Of course, with the accumulation of several years of consumerist behaviour influences, our idea of affluence and happiness have been corrupted by the idea that having more is fulfilling. We talk more about consumerism in our other blog. Because of this, many of us find ourselves swimming in clutter. The surface of our desks are barely visible, our closets packed with clothes, and that “messy” drawer seems to have a life of its own. 

Environmental benefits of minimalism aside, decluttering has become one of the most popular tasks people engage for mental wellbeing. Especially for its capacity to calm, ease, and organize the mind. In this post, we’ll discuss how to clear your mind through decluttering, and most importantly, how to do it correctly. 

Decluttering Your Life? It’s not that simple. 

Much of the advice we read about decluttering these days is about how and what we declutter. A guide to decluttering is always handy, it’s quite frankly what any of us are ultimately looking for.  

But The Minimalists make an interesting point on their blog. We don’t ask ourselves enough why we declutter - which turns out to be one of the main reasons why it doesn't end up working. 

We know it’s a good thing and that we’ll benefit from seeing our everyday spaces clean and tidy. Although this is true, it’s important to explore the further reasons why decluttering is important to enhance its efficiency and potential. 

The Art of Decluttering

If you’re looking to know how to clear your mind from decluttering, you should know it doesn’t come from the feeling of satisfaction from seeing your home and spaces organized. That only works in the short-term. The real truest form of mental wellbeing from decluttering comes after making the mental effort of confronting and challenging your relationship to possessions.

Freedom from pressures to consume and seek happiness from material things is really how decluttering work to clear your mind. Consumerist ways of living have embedded that we need things to feel fulfilled. But the reality is, the majority of these “needs” are made up and false. 

We don’t need anything to feel fulfilled. Fulfillment comes from within. 

So this where the real art of the decluttering makes a difference. As you get rid of distracting, cluttered objects in your home, you declutter your mind from unnecessary anxieties made from the need to seek happiness from external sources rather than internal. 

As we said on our previous blog, this doesn’t mean that you can feel joy from items like clothes, art, furniture, decorations, etc. In fact, these are the very things that often make our house feel like a home. The difference though is being mindful of our shopping behaviors in the future. If you’re interested in knowing more about making a peaceful sanctuary out of your home, we recommend reading our blog about the Hygge philosophy.

How To Declutter Efficiently

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of blogs and tutorials directed at guiding you through your decluttering journey. But we’d like to focus on how to keep your home, and mind decluttered for longer. 

As The Minimalists suggest, it’s incredibly helpful to ask yourself a couple of questions before you make purchases you may not really need, or even want. The purpose of asking these questions is to gradually stir your mind into a state of clarity and empowerment - where energy wasted on the anxiety to possess things is no longer there, and we can concentrate on developing ourselves as mindful individuals in charge of our own lives and goals. 

Here are some ideas of questions to ask yourself:

What is truly important in my life?

What is this item really going to add to my life?

Can I get by without it?

How often will it get used?

Do I need it right now?