In the era of minimalism, small spaces and Marie Kondo, it’s easy to say “out with the old”. However, following through with that mantra can prove to be quite challenging — especially if your belongings have sentimental value.

Personally, I’m extremely attached to my bookshelves, which are not only filled with books, but also with bookmarks, a variety of signs and a bunch of funko pops. Yes, it’s a clutter and yes, it’s slightly inconvenient whenever I have to dust the shelves. But, that little corner of my apartment brings me so much joy that I would never voluntarily give anything up — hence, my dilemma.

So, how do you declutter and organize your place without parting ways with the things that matter to you? While something’s definitely got to give in order to achieve an airy, clean space, there are a few tricks that you can use to save your beloved items.

Without further ado, here are some easy tips to declutter and create enough space without giving up too much.

Do it in phases

Decluttering and organizing your living space — especially when you don’t do it very often — can seem quite overwhelming. And, even if you set a goal of giving up a certain number of items or clearing out half a closet, it’s important to organize your efforts and do it in phases.

To begin, start with a small step and do an initial triage of the things that you’re certain you want to give up. If you’re on the fence about an item, a piece of clothing or a book, give it a pass and save it for the second step.

Next, after you’ve cleared out the first batch, take on the second one with the items that you’re not quite sure if you want to keep or toss. Ask yourself some basic questions, like:

• “Will I use this in the near future?”
• “Does this have sentimental value?”
• “Can I repurpose it in any way?”

Then, once you’ve made up your mind, go to the next step and continue with your triage without forcing yourself to give up the things that you’re attached to. Remember, you can always declutter more later, but you can rarely get things back once you’ve given them away.

Reorganize & repurpose

One of the best ways (and, to be honest, excuses) not to give up too many of your belongings is to repurpose them: if you can take something and give it new purpose or make it useful on a day-to-day basis, why not do so?

Spend a few minutes thinking about each item that you don’t want to throw away. Can this stack of books that you’ll probably never read again (but which were given to you by your loved ones) serve as a little nightstand? Does that old dress that you haven’t worn in years have the potential to become a new piece of clothing? If you’re crafty, there are a variety of ways to give new life to the unused items that you still want to keep around. Once again, just take a few minutes, look for ideas online and get inspired. You’ll find that almost anything can serve more than one purpose if you give it a second chance.

Get creative with storage

However crafty or creative you might be, some things are just not meant to serve a purpose all year round. For example, seasonal decorations have a short window of opportunity, but even so, you might not want to spend money on new ones every year. Keep clutter to a minimum and store your Christmas decorations, Halloween costumes, and all other trinkets to keep them safe and your home clean.

This is where smart storage solutions come in: if there’s something that you need to keep for later, but you also want to get it out of sight, consider the storage spaces that you have around your place. These could be under the bed, on top of wardrobes or cupboards or even incorporated into your furniture. For example, coffee tables or seats with hidden storage spaces are lifesavers for smaller apartments. Similarly, some nice boxes with elegant designs can also hide a lot of items, all while giving your space a creative vibe. As an extra tip, if you have some deep shelving where you can only add items one on top of the other, consider adding some drawers, which will help you store more.

Essentially, if you’re inspired by minimalism, definitely go for it. However, if parting ways with your beloved items brings you more sadness than joy, there are always smart ways and shortcuts that allow you to have a clean, organized space — without losing its heart.