Most of us have a problem of over accumulation.We acquire things throughout our lives, some are given to us , some left to us , some we find and most of them are purchased and we keep them because we think , they evoke memories , hold answers , contains a promise or might serve a purpose some day. But we tend to forget that too much stuff can actually create a physical barrier of whats really important and also creates a sense of unease with the things we own and finally is overwhelming.
First and foremost we keep most things , even if we want to let go of them because we think we might need it some day. For instance , I know someone who has a penchant for empty shoes boxes and keeps them in the storage area of their home because they think they might need to move some day and can reuse them for packing. I do agree that reusing the stuff is a great way of minimizing cost , but as far I know they haven't moved in the past 3 years. So imagine the number of shoe boxes they must have accumulated in 3 years. I follow a simple mantra when it comes to decluttering my home , First of all a lot of thought goes into buying anything, secondly if i dont use anything and its kept there for more than 3 months and its in great condition , it either goes to a consignment store or I give it away to someone who can put it to good use .. or I keep my garbage can really happy by filling it up without a second thought or regret.
Remember one thing, clutter stops us living in the present.
Secondly , we keep things because of sentimental value and they are too important to let go ... I completely understand this .. I am already having trouble letting go of my daughter's first hat , It no longer fits her... but I ask myself.. How am I going to put it to good use ? Is this the only thing I am going to keep of hers ? What comes next and where will I put away all that stuff ? I am so sure .. that all the stuff I am going to keep will end up in a pile of unwanted clothes or occupy maximum space in the closet or lost in the clutter of the house and I have to say that most of us dont live in palaces to keep as much as stuff we want to. Be merciless , pick and choose what you want and then discard the rest. Anything that holds sentimental value , needs to be treated with respect and cherished and if it can , displayed and reflected in a way that you store it, and definitely not lost in a pile.
Thirdly we cling on to stuff because they are worth a lot of money. Always put a lot of thought into what you buy , Imagine the cost incurred for what you dont use and the cost of holding onto it . If you have a spare room and its unusable and cluttered, imagine the rent / mortgage you are paying on that unusable square footage. The money you could be saving from all this could help take a long wanted vacation or a great appliance you always wanted and use regularly. Follow the rule , One in , One out i.e if you buy one thing which is and upgrade of what you already have or something which is similar to what you have , make sure , you find a way to discard the older one before you get the new one into its place.
Decluttering is something that cannot come to a person in a one day , It is a continuous process and takes time and effort mentally and physically. If you start a process of decluttering , do not be overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to do .
1. Set realistic goals. Dont think of accomplishing the 26 tasks on your to do list in one day. Im sure one will be so exhausted that they wont think of working on de cluttering their home for a long time.
2. Take short breaks every hour or half hour , like a tea break, sitting down for a minute ,or at least staring out of the window will help you refresh and tackle your task with vigor.
3. Everyone has trouble doing certain tasks, for instance I have trouble folding laundry, I am not sure why, but I always put it off until the very end. So when I want to accomplish this task, I do not work on anything else that day so that I can focus better and finish my task before I decide to put it away for the next day. It works for me !
4. Assign spaces for everything in your home , starting from utensils to paper clips , rubber bands . Make sure that its put back in place after its used, that ways its one job less for the person who cleans the house. The house need not look sterile , some people cannot live without clutter , i am one of them, so organize clutter and make it look beautiful in a part of your home. I do that with my books.
5. Once you start to see larger flat surfaces in your home , you realize its a better place to come back to . Also it will be a great place to socialize and proudly show off your home and then if you felt that your home was too small before de cluttering , you wont feel the same way now. De cluttering in general will make life seem a lot simpler , easier and a lot more organized.
Trust me , when you start this process, you will feel much better , life seems organized
Hence , De clutter your home, workplace and life !
This post was written by Dee
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