Glasgow is large, diverse, and beautiful, giving locals more than enough reasons to get out of the house and enjoy the many things that Scotland’s biggest city has to offer. But eventually, it’s time to come home, relax and unwind after a long day, so the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed by the clean-up job that needs to be undertaken.
While the easy way out is to simply swipe off the dust and squeeze everything into a cupboard, it’s not the best long-term solution. Instead, we should focus on decluttering our homes. This has many benefits. For one, you’ll have less to clean, but you’ll also have less stress, more money, and more time for the things you truly enjoy in life.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a simple decluttering guide for homeowners in Glasgow. While it may seem like a mammoth task at the beginning, a bit of creativity goes a long way in making the decluttering process fun and satisfying.
Start on Paper
Creating specific goals with tasks to achieve them should be the first step in your decluttering process. A fun way to start would be to draw up a map of your home with the ‘clutter spots’ that you want to tackle first. Set attainable completion dates for each area and times to carry out the process.
From here, a good way to organize your possessions would be to create three different boxes: Keep, Toss and Store. These are pretty self-explanatory and will make it easier to choose item-by-item. For what you want to get rid of, consider recycling or donating those items. Throwing them into the bin should always be your last resort.
Remember The 80/20 Rule
When dealing with possessions such as clothing, books, video games and movies, the 80/20 rule often applies. This means that we only use 20% of those items 80% of the time. Keep this in mind, especially when dealing with clothes, and make it your goal to get rid of what you’re not using 80% of the time.
Don’t Throw it all Away
Whether it’s monetary or sentimental, your possessions all have a certain value attached to them. Therefore, chucking them away can be difficult. Fortunately, it’s also far from necessary, as there are a number of solutions for decluttering your home while still being able to keep the possessions you’re taking out.
For example, you can use a service such as Safestore Glasgow to keep anything from furniture to extra appliances in a safe and secure storage facility that’s close to home. They offer clean and dry storage in numerous locations around Glasgow, with a variety of discounts, no reservation fees, and 24-hour surveillance.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy
With the exception of rare situations where a possession has increased in value, everything else is a sunk cost. This means that you probably can’t get your money back for that item. A common logical fallacy that people use when decluttering is thinking that getting rid of the item means that they’re losing what was spent on it.
While this makes sense on the surface, if you don’t use that item, not having it is no different to having it lying around collecting dust. Keeping this in mind will help you make better decisions when it comes to what you should keep and what should be thrown away.
Conclusion
It may take a bit of work in the beginning, but decluttering your home and pursuing a more simple or minimalist approach to material items is one of the best decisions you can make. In the end, you’ll feel more free, relaxed and satisfied knowing that you’re only surrounded by things that truly add value to your life.