So, we all agree: less is more. But decluttering your home can be daunting. Good news! There are some tried and tested methods that can make the task manageable and surprisingly pain-free.

Find your goal

When considering how to declutter your home, a good starting point is to figure out how decluttered you want it to be. Explore websites, magazines and Pinterest. Look for a room image that demonstrates your ideal level of minimalism. But be realistic: an all-white room with two pieces of furniture, might appeal to the design lover in you, but would it fit your lifestyle?

Once you’ve found the right room, print it off, hang on the fridge, take a screenshot – whatever works for you. That image is your destination. Start your journey by reevaluating your items, asking what is essential, what can be concealed and what must go.

The four-box method

Take four large boxes. Label one ‘RUBBISH’, the next, DONATE, the next, KEEP and the last, RELOCATE. Then go through the room, assigning everything to a box. Try to remove emotion, judging the items objectively. Once sorted, resist the urge to shuffle and take immediate action.

Divide and conquer

A gentler and more sustainable approach is to split your decluttering project into bitesize portions. Choose a few kitchen cupboards, or the coffee table perhaps. Attack that area and sort possessions into the four-box categories. Once an area is complete, maintain it and then, when you have time, move on to an adjoining area. The idea is that your no-clutter zone gradually expands, eventually covering the entire home. This method also gives you time to adjust to the change in lifestyle and look.

365 items

This tip will help you decrease your clutter – and your karmic debt. Simply give away one possession every day, for a year. Easier said than done we imagine.