How to Declutter Without Really Trying

3 ways I declutter my home, even though I hate decluttering

Welcome to Making Time. Helping you find more joy in simple, everyday pleasures. I write about easonal eating, building a garden, and a slow life in rural Oregon. If you’d like to follow along, you can subscribe for free.

When I was young, one of our cats fell in love with a cardboard box… as cats so often do.

Case in point: Duke has recently adopted this box where I was temporarily storing quilts during renovations.

My mom had placed it on top of a bookshelf, and our black cat Leila had found it to be the perfect perch for surveying her household.

Finally, someone took the box out to the recycling. Enough was enough, and this box had been sitting around for weeks.

Yet, a few days later, I came home and the box had returned, right back on top of the bookshelf. Leila lounged on it once again. “I thought you finally threw out this box,” I said to my dad.

“Leila got depressed, so we had to bring it back in.” They’d actually gone out to the recycling, retrieved the box, taped it back together, and put it in her preferred spot.

My parents clearly have a deep willingness to oblige their animals, and an unwillingness to get rid of things. I have inherited both of these qualities, for better or worse.

What to do if you hate decluttering

I am pretty terrible at decluttering. I tell myself all the usual stories: I could use this (even if I don’t), it feels wasteful just to get rid of it, I might need it someday, etc.

And yet, when you get to a certain age and have been collecting, thrifting, and making for your entire life, you cannot just continue to accumulate. The stuff filling up your life begins to feel overwhelming. It takes time to maintain it all, to find places to put things, to keep it organized. The things you do truly cherish become buried amongst the clutter, with no room to breathe and feel appreciated.

And if I don’t give thought to what I really need in my life, my tendency is to continue to acquire more. Decluttering is a practice, a reminder that I already have plenty and that the stuff in my life is ultimately not that important.

My sewing shed, after a recent declutter and reorganization

Because I find decluttering difficult, the massive Kondo-style clean outs never really worked well for me. I tend to hem and haw over everything and become overly sentimental. I also find that integrating decluttering into my daily life, rather than just doing periodic purges, keeps me more aware and consistent.

So these are my 3 favorite easy ways to declutter if, like me, you do not excel at it.

Implement a 1-in-2-out policy

There are certain categories of things that I just keep buying.

Hair products are one of them. I keep trying to find that one perfect cream or serum that will keep my long, fine hair from turning into a giant snarl, and half-used products were piling up in our bathroom.

So I’ve implemented a 1-in-2-out policy. If I want to buy something new, I must get rid of 2 things.

This is surprisingly effective. The other day, I bought a new nail polish and while going through my drawers in order to find two to get rid of, realized that I had about 10 I could part with right there. With very little effort, I’d decluttered my nail drawer, something I would probably never have even thought about otherwise.

This has the added benefit of getting me to question every purchase. Do I really need a new pair of jeans when I have several I already love? Or do I have some I will never miss if I donated them? How much will I actually wear a new pair compared to what I already own?

Give yourself an easy daily challenge

When I start to feel like I have more than I need, I’ll occasionally give myself a 30 day challenge to simply get rid of one thing a day.

It could be something large or something small, it doesn’t matter. As long as I find one thing I can part with, it’s fine.

I love this because it serves as a consistent reminder of how much I have. I begin to notice my stuff a lot more, and even to appreciate the things I do get use out of every day.

A time limit is also useful for me when it comes to anything challenging. It can be daunting to start decluttering on a daily basis, but if you tell yourself it’s only for 30 days, or 2 weeks, or even one week, it becomes a lot more managable.

Keep a donation bin at all times

This is a common decluttering hint, but it’s one that works well for a lazy declutterer like me. Just keep a bag or box for donations accessible at all times.

Currently, we keep one in the attached garage, but a basket in the closet works even better for me whenever my closet needs a refresh. When I notice something I never wear, I just set it in the basket right then and there. I still have time to change my mind, but I rarely do.

Over time, I find myself thinking about what I wear and why, and even giving new life to old garments I haven’t worn in years. It gives me another sense of perspective on what I really need in my life.

I will never be a true minimalist. I take pleasure in having and making beautiful things, and I am far too nostalgic and sentimental. Also, I’ll admit that I simply like a bit of cozy clutter.

But it’s far too easy to fall into mindless accumulation. We are hardwired for it. Finding easy ways to temper those acquisitive urges not only helps me keep myself in check, it nurtures an appreciation for how much I already have.

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