Painlessly part with unnecessary things cluttering up your living space is not always easy. But useful. Especially if the family is large and a lot of things have accumulated. How to do this?

1. Imagine that you are moving!

What will you take with you? No, you don’t need to rush to pack all your household belongings into boxes. Just pick the things you really love and put them aside (these are the ones you'll supposedly take with you), and then see what's left.

Psychologists claim that in everyday life we use no more than 20% of the things around us. Start with cookbooks at least. Take the few off the shelf that are completely covered in oil stains from frequent use and take a look at the shelf. Are you ready to pay money for this entire dusty library to move into your new home? Are these gifts really that dear to you, or will your pride suffer, because you bought them, flattering yourself with the thought that every Saturday you will begin to master a new Thai dish? If not, find more grateful readers for these books - for example, by posting an ad on the otdam_darom forum

Hints

* Empty, uncluttered space is not annoying. In addition, it is easier to keep it clean and protected from dust.
* Imagine potential buyer(or a relative who suddenly came to stay) who inspects the apartment, looking into all corners. What shouldn't he see?
* Buy baskets and storage boxes only after you decide for yourself what you really need and what you will part with without regret. This will help you choose the most suitable storage system for your home.

Why does it work

* No one forces you to immediately throw away all unnecessary things. To begin with, it is enough to assess the proportion of what is vitally necessary for you and what you not only can do without, but also get along perfectly well (just don’t realize this).
* If you've ever moved and paid money to movers, it will be easier for you to motivate yourself to immediately cut off everything unnecessary.

2. Rate each room!
Take a pen and notepad and walk around the house, writing down on paper what each room serves for you. What do you (and your whole family) usually do there? After this, write down the desired purpose of the room, even if at the moment the premises do not meet this requirement. This will make it easier for you to clean up the mess. For example, if you want to use the bedroom only for its intended purpose, remove from the room all things that do not correspond to the main purpose. Remove from the “sleepy kingdom” the receipts, all kinds of catalogues, and finally the computer that were taken here for some unknown reason.

Hints

* Start with one room, keeping the whole house in mind.
* Divide a monofunctional room (like the living room in most homes) into several target zones. And, if in the drawer of the chest of drawers in the living room there are all the necessary accessories for wrapping gifts, and in the kitchen you accidentally find a piece of holiday ribbon or tape - you and all members of your family will know exactly where these items belong.

Why does it work

* This strategy serves as a basis for changes in the long term. Looking at your home from a bird's eye view, you will see how different types activities and associated attributes randomly settle in the space of the apartment, such as documents, souvenirs or children's toys.
* Clearing away debris without prioritizing each room is completely unproductive. By simply moving everything out of sight, you are essentially moving things around instead of organizing the space. Sooner or later, unwanted things will again be scattered throughout the house.

3. Find a good purpose!
It's much easier to get rid of unnecessary things if you know that they will bring tangible benefit to someone. Besides, it’s so nice to give joy, and not curse yourself for wasting money. Search the Internet, newspapers, magazines and find some charitable organizations that collect things for orphanages, refugees, victims of natural disasters, etc. After all, even old books, children's clothes from which your child has outgrown, or toys - Someone really needs all this, and right now.

Hints

* Don't just leave unnecessary things on the street. It is better to trace their path and make sure that they fall into the hands of those in need. You can contact a charity to see if they can arrange for items to be transported from your home.
* First find out specifically what kind of things the organization accepts. And if they don't need a pretty decent children's bike, sleds and skis, can they recommend an organization where all this sports equipment can be offered.
* If the item is not marketable or cannot be repaired, you should not look for second owners for it. She belongs in the trash heap.
* Involve children in charity work. Let them learn to give without asking for anything in return.

How does this work

* things lying around are more likely to be used by other people than to wait for their time in your home (or maybe this will not happen at all).
*you can get a tax deduction for donated items. But to do this, you must keep a record of the items given away and report them on your tax return.

4. “Edit” the room!
Start at the left corner and move from left to right, top to bottom. “Read” the entire room like a book: a closet is a chapter, a drawer is a paragraph, sections are sentences, things are words. Let there not be a single extra “word” left in the “text” of the room - those things that make your life littered and unmanageable.

