Decluttering 101

Sadly, as soon as the last trick or treater rings the last doorbell, retailers ring their own dinner bell: out come the Christmas carols and holiday decor, and so begins the annual saturation of commercials touting the latest gadget we all, seemingly, cannot live without. 

Source

We're drowning in stuff. Look around. Look at the walls, on the counter tops, in the drawers. 

Look in the junk drawer, in the cabinets and under the bed. 

Look in the spare room, in the mudroom and in the garage. 

Look in the spaces that are secret catch-alls, if only to you. 

Look at all of it. 

Now, think about the amazing experiences you've had over the past year. The past six months. The last few weeks. 

Are your experiences as plentiful as the stuff you've accumulated in the last year? 

The past six months? The last few weeks? 

Are you swimming in memories of laughter? Of joy? Of tender moments with those you hold dearest? 

If not, why? 

Sometimes work gets in the way. 

Or schedules. 

Or time . . .there's that busy thing again. 

Or, especially in these times, money gets in the way. 

But look around again. 

How much of this stuff do you really need? Really . . .

How much of it sounded like a good idea at the time, only to be used once or twice, only to find its final resting place under the sink or in the junk drawer or buried in the closet?

What if the time you spent looking for the perfect stuff, for you, or for others, was spent planning the moments and memories that would last you long after the stuff you've accumulated has lost its value?

If you only had limited space, say a backpack or a small car, in which to store all of your most prized possessions in order to, let's say, travel for an extended period of time, what would you take? What would you sell? What would you throw away?

I'm not saying that stuff is worthless. We all have the gadgets that make our lives easier and much more entertaining. But at what point does our stuff begin to weigh us down? 

We need not be hoarders to feel like we're drowning in clutter. And in as much as we have, many of us still feel like something is missing, and so we buy more. 

But the emptiness remains.

But the good news is, there is a way out. 

As a teacher, I teach my students to chunk tasks. It works and it's less daunting than tackling a project in its entirety. 

Here's how to chunk your way out of stuff:

1. One room at a time, and only one room per day. Consecutive days are not necessary.

2. Make four piles: save, sell, donate, discard. 

3. Find your camera or use your phone. Take pictures of the stuff to sell and upload it to eBay or another website on which you can sell your stuff (unfortunately to others looking to add more stuff--it never ends). Don't wait, or you will never do it.

4. Bag up your donations and drop it off to the local charity to which you will donate. Don't wait, or it will never go.

5. Bag up the trash and get rid of it. Don't wait, or it will never go. 

Take comfort in what you have saved, feel relieved of the burden of clutter that you have released, and celebrate with a walk outside with someone you love.