I'm a constant declutterer, yet I'm also a person with too much clutter. That doesn't sound like it makes any sense – and you're right.
But while I'm particular about what I have around my home, it's almost inevitable that it still becomes cluttered.
I have a busy household; there are kids running around, renovations currently happening, and the general day-to-day chaos of life. All of a sudden, despite my best efforts, there's clutter on my countertops and lining my entryway, on side tables, just everywhere.
So, I'm always on the lookout for decluttering techniques that'll help me (and others) to sort it out. Last year, I embraced the Japanese art of 'Danshari' and now I'm trying to embrace something entirely new – 'inyo-onyo'.
Here's how this Japanese method has totally transformed my home and stopped the clutter.
How 'inyo-onyo' works
You've likely heard of 'inyo-onyo' even if you don't know it because translated in Japanese it simply means 'yin and yang'. And yin and yang is a well-known ancient concept in China that describes the balance of opposing forces.
So, how does that translate into decluttering? Well, for inyo-onyo, it's about balancing out opposites when it comes to your home, empty and filled spaces, or negative and positive spaces. What 'inyo-onyo' wants you to do is embrace a focus on the open spaces you are creating, rather than focusing on exactly what you are getting rid of.
Instead of applying a negative connotation to any empty surface or space within your home, it's about embracing the openness and looking at it differently. You don't have to fill spaces for them to be impactful in your home and you also don't have to be strict about what you keep or don't keep.
As long as you look positively about creating more of these vacant spaces and displaying your items with intention, rather than feeling a need to fill it, you can harness the lifestyle choice of 'inyo-onyo'.
What happened when I tried it
It's a balance I've always struggled with, especially growing up in a home where my mom believed having things dotted all over the house was a clear sign of wealth and abundance. And I do still relate to that. Leaving empty space does sometimes feel like you're lacking something or missing something.
But, I'm also always telling myself I want to own less. So, to reframe my mind, I decided not to overwhelm myself with this new way of living and instead focused on harnessing 'inyo-onyo' just one room at a time. For this, I started with a less communal part of my home – the bedroom.
And while I thought I'd be approaching this method the same way as I have other decluttering techniques, like the '90/90 rule' and 'chaos decluttering'. it turned out I wasn't going to turn it into a full-throttle declutter mode.
Instead, I decided to turn my focus to surfaces and the 'clutter' that's on show. If you're trying out this technique though, you can apply it to a full declutter, if you wish. I looked at my side tables where old mail lay, some loose change, discarded hairbands and books before considering how it made me feel.
Surprisingly, I realized that the cluttered space was negatively impacting my mood far more than if I let it become an emptier space. I decided that I'd let myself have just one book and my lamp. Ultimately, that's all I'd ever want access to from this space and the rest could be tided away.
Carrying this 'inyo-onyo' ethos through my entire room, I did struggle at times to leave such little amounts of things to be seen. I also worried I was just filling up cupboards and drawers instead, so sorting through my items was also a must. But, ultimately, I know that it made me feel better once it was done.
It's definitely something I'm going to embrace throughout my home and I already know I'm going to care about the things I keep in a more intentional way.
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