and being fed to moth. Discard. The trunk rule can serve a purpose here! Any items expired needs to be thrown out. A lot of hoarders keep them for some reason, but they should not be kept. Go through your makeup and medicine cabinet to get rid of them.
Then you might consider getting rid of excess furniture. You might choose the furniture which serves multifunction. They are not functional, but also save space.
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