These 5 Mindsets Will Help Keep Your Home Clutter-Free

Are you looking for ways to prevent clutter from piling up in your home?

In this article, I am sharing 5 mindsets that have been helping me keep clutter out of my house.

Whether it’s shopping intentionally, preventing clutter, or decluttering on a regular basis, once you understand these mindsets, you can easily apply them based on your own needs and the situations in your home.

5 Helpful Mindsets For Keeping A Clutter-Free Home

Here they are:

Mindset #1: Don’t put down, put away

Instead of leaving things lying around, make it a habit to put them back in their storing place.

I know it’s easier said than done. We often mindlessly put down things in our hands either for convenience or because we have something else in mind that seems more important. But if you try your best to put things back, your home will be a lot tidier.

There are also some tricks you can use to make putting away easier.

Assign a “Home” For Everything

Find a place that makes sense when storing, so you know exactly where to look for the item, and return the item to.

For example, if you like reading in your bed before going to sleep, it makes sense to have a bookshelf near your bed. If you grow lots of indoor plants, you can designate a storage place near the pots for the watering cans and gardening scissors.

Gather in a noticeable spot First

If, for some reason, the storing place is in another part of your home and you don’t feel like getting to it right after using, you can just put it in a noticeable spot so that you will remember to bring it back.

For example, I often put a finished cup on the floor at the top of the stairs, so when I am ready to go downstairs, I can take the cup with me to the kitchen.

Do a daily “reset”

If you don’t like constantly reminding yourself to put things away, how about setting just one reminder daily to “reset” your home? Spend 10-15 minutes and inspect each area of your home, look for items that shouldn’t be there, and take them back to where they belong.

Mindset#2: Don’t spend too much time managing “stuff”

Did you realize that we are all “stuff managers”?

We are responsible for managing our own stuff: cleaning, maintaining, storing…etc. If you are a parent of young children, you are also managing your kids’ stuff in addition to yours.

For the most part, managing stuff is not fun. It takes time, energy and even money to manage our stuff, and can be exhausting if there is too much to handle.

So, how much time and energy are you willing to devote to the job of a stuff manager? 1 hour a day? 5? Or 10 hours a day?

I’m guessing you want to have an amount of stuff that you can handle with ease so that you can have more time for things that are more meaningful, right?

Before buying something new, ask yourself if it’s worth the extra managing work. It will help you be more intentional when shopping and prevent impulse buying.

Mindset#3: If the chore can be done in 2 minutes, do it right away

Procrastination is the enemy of a clutter-free life. If a task takes just a couple of minutes, tackle it immediately. The best part of completing these quick tasks is that it makes you feel really good afterward!

Let’s say you just finished drinking your morning coffee. Instead of leaving the mug on the dining table, you take it over to the sink (it only takes a few seconds).

And while at the sink, you realize it will only take a few seconds to rinse the coffee mug (or put it in the dishwasher). In just a very short time, you’ve made your home tidy!

Whether it’s folding laundry, washing dishes, or putting away groceries, doing it right away prevents these small tasks from piling up into a daunting mountain of work.

Mindset#4: Be a dutiful gate-keeper of your home

Imagine your home as a castle, with you as the gatekeeper. Only allow things in that truly belong and add value to your life.

This concept has been really helpful for me when shopping, allowing me to steer clear of impulsive purchases.

The next time you find yourself browsing online or wandering through the mall, envision yourself as that gatekeeper. What are your standards and rules? What types of items are permitted to enter your home? Do they need to meet a specific quality criterion? Are there certain materials that are off-limits?

The other day, I was browsing the store and came across a pair of cute slippers. They looked very warm and cozy, and they were on sale! My immediate reaction was to grab this great deal, but as a dutiful gatekeeper, I took a step back and thought about the rule I had set for myself: one in, one out.

I already have a pair of slippers at home that I’m currently wearing. If I get this new pair, am I willing to part with my current ones? The answer is no, because I like my current pair.

So, I made the rational decision and put the slippers back on the rack. The dutiful gatekeeper had successfully prevented future clutter from entering my house. Great job!

Be a dutiful gatekeeper and prevent the future clutter from coming to your home!

Mindest#5: Don’t endlessly punish yourself by keeping the stuff bought by mistake

Do you have clothes that you bought on impulse and later realized were a mistake? What do you do with these clothes? Do you keep them because you feel wasteful getting rid of them?

But what is keeping these clothes going to do for you if you are certain that you won’t ever wear them?

Every time you see these clothes, it’s like a reminder of a mistake. What happened during the purchasing experience comes back to your mind all over again. It’s like every time you look at the clothes, you punish yourself with negative feelings.

But how long are you going to continue punishing yourself? If you’ve already learned your lesson from the mistake, it’s time to let go and move on.

Getting rid of your mistake purchases not only helps reduce clutter in your home but also gets rid of the negative feeling about yourself.

Conclusion

These mindsets have been helping to be intentional in terms of keeping clutter out. Let’s recap:

• Don’t put down, put away.
• You are a “stuff manager”.
• Can it be done in 2 minutes?
• Be a dutiful gate-keeper of your home.
• Don’t punish yourself by keeping mistake purchases.

I hope they are helpful to you!