Hints

* As soon as you notice that your attention is wandering, take a break or repeat to yourself: “from left to right, from left to right.”
* Resist the temptation to skip any “chapter.” If after 3 hours of cleaning you can’t open a drawer that’s packed to capacity or you trip over a stack of magazines on the floor, your room is far from ideal.
* Give yourself some motivation. Rip out a picture from a magazine of a neat interior that you would like to emulate and hang it in front of your eyes.

Why does it work

* Usually the most difficult moment- decide where to start and where to move. Our strategy saves you from this dilemma - just start from the top left corner of the room and move from left to right.
* Imagine that you are organizing a file cabinet. The brain itself signals to you that some box is out of the general thematic division and the only possible name for it is “Miscellaneous”. So that you don’t give up at the sight of another “hodgepodge” - from time to time look back at the results of the work already done. After all, this is what the whole room will look like after you're done with this mess.

5. Find like-minded people!
It is best to involve all your household as helpers - after all, they themselves get tired of looking for the right item in the mountain of unnecessary ones. Or you can involve your friends in the business who also dream of perfect order V own home. Create a “League of the Most Adorable Household Junk Fighters.” This weekend the “Timurov team” is clearing away the rubble at your home, and next weekend it will move to a friend’s apartment.

Hints

* Make sure that people around you are of good will and they understand the difference between support and coercion.
* The owner of the thing has the right last word, it is he who must decide its final fate - throw it away or “let it lie still.”
* Celebrate mini-victories. For example, you finished cleaning the kitchen, which means it’s time to have lunch.

Why does it work

* Your friends, by definition, will not have the same sentimental attachment to things that prevents you from saying goodbye to a bunch of useless items.
* It's like pushing a stalled car - than more hands, the faster she will go.
* Sometimes it's very funny to listen to sob stories about why you are so attached to something that belongs in the trash can. Thus, the owner of a completely killed toy hare without eyes and with gnawed ears will not fail to shed a tear over it - “when my dog ​​was still a tiny puppy, he adored this toy.”

6. Shop in the closet!
Next time you go to the dry cleaner or laundromat, take out the clothes you haven't worn in a while. Try them on in front of a mirror in full height. And imagine that you are in a clothing store. Hang those outfits that you would like to buy again in your closet, and give away the rest.

Hints

* In order for things to be in use, they must fit the figure and not need alterations or repairs.
* Don't let the thought that you paid a lot of money for that suit make you feel guilty. If an item is not needed, why does it take up space in the closet?

Why does it work

* To begin, decide the fate of only two or three things. There is no need to immediately turn your entire wardrobe upside down.
*If your weight is lately changed - take this fact into account. Don't rush to get rid of those things that you don't need right now.
* Such a wardrobe inventory is a pleasant way to find long-forgotten treasures in its depths.

7. Apples to apples, oranges to oranges!
To know exactly what you have, sort your items. Take the cutlery tray as an example. Spoons, forks and knives are kept separately here. And you know that in each department there are 12 of them (or 6, or 8). Do the same with kitchen accessories. Place all spatulas, ladles, spaghetti spoons, salad spoons and pizza cutters in a rack and throw away any you don't use. Give these groups names (you can even label them): “Bakeware”, “Spices”, “Cereals”, etc. Every shelf and drawer in your home should have one specific purpose, like a china cabinet or storage unit. storage of socks.

Hints

* Don't limit yourself to one room; the same batteries, scissors or writing pens can be scattered throughout the house. Collect them all in one place.
*If you have two similar items, choose the one that is newer or more convenient and get rid of the other.
*Empty your drawer first, and then only put in it the things you really need.

Why does it work

* After you put all the necessary property on the shelves, you can finally decide what to do with the rest of the things.
* By knowing exactly what you have and where it is, you will stop wasting money buying unnecessary duplicates.
* If you just can’t decide where to stick an item, most likely you simply don’t need it.

One day, when I was about 10 years old at that time, my mother and I had a big fight. She gave the solemn order to tidy up the nursery I shared with my little brother and get rid of everything we didn’t use, didn’t need, and couldn’t get into. But when she reached my warehouse of soft toys that I had not touched for years, I became hysterical:

“You can’t take them like that and give them to someone!” – I sobbed.

“But you already have plenty of toys,” she calmly objected. – What about sick children who don’t have them?

And ultimately, I agreed to donate half of my collection to a local children's hospital. It seems to me that this was the very first (but far from the last) time when it was unbearably difficult for me to part with things. This problem weighs heavily on a huge number of people, for whom things seem to be the material embodiment of memories, and parting with them seems tantamount to a loss of memory. Added to this is a feeling of guilt due to one’s own “wastefulness.” But these fears can be overcome and get rid of all (or at least half) of unnecessary things accumulated over the years.

