“The point is, you need to distinguish between what honestly moves you and what the world is telling you should melt your heart. If something doesn’t reach you on a personal level, let it go. It’s hard enough dealing with everything that does.” by Judi Culbertson
Do you have a drawer full of stuff that you either don’t use, have no idea what it used to be or just haven’t even opened yet? Well, I did.
For the past few months, I have been spending a lot of time de-cluttering my home, my room, my garage, my phone and laptop , my shelves, and my life in general. I honestly find cleaning therapeutic and there isn’t anything wrong with donating things to people who need it more than I do or selling things for extra cash…I mean, I have to pay for my Iced Soy Cinnamon Chai Latte somehow now that I’m unemployed…it’s a luxury that I like having once in a while.
Anyway back to what I was getting at, I have never felt so good cleaning and getting rid of things that are just sitting there. For some reason, some of us get emotionally attached to things because we think we will forget the memories that came along with them. I had two boxes full of “memories” which is just a lot of knick knacks that I have collected over the years; ticket stubs, movie stubs, birthday candles, ribbons, hockey tickets, you get the idea. I decided to go through that box and organize it as much as possible. I have organized so much that I can hang almost all my clothes, I have only 6 drawers filled with clothes. It just feels so good to have nothing under my bed (I only have my workout equipment under my bed) and have my cat sleep under there without a fear that he will get hurt. Organizing and owning less is the new thing, if you didn’t know!
So here are my tips on de-cluttering your life, room, car, etc.
1: Turn up some jams!
- Jamming to music makes the job a lot less daunting and a bit more fun. So crank up some backstreet boys and clean it all up!
2: Pick an area
- There are some people or some books that say to do your whole house at once but if you do have a job, there is no way you can do all of it in one day. You could do it on your day off but most people do all their errands on their days off. So I say start off slow, make a check list of the areas you know that need to be cleaned, de-cluttered and organized.
3: Have three boxes or bags!
- One for the garbage
- One for donations
- One for storage
You will find that sometimes your favourite pair of socks have way too many holes in them so you definitely want to through those out. A really good trick that I have learned comes from the one and only Martha Stewart on how to de-clutter your wardrobe or closet, check it out Closet Organization. She has quite a few tips throughout her website, there was one and I wish I could find the link for but I find her website super helpful.
4: Always ask yourself: Do I need it, Will I wear it…
- These questions will keep you on task and will definitely help with getting rid of things you no longer need, no longer love, or just no longer want. Also, be careful because sometimes you’re in the zone and accidentally get rid of something you still wanted.
5: Be Inspired.
- Don’t feel forced to clean. Do it when you really feel motivated.
I have this rule now that I de-clutter not only physical things that I own but feelings, emotions, thoughts that make me feel bad. Most of the time you feel claustrophobic in your home and it’s not because of all the stuff you have but sometimes it’s stuff you keep inside that you need to let go. So I say clean up your contact list, delete people you don’t talk to or toxic people. I know that’s pretty crazy sometimes but I have done that, my contact list is so small because these are people who I want in my life. They are highly motivated, encouraging, supportive, funny, good people overall but most importantly, Drama-free.
De-cluttering doesn’t only clean out your home but it gives you some piece of mind. I know you’ve probably read so many blogs about this but it does bring you closer to you. In our society, we are bombarded with needing so much, we need the latest shoes, the latest phones, the latest this and that, we forget we have so much and we accumulate so much stuff to “satisfy” this idea that we need all of it to be happy. Don’t get me wrong, I have so many books but I either gift them, keep them or donate them in order to share my love of books. Consumerism is a problem but we won’t get too into this. Why? because we all know it, we admit that it’s a problem.
Anyway, it feels really nice to completely clean up, to recycle all that paper, re-use that old pair of earrings to make something creative to give as a gift. If you really want more stuff on de-cluttering, I’ve heard really good things from Youtubers such as Ingrid Nilsen and Essie LaLonde. There is also a really good book out there that has been talked about a lot basically everywhere, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering And Organizing by Marie Kondo. I haven’t read it yet but I plan to and see if I do anything that she mentions.
Well, enjoy the rest of August! I can’t believe it creeped up behind us and is already almost over.
being maarthaa 