Overcrowded wardrobes, overflowing shelves, drawers that no longer close. If you too have been putting off decluttering for months with the promise “I’ll do it on the weekend”, know that you’re not alone. But there is good news: you don’t need a whole day of sacrifices or an existential crisis in front of the open wardrobe. Just turn something upside down.
The change of season has always been the moment in which we find ourselves dealing with everything that has accumulated. And we’re not just talking about clothes: shelves, bookcases, kitchen counters, bedside tables. The house is often a faithful mirror of how much we have – and how much, in reality, we never use.
Decluttering is not just a question of aesthetics or order. Scientific research in recent years is increasingly clear on this: living in environments overloaded with objects increases levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and reduces the ability to concentrate. A study published in Journal of Environmental Psychology confirmed that perceived disorder is directly related to states of anxiety and lower general satisfaction in home life. In other words, freeing up physical space also means freeing up mental space.
The “upside down” method: simple, visual, effective
This technique was popularized by Robin Antill, organization expert at 1st Choice Leisure Buildings, but in recent times the method has found new life on social media – from TikTok to Instagram – where thousands of people have tested it and shared it with surprising results. The principle is disarming in its simplicity.
For one day, turn over all the objects you usually use: cups, books, shoes, accessories, frames, whatever is lying around the house. Then, every time you use one of those items, put it back the right way up. After a few days, the answer is already before your eyes: everything that is still upside down is of no use to you. Everything you have straightened is part of your real life.
The same system works very well with the wardrobe: turn the hangers backwards and, every time you wear an item, put the hanger back in the correct direction. After a month or two — just long enough for a change of season — you know exactly which clothes you’ve never touched. And those, without regrets, can be donated, given away or taken to the flea market.
Why it works (even psychologically)
The beauty of this method is that it doesn’t ask you to make immediate decisions. You don’t have to sit there wondering “will I ever use it?” or feeling guilty about spending money on something you don’t use. Your habits speak for you, naturally and without pressure. It is an approach that fits perfectly with the contemporary trend towards mindful consumption: consume and possess in a more conscious way, choosing quality and real utility over quantity.
In an era in which we increasingly talk about happy sobriety, second hand, circular economy and waste reduction, learning to understand what we really need is an almost political act – as well as practical. And sometimes, to get started, a small and concrete gesture like turning a cup upside down on the kitchen counter is enough.
Reducing the superfluous is not giving up: it is choosing. And choosing is often the subtlest form of freedom.
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