In a cordon of things

No matter how spoiled a child I was at ten years old, experts in this field believe that this is not only a matter of personal egoism: more often than not, the reluctance to part with things is based on fear of the slightest changes. Also, unordered chaos in the house may indicate the owner’s habit of postponing everything for “later” and his laziness. But my mother was (as always) absolutely right: throwing away everything you have ever bought, brought and touched can result in serious stress. It’s one thing when an overloaded desk inspires us from time to time to do a thorough cleaning, and quite another when piles of things around the house that belong in the nearest landfill cause irritation and guilt.

Under certain conditions, the inability to throw anything away develops into a type of compulsive behavior known as “pathological hoarding.” Entire television shows are dedicated to this condition, where Americans obsessed with “hording” (and according to surveys, 5% of the US population are like this) turn the living space of their homes into real labyrinths of old trash, where it seems that there is no longer room for them. For those for whom getting rid of unnecessary things does not cause internal struggle, this activity can bring a pleasant feeling of liberation and renewal.

Make room!

As metaphorical as it may sound, getting rid of material clutter can also contribute to emotional liberation from the oppression of the past. But it's always easier said than done. To avoid cleaning, and especially one that involves n number of garbage bags filled with old things, we will find many excuses. For example, “there’s no time” or “what if this thing comes in handy... someday.” Luckily we have several useful tips, how to ease the mental anguish of parting with unnecessary things:

1. Dedicate at least 20 minutes a day to cleaning. This will significantly increase your chances of not disappearing into an overcrowded closet.
2. Ask yourself questions. Admit it to yourself honestly: “Am I keeping this thing because it makes me happier or because it’s the right thing to do?” – if the latter, then feel free to throw your old broken Tamagotchi into the trash.
3. Fight the thoughts “what if...”. When sorting through the things that you intend to doom to eternal separation from you, put aside those that you think might “suddenly come in handy” and hide them out of sight for a month. If within a month you “suddenly” still don’t need them, it’s possible that it’s time to part with them forever.
4. Remember that memories are not contained in material objects. They are in our heads. It's hard to throw away sentimental mementos like your great-grandfather's set of plates. But this won’t make you forget your great-grandfather!
5. Say goodbye to old magazines. If you have not read them by now, you will never do so again, and if you have already read them, you are unlikely to do so again. Instead, collect a folder of your favorite magazine clippings and donate the rest to your local library.
6. Organize your wardrobe. Try this trick: At the beginning of the season, hang all the hangers facing to the right. After putting on something, change the position of its hanger to face left. At the end of the season, go through the racks and keep only the clothes you've worn at least once (goodbye '98 Halloween costume!).
7. Safety comes first! There is always a risk that you will come across expired medications or cosmetics on the bathroom shelf. But accidentally drinking a 20-year-old Tylenol tablet does not bode well.
8. Choose digital technologies. Throw away old receipts that are no longer needed, and scan and save other important financial documents electronically.
9. Make money. It's better to turn an old blender gathering dust in the garage into a $50 piece of paper by selling it online or at a garage sale, rather than just waiting for it to "ripe" into the state of outright garbage.
10. Donate things to charity. You may need a spatula for flipping pancakes sometime in the next century, but someone could use it now. Don't wait for the holidays as an occasion for good deeds: search online for charities that accept donations in the form of books, sports equipment and musical instruments.
11. Be systematic. Get rid of old shopping bags, used batteries and stupid gifts immediately. Donate to charity monthly or even weekly. Every time I buy new thing, say goodbye to the old one!

It's time to talk about how to properly part with outdated things. In no case with curses! Under no circumstances should you ever walk around your apartment and talk about how annoying everything is to you, how tired you are of this old communal apartment. Remember the saying: “Even the walls have ears”?
And I will say more - everything that surrounds us has a consciousness hidden deep, deep in the atomic structure of things and objects. Don't harm your home, no matter what it is. After all, it gives you shelter and warmth. Be grateful.

When you empty your home of old things, do it lightly and joyfully.
You might be surprised by what you read next, but laugh if you want and read on, and then do it anyway, okay?

