Ive always been a staunch believer indeclutteringon a conceptual level.
Together, we have created a home that is currently giving jumble sale.
But decluttering doesnt have to be a living nightmare.
Photographed by Norman Jean Roy,Vogue,December 2007
There are also ways to tackle the situation without wanting to immediately give up.
Even so, it can be difficult to summon the energy.
Why declutter at all?
Theres no point pulling the gloves up if youre not surewhyyoure decluttering.
So, before you begin, its worth setting some intentions.
Either way, your motivations will drive your actions.
Nobody wants to do something for an indeterminate reason.
And every time you feel like giving up?
Remind yourself of your initial reasoning.
Theres also the80/20 rule(which refers to keeping 20 per cent of the space clear).
It beats just tidying things away randomly.
Once I start lobbing things into a donation bag, I usually find it quite hard to stop.
But its the picking up of the donation bag to begin with that can feel inexplicably insurmountable.
If you deal with them instantly, you barely notice them as a task.
This doesnt mean dropping a few grand on an entirely new dresser or something.
Youll thank yourself later.
The fact that the space is more open and has fewer stimuli brings calm and concentration, psychologistLaura PalomarestoldVogue.
By that, I mean creating a task-reward system that essentially feels like blackmailing yourself.
Or telling myself that I can watch aReal Housewivesepisode after exactly 60 minutes of decluttering.
I promise, it works!
Sometimes all it takes to master decluttering is a bit of a buzzy rebrand.
Is there anything you should not declutter?
Ditto for anything sentimental (such as old photographs).
