Have you ever noticed how putting down one item on a flat surface rapidly leads to a pile of items that you don’t know how they accumulated? That’s because clutter attracts clutter.

I’ll give you an example that I noticed in my own life recently. Next to a chair in my bedroom is a little table that I use when writing or blogging. Recently I pushed the table against the wall and left a few pieces of paper and some pens on it. Over the course of two days, that table managed to collect books, water bottles, crochet hooks and so much other junk. I have no idea how it manages to happen but it does.

But what are we supposed to do to stop this? Here are a few simple steps that should help you break that clutter cycle.

Notice where clutter accumulates

I can guarantee that if you think about it for 10 seconds, you could picture at least one spot in your home where your clutter tends to collect. It might be a kitchen draw, a table, a pile at the bottom of the stairs or literally anywhere. Knowing where your home’s ‘clutter hotspots’ are is one of the most important steps in decluttering.

Address the cause of the problem

There’s a whole range of reasons that people keep clutter. Maybe it’s because they didn’t have much money growing up and worried about their financial future. Maybe they worry that getting rid of something is wasteful. Or maybe they add sentimental value to their belongings. There are just so many reasons that people struggle to declutter. I’ve been there and still struggle myself sometimes. One of the ways to help you declutter is by addressing the reason why you have the clutter. It might be helpful to talk to a friend or journal on the subject.

Make decluttering a habit

We often get caught up in the idea of having a huge clearout but the trick to staying clutter-free is by making decluttering a small but regular habit. You could set yourself 30 minutes a week to just go through one area of your home and declutter. This area could be an entire room or just one cupboard, it depends on your available time and current clutter level. Try to see decluttering as a lifestyle rather than one huge task that seems way too daunting.

Change your shopping habits

If I’ve learnt one thing from decluttering, it’s that I like to buy things. I often find myself browsing Amazon when I’m bored and before I know it, I’m getting 3 parcels delivered the next day. It’s just so easy to buy things these days! But that’s the issue with the way I’m (and probably a lot of you lovely lot) shopping. I see something that looks interesting and convince myself that it will improve my life and I’ll use it everyday. Yet, the reality is that I don’t need it and I’ll probably forget about it in a week. Then it just becomes another piece of clutter in our lives. By taking a step back while shopping, you can stop this situation from happening. If you feel like you need to buy something then a good trick is to add it to your basket and then do something else completely. If you are still thinking about it in a few days or you feel like it’s neccassry to your life, then hit checkout and buy it. But if you’ve completely forgotten about it over those few of days then you can take that as a pretty decent sign that you don’t need to waste your money on it.

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I hope that this post helps you break the clutter cycle. Have you found yourself in a clutter cycle? How did you break out of it?