Go easy on yourself

While methods like Döstädning aka ‘Swedish death cleaning’ may sound extreme, not every kind of declutter demands drastic action. “In order to declutter correctly and have no regrets, breathe and realise that if you have collated a lot of things over time, then the process to let go can take time too,” explains Sally Walford of Declutter Me.

You don’t have to claw through everything in one sitting. Sectioning out the aspects of your life you’re going to tackle into manageable chunks should help you to be clear and confident with what stays and what goes.

Declutter from a mindset of what you want to keep, not what should go

“You’re the only one who gets to decide how much or how little stuff you want to keep,” Christina Mychaskiw, a content creator and co-host of the Minimalism Unscripted podcast tells Stylist.

“It’s not about making your space look like a magazine or a competition of how minimalist you can be. It’s about creating a space that feels calm, inspirational and enough for you. That’s going to look different for everyone. I think decluttering should be done from a positive outlook. Think of it as making room for what stays by letting go of what’s in the way. Instead of getting rid of all the ‘I can’t believe I own this!’ items. Keeping your declutter in a positive mindset ensures that you don’t regret what you let go of because you thought you ‘should’.”

5 ways to declutter your life this spring (without regretting it later)