Being AWARE of whatever is causing stuck energy in your body, your house, your mind, etc. is supposed to be the secret to conquering clutter. It makes sense that examining the underlying why of doing something will help us overcome it. It’s the old, “what you resist, persists” adage. Anything that causes resistance becomes your clutter. Do you avoid folding laundry, making a phone call, telling someone no? Personally, I am currently in some sort of self-blame mode about binging on Girl Scout cookies, specifically Peanut Butter Patties. Darn those addictive little discs! To help myself, I’ve got to get them out of my house.
Here are a few things I’ve learned about decluttering over the past month or so:
- For me, being around too many things makes me feel drained. Maybe it’s because every object that my eyes rest upon causes me to think in some way, and if it’s something that’s out of place, I have to think longer about it. When there are clean surfaces and items are in their correct home, my mind can focus on other things.
- Having fewer possessions saves me time. I know where something is so I’m not searching for anything. Getting dressed, I have fewer decisions to make.
- The best question for me to ask when I’m considering whether to keep something is “Does this help me have a meaningful life?” Extra shoelaces – nope. Exercise clothes – yes (just not as many). Another question: “If my house were on fire, would this be worth running inside to rescue?” Really, those extra pairs of eyeglasses are just taking up space.
- No more excuses. The main idea here is that you’re enough. You don’t need things, even sentimental items, in order to be enough. Example: I have boxes of photos and cards that I’ve kept for years and I finally decided to digitize them so I could have them organized and have those closet shelves back. Other things I took a photo of rather than keep the object itself. (Granted, I’m not finished and they are still sitting on the floor in a corner, but I will!)
So here’s what I’ve been doing, slowly but surely. I began with the mental image of what I want to feel when I’m in my home. With any project, I work clockwise. I start with one segment at a time until I’ve done the whole thing. That way it’s not too big that it’s unmanageable. It may be one drawer or one shelf but it’s progress!
Give away a few books; donate appliances you don’t use; toss old gardening supplies; go through the pantry; clean out under the kitchen sink; declutter bathtub toys; give away extra mugs/cups; toss old CDs and computer programs; scan/toss old school papers; get rid of old computers and electronics; sort your jewelry. The list can go on endlessly…
This can be personal… maybe you LOVE having all these things around you, in which case it’s fine. For me, less is far more.
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