De-cluttering has been the subject of a massive amount of discussion and debate and as a fully paid up member of the the clutter bug club (no, it’s not really a club, I don’t think so anyway – but wouldn’t that be such a cool club to join !?), it’s something I think about and talk about quite a bit.
Recent attempts to make my home more eco-friendly has meant that we’ve got a new eco-heating system, which is great, but, it was intresting how much stuff we had to move to get it fitted! This got me thinking about our ‘stuff’ and once again I launched a de-cluterring project, so I thought I’d share some of that with you.
I do like Marie Kondo’s approach, it was a game changer for me. I used to worry ALL THE TIME about the tidal wave of belongings that swept through our home and I felt really guilty that we had all this stuff and it was everywhere and I needed to get rid of it….
Then I read her book and realized that I didn’t need to ‘get rid of my clutter’. Marie advocates for keeping the things that ‘Spark Joy for you’ and letting go of everything that does not. The concept of something ‘Sparking Joy’ can be tricky to start with – who finds joy in teaspoons, for example. So she recommends starting with clothes, as we have a very close personal relationship with clothes. ‘Sparking Joy’ is about knowing exactly why you have that item. It does not have to be the most beautiful or glam thing, but when we use or wear it we are happy. An old t-shirt that we love and wear often ‘Sparks Joy’. The beautiful shoes that are murder to wear, so we don’t -can go. Teaspoons that we stir out tea with every morning – keepers. Fancy breadmaker that got used once – out it goes! Once all the things that don’t ‘Spark Joy’ are gone, you then organise like with like and remove duplicates that are not needed. This then leaves you room to display and organise all the things in your home that do ‘Spark Joy’ and it’s full of things you love!
My top tips and take aways:
1. Read Marie Kondo’s Life-Changing Magic of Tidying book.
2. Follow her system.
3. If you don’t have a large block of time or you’re doing a ‘mini’ sort, tidy and clean, then tackle a room or area at a time – but if you do this do remember to gather all the items from around your home that fit the the type of items you’re sorting.
4. ‘I’ll keep it, just in case / I might need it / or it might come in handy’ If these phrases trot through your brain, as you ask yourself: if the items ‘Spark Joy’? Then the answer is no!
4. Create a designated space for things you are going to recycle, donate or sell and set phone or diary reminders to to that next step. Items leaving your home is the key to success, so try to clear as much as you can and don’t leave unwanted items hanging around too long or they’ll get re-absorbed back into your home!
5. Repeat the process – it took me a few times, to embed the practises. It gets easier each time!
6. Give youself a pat of the back for your efforts and remember to feel postive about donating items and sending them back out into the world to live another life, it is good sustainable living!
Next, why you may want to do this now…..
1. In a few months Christmas will be on us and for those who celebrate this holiday, it will involve more ‘stuff’ coming into your home, so it’s good to have a premptive clear out.
2. You may come across items that you can gift to family and friends for Christmas, which will help with the cost and effort of finding all those lovely gifts for loved ones!
3. You will have a solid base for a functioning and welcoming home for the holiday season and you will be able find all the things you need for the celebrations – which always makes life easier.
4. if you have items to donate they will come in handy for others during the festivities.
5. If you have items to sell now is a great time, as people are shopping for Christmas and it could produce some much welcomed extra cash for you! – If this is something that’s important for you at present (as it is for most of us!) I’ll be doing a blog post on making extra cash soon!
I hope you find this a little bit helpful.
Thanks & have a great week!
Sarah x
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Gone to the heather 