It’s the start of another year, and that’s usually the time when I take a look around my home and think, “it’s time to clean up a little.”
The holidays have come and gone, work or school has started again, and I’m in the middle of my routines.
And my clutter.
So I’ve been trying to change my lifestyle over the past year to be more intentional with what I have. I’ve been trying to find joy in the art of decluttering and simplifying my home, mind, and spirit.
Now, before I even start this little series on decluttering (complete with some tips and tricks for decluttering your home and your mind, so stay tuned) I want to give a disclaimer.
I am by no means a minimalist.
This is not a “become a minimalist” series, this isn’t a “throw out all your things and live with only one bowl and one spoon” kind of blog.
My goal is to inspire you to be more intentional with your things.
To do this, I want to encourage you to learn the art of decluttering.
Why use the word “declutter” you might ask? This might feel like a painful word when talking about memories or keepsakes. So, let me be the first to give you permission to switch out your words when needed.
Declutter can be for going through junk drawers, weeding out shoes you don’t wear, or going through boxes in the garage. But when going through your high school yearbooks, college mementos, or even clothes, I prefer Marie Kondo’s word of tidying rather than decluttering. Her concept of whether or not items “spark joy” is especially important when taking your time going through these things.
So, why is the art of decluttering/tidying so important?
Well, this year, I’m in the middle of moving, and the thought of moving boxes that I hadn’t gone through in years was tiring to think about.
But on any other regular year, going through my things regularly is a part of life.
As we grow up, we naturally go through clothes because we are constantly growing. We have to let go of pieces that no longer fit, donate toys that we don’t play with anymore, etc.
But as adults, there is a point when we stop this routine because, well, everything fits! We like our things, our gadgets, our books. The need for a critical eye of our things lessens. And frankly, going through your things year after year is quite exhausting.
Because truly — decluttering takes an immense amount of thought.
But it doesn’t always have to be that way.
Let me explain.
We’ve lived in our current home for over a year now, and in that time I’ve gone through the clothes in my closet at least 4 times trying to pare it down.
Everything in there still fit, but I realized one day that it was so jam packed, I didn’t even know what clothes I had to wear, and so ended up wearing the same few outfits each week.
I decided to go through and really decide what I wanted to keep and what I didn’t.
I think the hardest part was letting go of pieces I remembered buying, but hadn’t worn in years. There was guilt in thinking “why did I spend the money on this when I didn’t even wear it more than a few times?”
But the art of decluttering is just as Marie Kondo says. Does it spark joy? And if it doesn’t, it’s good to thank the piece for its season in your life when it did spark joy.
Because that’s the thing, we generally spend money on new items because they bring us some sort of delight. You might love the way you feel in a new dress that’s light and airy. Or maybe the book you bought has been on your list for a while. Perhaps the new kitchen gadget you purchased is something you’re excited to learn and put to use.
So when it comes time to letting go of these items (for a good reason), we get stuck.
Let me remind you. It’s ok to let go. That dress served a purpose, the book was read but maybe not enjoyed. The kitchen gadget didn’t work as well as you though it would.
Just because you purchased it, doesn’t mean it’s worth keeping. Especially if, instead of joy, it’s bringing you a feeling of guilt or frustration.
So, back to my closet.
You might be wondering, isn’t it enough to go through it once?
Ya, that’s what I thought too.
But after I went through it a second time, I still left things to “think about” (i.e. I wasn’t ready to let go of even though I knew I probably should). So after going through another 2 times, I’ve finally accomplished some space between my hangers and a definite feeling of knowing that I wear every piece that is in my repertoire.
And the letting go got easier.
I’ve realized how much we live in a society where we feel burdened by our things.
It didn’t used to be this way.
If you think about it, one hundred years ago, your average person didn’t have closets of 20 shirts, 15 dresses, and 30 pairs of shoes. They generally had 1 or 2 dresses for work, a “Sunday best”, and shoes to go with both outfits.
And that was it.
Somewhere along the line, we were crafted into people with a consumerist mindset. Rather than using and purchasing items of good quality, we started to get into fast fashion, needing lots of options, and having to “keep up with the Joneses.”
If that’s you, know you’re in good company. And there’s nothing wrong with you.
But I want to encourage you to try out a new mindset.
It will take time to change your thought process from “I want” to “I need.” It will absolutely take time to go through the things you already have.
But at the end of the day, what kind of life do you want? A life filled with clutter, or a life filled with intentionality?
I think all of us want an intentional life whether or not we know it, and a great way to do this is to start with our things.
As I mentioned before, this isn’t a “throw out all of your things” kind of mindset. This is a knowledge that all of the things you have and own have purpose.
The number of things in my home might be different than yours, but so long as we both know why we have them, we are on the same page.
Do you want to join me on the journey?
I want to encourage you to pick one drawer, closet, or room to go through this week.
It might be easy, it might be difficult, but I think if you keep trying, you might just find beauty in the art of decluttering, and why it’s worth trying this year.
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