Why You Should Always Have This Essential Before Decluttering

"Before you can actuallyphysically declutter anything from your home, you have to make sure you're emotionally prepared for all of it. That's because decluttering can be both physically and mentally demanding; it requires you to make a lot of decisions on items that may have meant a lot to you at one point or another. To get ready for all the decluttering you plan to do, you must set up a guiding principle and lay out some ground rules. Here's how."

"Words centered around what you'd like your home to be in the end can be highly motivating. Consider words like "beautiful," "minimal," "peaceful," or "organized." User feral_housewitch shared in our community forum that they love the words "useful and/or beautiful" as a guiding principle. "Less is more," said architect Mies van der Rohe (which aligns with a more minimal lifestyle!). Marie Kondo's philosophy of keeping things that "spark joy.""

"Day 2: Set up a guiding principle and ground rules for decluttering. The assignment is twofold: You'll need to establish a guiding principle and set some ground rules before you can declutter anything. Having these two things in mind will help you in times of difficult decision-making - now and in the future. Establish a guiding principle. A guiding principle can be a word, phrase, rule, statement, or philosophy that will resonate with you and keep you on track."

Emotional preparation is necessary before physically decluttering because many items carry personal meaning and decluttering requires numerous decisions. Establish a guiding principle—a word, phrase, rule, statement, or philosophy—to provide motivation and decision-making criteria. Examples include aiming for a home that feels beautiful, minimal, peaceful, or organized; adopting mottos like "less is more"; using Marie Kondo's "spark joy" test; or keeping only items that are useful or beautiful. Set clear ground rules alongside the guiding principle to simplify choices during difficult moments and to maintain consistency both now and in future decluttering efforts.

Read at Apartment Therapy