Clutter is like an inanimate living thing we grow at home. It grows unnoticed and feeds on our indecisiveness to distinguish which things are worth keeping and which are not. And this is not a good thing, because clutter eats-up space, and eventually our peace.

Most people, when confronted by the challenge of clearing out clutter, immediately resort to buying baskets, bins and boxes, stacked on top of the other. But still, at the end of the day, wouldn’t find what they need when they need it. This is because all that they did is house the clutter, not bust the clutter.

The first step to busting clutter is identifying the clutter itself: what clutters your space? No one can actually answer this apart from yourself, like what an old adage says, what clutters you may not clutter me; some might consider old books as clutter, but if these books are part of your personal collection, then it’s not clutter. Here are four categories to help you identify clutter by yourself:

• Things you do not use or love

  This doesn’t have to be too complicated at all. Most people have this tendency to be too sentimental over things they own, like old stuff from childhood or the “might be useful in the future stuff”. Always remember that clearing out clutter doesn’t require you to throw away these stuffs, donation is always an option. If you can’t trash, then donate. Instead of cluttering your space, things which you do not use or love anymore will find its new home. So you need not to worry about them anymore. Or if you want to earn money, you can always do garage sales.

• Things that are untidy or disorganized

  Most often than not, things that are not in proper places end up as eyesore. Apart from cluttering your space, it clutters your mind. It destroys your serenity. But always remember, do not organize the thing which you do not need or you’ll end up not busting any clutter at all, you’ll just be housing clutter. If things are untidy because you always use them but forget to put them back into place, try posting notes near to where they are placed. Write reminders on these notes, so next time, you get reminded by your own self! But if things are untidy because you always end up messing them up in search for the other things you need, then it is high time for you to box them, hide the boxes elsewhere, trash, sell or donate.

• Too many things in too small a place

  If you have already sorted out the things you need and love from those you don’t, what’s left still needs to be organized to avoid clutter from re-accumulating. Invest on organizers, not the very big ones as they will tempt you to dump things in it without caution. Choose the right sizes, like a regular mug on your study table to hold your pens or a bag hanger of six or seven hooks. In this way, you discipline yourself to keep what you usually use, all the rest should be neatly organized in your closet or in the antique. Keep you space clear and tidy.

• Anything unfinished

  However refutable, anything unfinished can be cluttering your space too; either it’s just on your table or on your floor, with bits or pieces scattered around it. You refuse to clean them up because you are hoping that you’ll find time to finish them up soon. But one simple truth remains, you have to decide when you are to finish the task, if you can’t, then might as well trash the unfinished project. Or give it to someone who’s willing to finish it. Bottom line is, get away from it!

We all would have to face it, no matter now difficult, we have to let go of some things to clear out the clutter in our home, and in our life. There are more things beyond the clutter though, or the material things we seem to not live without, it’s our surrounding – its beauty and its order. And this extends to our life as well.