In life, we tend to focus on acquiring possessions rather than getting rid of them.
We fill our lives with material objects and harbor emotional baggage. We find it so difficult to let go of the stories we’ve told ourselves around our stuff. Many of us are not conscious of how much is no longer adding value to our lives. We fiercely hold on to stuff because it makes us feel secure or comfortable but it seldom satisfies the deep inner longings for fulfillment and satisfaction. The more we horde, the more we need. We’re concerned that we “might” need something in the future, so we save everything, “just in case.” We continue to buy items we already own because things “just disappear” in the clutter. We feel so overwhelmed, anxious, and defeated around the idea of owning less. Or don’t know where to begin — so we just live with the chaos.
When we are ready to let go of our baggage and be vulnerable it becomes possible to recognize the emotional hold that our possessions (and stories) can have on us.
Decluttering life has lots of benefits. Less stress. Less debt. Less to clean. Less to organize. More energy. More freedom.
Here are 4 fun tips I found to start building momentum towards a simpler, richer life:
- Give one item away each day. This would remove 365 items every single year from your home. Donate clothes you never wear. To identify them, simply hang all your clothes with hangers in the reverse direction. After wearing an item, face the hanger in the correct direction. Discard the clothes you never touched after a few months.
- Use the Four-Box Method. Get four boxes and label them: trash, give away, keep, or re-locate. Enter any room in your home and place each item into one of the following boxes. Don’t skip a single item, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. This may take days, weeks, or months, but it will help you see how many items you really own and you’ll know exactly what to do with each item.
- Think before and after: Choose one part of your home, like your kitchen counter, and take a photo of a small area. Quickly clean off the items in the photo and take an after photo. Once you see how your clutter-free home could look, it becomes easier to start decluttering more.
- Get help from a friend. Have a friend or family member go through your home and suggest a handful of big items to throw away or give to someone else. If you defend the item and want to keep it, your friend has to agree with your reason. If they don’t agree, it’s time to get rid of it.
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