Are you feeling like you just can’t make any progress getting rid of your belongings? Are you feeling like everything you touch does actually have a future purpose rather than looking at things objectively? Are you finding it hard even to get rid of some old favourite pens or markers?
If you are stuck with your clutter and you simply cannot choose what to get rid of, then take a bit of a break from thinking about it in terms of getting rid of valuable stuff. Instead, grab a suitcase…(spoiler alert, it’s not for running away!)
You can actually grab any kind of bin, box, bag, or an actual suitcase. Here’s the way I get myself unstuck!
Grab your suitcase (I should mention that it should be on the small to medium size – no cheating here!!) and walk into the room or space you are struggling to declutter. Look around at your stuff. Open all the cupboards if there are any, so that you can really see it all! That’s key!
Now, you only have one suitcase! AND you can only fill it with the things you need AND really love! You are limited on space so you can only pick your prized possessions. Pretend you are downsizing if you need to. Whatever you do, you can only ‘pack’ the things you love most and the things you actually need. Put those items into your suitcase, zip it up and take your suitcase somewhere else, for now.
Everything that’s left in the space are the items that you both don’t need, AND don’t love! So, look at it all! Look at all that stuff you are holding onto, even though you don’t need it or love it!! Think of other people that could need it or love it! Is it really worth holding onto it if someone else could need it??
Look at how much stuff is left! That’s all excess from what you truly need and love! It doesn’t make it all garbage, but it definitely makes you think about what’s left. It’s a huge eye opener to see what you decided to ‘pack’ and what you left behind. Imagine if all you had to store in that space was your small suitcase filled with stuff. Would it be easier to access and use the stuff you love? Would you find your stuff with ease? Imagine that life!
Often we get hung up on thinking about what to get rid of that we forget that what we are really trying to do is keep the important stuff, the stuff we need and the stuff we love. The rest is kept out of convenience or complacency. BUT, it’s not convenient at all if it’s hindering our lives and making it harder to do the things we want to do!
Sometimes tweaking the way we think can change the way we take action.
So, next time you’re dealing with a stubborn cluttered area, grab your suitcase instead. See if it changes the way you deal with your clutter!
If you want to take it a step further, why not grab your suitcase and a timer! Give yourself a pressured time limit of filling your suitcase. You know what you need, you know the items that you truly love! So, giving yourself a time limit simply takes away the time that you are wasting trying to convince yourself that you need or love something that maybe you truly don’t.
Choosing the things we keep, vs choosing the things we get rid of is a subtle difference, but it could be the simple nuance to help you get started!
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