Before parting with each item, you need to say goodbye and thank you for your service. “What, really stand in front of a trash can and talk to it?” - the shocked listener asked me.
Yes, my darlings, and I'm not joking. Take a closer look at this garbage. This workbook has fulfilled its role in teaching your child. This napkin wiped your fingers. This package helped you bring groceries from the store. But this old scarf wrapped your throat so warmly when you had the flu.
How can we not thank our little friends for their faithful service?! Try doing this at least just for fun for about a month, and you will feel that you have some kind of amazing lightness and good mood.
These are the luminous atoms that make up our physical world, return your gratitude and kindness to you. We get what we give.

Let us live consciously in love with the whole world, even with its smallest representatives.

We pass on and give with pleasure

Those things that you pass on by inheritance to your friends, other people, etc., need to be done a little differently.

First of all, you probably remember that if something new comes, something old must go. Therefore, let it become a good habit for you to promptly get rid of old things similar to new ones you just bought.
Bought new blouse- find a used equivalent and give it away. If you bought a new lipstick, be sure to rummage through your makeup bag and you will find an old one that it’s time to throw away.
And if a new miracle of technology, such as a computer or a state-of-the-art TV, has entered the house, then do not hide the old one, which has served its purpose, in the closet. Offer it to those who need it.
This way, a life-giving flow of energy will always flow in your home, and stagnant “traffic jams” will not form.

Secondly, there is a rule that everything you give must be immaculately clean! Take the time to wash old items and thoroughly wipe the equipment from dust before giving it to the next owners. This way you improve your karma and do something nice for people.

And finally, thirdly, all these things require a special farewell procedure. Take any item, such as a sweater, bring it to the window and thank them for their service to you. Then ask for a blessing for the person to whom you are going to give this item. Say something like this: “I thank you, radiant atoms, for your faithful service. I ask you to bring joy and benefit to those whom you will serve next.”
This procedure is very useful for both you and the other person.
It will be great if you feel the so-called “telling sign”. Sensitive people know what I mean. This could be goosebumps, slight chills, throbbing, an involuntary smile, or even a tear. All this suggests that your action did not go unnoticed by our intelligent Universe.

Friends, I hope everything is fine with you, and you can analyze what’s bothering you and resolve it with a sober head.

I have already translated for you several articles in which Scott Young and Leo Babauta supported one simple idea: Being overly attached to things prevents you from achieving your goals. Extra things don’t just physically hinder you, they somehow suck energy out of you that you could use for your own development.

I completely agree with them, but I absolutely understand that just like this, it’s very difficult to change your attitude towards something from just a few articles, especially since they don’t say HOW?

I want to offer you an attitude towards things that will allow you to get the most out of them, while having little.

First, let's do a little check: please name all your things. All the things that are in your room, apartment, in general in all storage facilities. I'm not kidding. During my studies in the Czech Republic, I remembered every object that was in my room, even now, almost a year later, I remember everything and where each of them was. Even now, being at home, I can do this 90%.

Question two: what is the function of each thing you remember? What do you need it for, how well does it cope with it, are there other things that perform the same functions?

Question three: Do they really perform these functions, or do they perform others? Or perform the endlessly important function of a dust collector?

By answering all these questions, you can easily understand what needs to stay in your space and what should no longer absorb your energy.

At the same time, I’m not saying that all this should be thrown in the trash, not at all.

Many things do have emotional meaning for us, and here think about this: things also have their own purposes for existence, but their purposes are fixed by their creators, and they cannot change them at will. So if you really love your old, unwanted item, find a new owner for it who can take care of it and use it the way he needs it.

I'll tell you my story:

Two years ago they gave meiPod touch4, I was in seventh heaven, so far I have not found a single serious drawback for myself. But it so happened that after a year and a half they gave meiPod5th generation. And this creates a fairly simple situation - I have two devices with identical functions and the only difference is in the speed of their execution, and even then not all of them.

There is no particular point in selling the old one, we have been through a lot with it and this has affected it “a little”. For me, all his scratches had a memorable meaning, but I'm afraid that for a new buyer - no. I didn't want to leave it lying on the shelf either, I had an emotional attachment to it, and I wanted it to continue doing what it was created for - entertaining people. And I gave it to my girlfriend for indefinite use. She bought a cover for it that hid almost all the scratches, now it brings her joy, and I’m glad both because the thing didn’t disappear and because I made my girlfriend happy.

A thing for me is, first of all, the function it performs; not a single thing carries any intrinsic value. A Ferrari that can't be driven or shown off or used for any other function is less valuable than a plastic fork from a quick lunch.

