Living Simply: The Ultimate Guide to Conquering Your Clutter

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Living Simply: The Ultimate Guide to Conquering Your Clutter

"Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." - Lao Tzu

Article by Leo Babauta. (Follow me on Twitter.)

For many years, I was a packrat, clinging to possessions like a safety blanket, like trophies, like you might cling to the past. My life was filled with clutter, from my closets to my living room to my countertops to my desk at work.

That changed about a decade ago, when I realized that I simply had too much stuff.

I was owned by my possessions, and they were no longer making me happy. I wanted to conquer my clutter.

And so I did, one heap at a time. I think I saved the closets for last, because they were way too intimidating. But slowly, I made progress, and simplifying my possessions was (and is) an ongoing project.

Today I'm pretty happy with the way I've simplified my home (and workspace). I'm pretty minimalist, and while clutter still does accumulate when I'm not vigilant, I tackle it head on every now and then to keep things fairly clutter-free.

I'm not saying everyone needs to be as minimalist as I am. Take my minimalist workspace, for example — I don't expect anyone to reduce clutter that much, nor do I think they'd even want to. Everyone has their ideal level of simplicity — what matters most is keeping what's essential to you, and getting rid of the rest.

And so today I'll take a look at how you can conquer your clutter, no matter what your goals are or how bad things are now. Note: I've written about this topic a number of times before, but I thought I'd gather together the best strategies and tips into one powerful guide, useful both for those who have read previous articles and for those who haven't.

First: Why Should You Simplify?

What's the problem with clutter? Well, nothing, if that's the way you like things. Everyone lives differently, and I'm not saying the decluttered lifestyle is better than the cluttered one.

However, I've found some benefits of decluttering from my decade or so of experience with this issue:

• Less stressful. Clutter can be a lot of visual distraction and mental stress. It's basically a bunch of things you have to do (put away clothes, file papers, pay bills, get rid of junk, etc.) that you're procrastinating on. While you don't want to think about them, in the back of your mind you know they're there.


• More efficient. I don't know about you, but I work much better in an uncluttered home or workspace. There aren't as many distractions, which means I can focus...