The end of stuff—four ways to declutter your life

Ever heard of Marie Kondo? What about Döstädning? (That’s ‘death cleaning’ in Swedish and yes, it is a thing). Here’s why a zero-waste lifestyle and less material possessions is better for the planet, your budget, and your wellbeing.

There’s nothing like the aftermath of the silly season to make you realise you could really do with a lot less stuff in your life. And sure, being grateful for what you have and getting into a daily gratitude habit has been scientifically proven to have positive, lasting benefits on physical and mental health. But the movement towards minimalism, led by millennials looking for a life that favours experiences over things, is all about how having less in the first place ultimately leads you to far greater happiness.

Remember the most important ‘R’

Everyone knows that it’s important to reduce, reuse, recycle, but there’s one other ‘R’ that is the secret to clutter-free spaces at home and work: refuse.

Did you really need that free pen/USB/notepad/drink bottle? Of course not! And the same goes for gift-giving: the average Australian household spends close to $1,000 on gifts during the festive season, with more than half of that amount spent on items that were unwanted. That adds up to $4.4 billion worth of extra clutter nationwide.

Choose to mark a special holiday or occasion in a different way and suggest more sustainable alternatives to loved ones who insist on giving a gift, such as a donation in your name to a chosen charity, or something that you can do together rather than something to have.

Edit your wardrobe

If you’re like most people, you probably wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. That’s a whole lot of closet space being taken up by things that you barely use or need. Plus, it means you’ve spent your hard-earned money on things that have given you little value or, even worse, buyer’s remorse.

Be a more mindful consumer and avoid impulse buying. Lay down rules before shopping online by setting a limit to the number of items you’ll buy and don’t be tempted by suggestions of pieces you might like at checkout. If you have an event for which you feel you need a special outfit, revisit the pieces you’ve forgotten at the back of the closet instead of buying something entirely new, or borrow something from a friend.

Follow the #KonMari suggestion of only keeping items that spark joy. If they don’t, regardless of how new they are, sell, donate or give them away. Consider paring down your clothing to a capsule wardrobe of high quality, classic essentials of around 37 pieces. And if you add a new item, give away an existing one. Be ruthless now for greater peace of mind later. Fewer clothes means fewer decisions, which saves time and angst in the long run.

Make do and mend

Let’s face it: climate-wise, these are uncertain times. Waste and the excesses of a throwaway lifestyle no longer have a place in our age, at least not for anyone who’s on team Planet Earth.

We can all learn a lesson from older generations who lived through the war and their attitude towards repairing and repurposing old and broken items rather than replacing them with new ones. And the country that does this best even today is Cuba, whose citizens are renowned for their inventiveness, resourcefulness and capacity to give new life to old things over, and over, and over again.

Choose quality over quantity. Value your belongings and take good care of them so that they last longer. Consider how your shoes, clothes, furniture and other household items can be restored, repaired or refurbished. Look for your nearest repair café, usually run by like-minded eco-warriors at a local community centre on a specific day of the month. Or better still, learn how to do it yourself, saving money and gaining important life skills that you can share with others who also want to live a more ethical life.

Think small to act big

Bigger isn’t always better. There’s a revolution taking place that goes hand in hand with minimalism and that’s the Tiny House movement, which is steadily gaining ground worldwide.

Living in a smaller space ensures you have a smaller ecological footprint and become – by necessity and design – more selective about what and how much you accumulate. This is the ultimate step in achieving an authentically minimalist lifestyle.

A shift towards smaller spaces is not only eco-friendly, it can also lead to some surprisingly cool and unique additions to the built environment. You only need to look at the way shipping containers are being repurposed to see their endless potential for design that’s both fun and intelligent.

The bottom line is: less space plus less things equals more life.

Angelica Hannan is a secondary English teacher of more than twelve years who specialises in gifted education. She loves nothing more than helping students find exactly what it is that sparks their curiosity. Angelica is also a writer and researcher with a strong interest in sustainability, zero waste living, behavioural economics, and progressive education systems.