Clutter is real. Clutter occurs in your home, at work, in relationships, and in your mind. Over the course of 2021 my spouse and I started decluttering and minimizing. If we are Instagram friends, you likely saw my stories and my lives on clutter and chaos.
We are almost 1 week into a new year, and I thought it would be a good idea to share decluttering and the art of minimizing here on my blog.
Clutter is excess stuff or even people that lead to chaos, feelings of overwhelm/anxiety, or limitations. Examples include items in your home or office, the “junk drawer,” owning 30 pairs of jeans but you only wear 3, an attic or garage full of items that you never use, “knickknacks,” and more.
If you aren’t careful clutter can turn to hoarding. Let’s just rebuke the thought of chaos and clutter becoming hoarding. Ain’t nobody got time for hoarding during a pandemic; we are trying to maintain our peace and live our best life, right.
Okay so let’s get back to it. Any object or person that does not add value to your life can be considered clutter. I know, I know, I said people can be clutter. I said it, because it is true. There are people in your life who hold you back, make you feel less than, and are downright discouraging. Friend those are not your people. They are chaos, they are clutter; just like all that stuff in your kitchen junk drawer. Those people you have to cut ties with and love from a distance.
Last year I had been feeling like I wanted to literally “throw the whole house away.” Crazy, I know, but my family I had so much stuff, that I felt as if I couldn’t breathe and I became anxious looking at everything that we didn’t use but continued taking up space in our home and in my mind.
As I worked through the anxiety of the stuff and wanting to literally “get rid” of my house I told my therapist about what I was going through and she said, “Stephanie what are you going to do about it.” It was then that I took action. I started clearing out my closet. I was holding on to pants and shoes and clothes that I hadn’t worn in 2 or more years. Why was I keeping that stuff? It was a waste of space and I cleared it out. I packaged up clothes, bags, shoes, and books in my closet to give away.
I went through my folded clothes and gave things away. I gave away brand new items with tags still on them. I had no reason to keep them. My thought was, why not bless someone else. There are plenty of people who need these items and I gave them away.
I didn’t have the energy for a yard sale or to place them on Facebook marketplace on Craig’s list. Now if you have time and energy to sell your stuff and make some money go for it. Otherwise give away the quality items and throw away the crap.
If you are starting your decluttering journey be in integrity. Do not give away or donate something that you would not want to receive yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Off my moral soap box and back at it. After I cleared out my stuff, I went through my kitchen drawers and cabinets, our storage shed, and my daughter’s clothes, toys, and books. With a 5-year old it was little challenging for her to give away her things. We talked about blessing others and I shared with her how when she gives her toys to other children, she is helping them grow and learn and have fun when otherwise the little girls and boys wouldn’t have anything to play or learn with. Explaining it simply made it easier for my daughter to give things away and of course I let her choose what to give away. Allowing your child autonomy, empowers them and sets the groundwork for leadership.
As I was working through decluttering, I read two books that were beneficial in minimizing and in communicating the benefits of living life rather than accumulating more things. If you’re interested check out “The More Of Less” by Joshua Becker and “The Afrominimalist’s Guide To Living With Less” by Christine Platt. Over the course of 6 months I repeatedly told my husband I don’t want anything or need anything.
I told my family and friends not to buy me stuff because there wasn’t any object or thing that I needed or wanted. Lived experiences mean more to me than things. It took a little work but as I continued to voice to my husband that we still had too much stuff in our house, he began to see what I meant.
In November, my hubby jumped on board with decluttering. He cleared out his closet first. He then moved to our billiards room, the kitchen, our mud room, his workshop, our pool area, and our attic. In December 2021 we rented a dumpster and literally the house away. We went out of town for the holiday and returned to a spacious home with less stuff and more love.
Friend it feels so nice to have less. Less stuff to clean, dust, and pick up. I have more breathing room. More time to do stuff and more freedom to move.
If you are wanting to declutter and live free here are 5 tips to start.
1. Your journey to decluttering and minimizing is your own. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
2. Start small-what is the least anxiety invoking (junk drawer, hall closet, knickknacks). Small wins lead to consistency with letting things go.
3. Share your why with your significant other or housemates, but don’t push them to join you.
4. If you haven’t used the item in 1 year, let it go.
5. Make keep, sale, trash, and give away piles and limit the keep to a certain number if possible.
I am not a decluttering or minimizing guru by any means. However, I do know what peace, space, and opportunity yields when you let go of what does not serve you.
As you start 2022, let your attention be focused on living and loving rather than holding on to stuff or buying more things.