And the cost of a thing must always be correlated with the value and significance of the function it performs.

You can spend any money on training, which will bring you hundreds of times more, you can spend a lot of money on quality rest if you deserve it, but there is no point in spending any money on a belly button cleaning brush, be it even platinum or gold, if you're going to actually use it that way.

Remember how, after a few years, you calmly throw away something that once seemed super cool and eternally necessary to you. We swam, we know.

What to do with old things? In fact, besides the “throw away” option, there are several more that can significantly increase your karma.

1. Give to friends or relatives who may really need them (people can give away books they no longer use, for example).
2. Donate to charitable organizations.
3. Converting it into something else is necessary.
4. Sell ​​at special “retro” markets.

And if this is impossible and you can’t force yourself to throw it away, buy a larger garage, since most likely you won’t have enough space at home with this approach.

Naturally, this is exclusively my approach to the things around me and you can develop your own, but remember one simple rule: the things around you should reflect you, and not you reflect these things. If you need all this and you can handle everything, then forget about minimalism and other fashion trends.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and the goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And VKontakte

Scientists have proven that parting with trash is as difficult for some people as quitting smoking. Moreover, those who are prone to hoarding react to the removal of unnecessary things with genuine heartache. Therefore, psychologists have developed a strategy that will help you stop being attached to things and will force any junk collector to clean up their house.

We are in website We decided to look into these tips and convey their essence to you. And at the end we will tell you how to live with a person who is not used to throwing anything away.

Why decluttering is so difficult

To begin with, it should be noted that not all people become attached to things. There are those who easily part with trash and maintain order in the house, and there are those who endow every thing with a “soul”; for him, throwing away is akin to betrayal.

The differences between these people have been proven from a psychological point of view. Scientists have found that when a “collector” has to throw away his things, areas of the brain are activated in his head, pain related, as well as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which associated with the moral assessment of ethical conflicts and the sense of “oneself.”

Because of this, people not only relate the thing to their goals and desires, subconsciously believing that it would still be useful, but also consider some objects to be part of themselves. Therefore, for such people, throwing something away, psychologists say, is like throwing away a finger on your hand.

Mindfulness Technique

This technique will help people who are inclined to gather, start throwing away unnecessary things. It is noteworthy that it is also recommended for people trying to get rid of bad habits.

Its essence is to be attentive to your instincts and find the differences between real motivation and the “deception” that the brain gives us. Next, we will take a closer look at how to introduce this technique into your life.

Step 1: The few seconds rule

Again, when trying to save a potentially useless item, take your time and wait a few seconds. Think about the real value of the item.

Think about how many times recently you have thought about throwing away this item. How many times has it been useful during this time? Convince yourself of the uselessness of the item.

Step 2: Research Temptation

Pay attention to your feelings that arise at the moment when you need to throw something away. Typically, temptation begins with an almost imperceptible signal and grows to the level of real anxiety and concern.

But psychologists reassure: any momentary temptation tends to end. Like a wave, reaching the peak of its power, it collapses and disappears.

Step 3. The concept of non-uniqueness

Almost all children have the habit of endowing objects with a “soul”, seeing a personality in them. According to experiments, children do not realize that their favorite toy and exactly the same toy, only new, are one and the same. Because new item is just a thing, and the object that belongs to them is part of their consciousness.

Some people carry this trait into adulthood. When freezing for a few seconds in an impulse to leave an unnecessary item, remember that It’s not him who’s unique (people like him churn out hundreds an hour), it’s your memories associated with him that are unique. And even if you throw away the item, the memories will not disappear.

Rethinking material value

This refers to a separate type of gatherer. These people can't throw things away because remember how much they paid for them. In this case, in order to “declutter”, unnecessary things can be put up for sale.

Living with a person who is not used to throwing anything away is very difficult.. But if you try to force him to “declutter”, you can worsen the situation (he will become even more attached to his things, since he will subconsciously confront you with them).

The only one the right way- these are conversations, recognition of the problem and a gradual joint assessment of the need for items.

Some act much more radically: they throw away unnecessary things in secret from the collector, who most often does not even notice the loss. But here it’s up to anyone’s conscience to allow it.

Tell me, have you ever lived with a person who never throws away unnecessary things? How did you deal with the problem? Or maybe you yourself sometimes cannot bring yourself to part with certain items? What emotions do you experience? Write about it in the comments.