I moved to a smaller apartment a few months ago and undertook a major decluttering effort by necessity as well as choice. I'm still far from where I want to be and it's an ongoing project, but here are the insights I've learned over that time.
1. Every item has a cost as well as a value
Often when considering getting rid of something we only think about its value. "This is a nice shirt" or "I might watch this movie someday." But everything also has a cost.
The cost could include, if you ever plan on moving, the effort to lug it to your new place (or money to pay someone else to do it). It could be maintenance (keeping a piano in tune) or the electricity a gadget uses. Or it could simply be the physical and mental real estate it takes up in your home (this may be the most important cost). When you're looking for one thing you really need and you have to dig through 20 things you never use, that's a real cost to your time and peace of mind. If you're going to keep something, its value to you should outweigh its cost.
2. Be selective about what you let into your life
It's simple arithmetic, every time you add a new thing to your pile of stuff, it gets bigger, and if you don't get rid of anything, it'll just keep growing.
It's easier not to acquire something in the first place than to get rid of it once it's there. Every time you're tempted to buy something, try to have a moment of mindfulness to ask yourself whether this will really add value to your life. Think ahead 6 months or a year, will you still be enjoying it or will it just be taking up space?
The "one in, one out" rule works well, especially for clothes.
Don't even let junk mail, catalogs, etc. find a landing place in your house--toss them in the recycling bin immediately.
3. Let go of attachments
There are several attitudes that keep us attached to objects we don't really need. Watch out for them and consider whether you're being rational.
- "just in case"
If you've never used something, or used it once a long time ago, think hard about how likely that "just in case" situation really is. If the item would be hard to replace and is easy to store out of your way, maybe it's worth keeping. But most things can be replaced if that day ever comes.
This attitude can also be used to justify keeping duplicates or very similar items. I was bad at this, I had several "backup" pairs of eyeglasses even though its been years since I lost or broke one, and I had numerous shirts that were similar colors/patterns "in case" I wore one in a week and wanted to wear another before I had a chance to do laundry.
- hanging on to the past
I'm certainly not saying you should throw out every memento, but often we hold onto things just because throwing them out feels "wrong," like we're disrespecting the time or person it reminds us of.
Think about how you actually use or will use the item, if at all. Will you show it to your kids someday? Will you take it out and reminisce, or realistically, will it just sit in a box? You can often find other ways to remember, like taking pictures of items you decide not to keep.
- trying to do everything
Maybe it's that photography hobby you picked up a few years ago but haven't found time for recently, or those books you said you'd read "someday." If you want to live more simply and effectively, accept that there's way more in this world than you'll ever get around to in one lifetime. Realize you'll be happier focusing on a manageable number of things you enjoy now than keeping around all the nagging reminders of your past self's interests and plans.
4. Decluttering and organizing go hand in hand
Decluttering isn't just about throwing things out, it's about creating an environment that promotes happiness, productivity, and peace of mind. That involves putting the stuff you do keep into some sort of sensible (and maybe even attractive) order, and then maintaining it. The old saying "a place for everything and everything in its place" is a good place to start.
Submitted March 24, 2018 at 10:18PM by 35mmFILM https://ift.tt/2G73vhW
