Do you feel like your clutter can talk? Ok, it can’t really, but it does weigh on your mind and impacts your day to day function and productivity! It essentially causes a cluttered to do list to appear in your head every time you walk into a cluttered space or open a cluttered closet, drawer, or cupboard. It takes away your brain capacity to think clearly and can even impact your motivation to do the things you actually love to do!
The minimalist idea is not about throwing away the things you love or even depriving yourself of the things you love. Try to think of it more as a means of self care.
Think about the feeling you have right after decluttering a closet let’s say. Think about how easy it is to find the clothes you want to wear. Think about how easy it becomes to put your clothes away on laundry day! I bet, using your new lightened space, you don’t feel deprived that you had to get rid of some clothing. If you’re like me, you feel energized going into your closet. You likely feel at peace without the mental overload of stepping on clothes or having a large laundry basket overflowing of clothes.
See, decluttering isn’t really about suffering or being sad or deprived that you got rid of your best things. It really comes down to a self care gift. You are gifting yourself time, energy, and even some mental space for better clarity. That space allows you to live better and lets you live within your values.
There is no better gift that you can give yourself that has such a high return. Think about it. If you didn’t have to spend 30 minutes trying to pick your clothes every morning. Or, how easy it might be to do your hair and makeup if you only had the products you actually use. Imagine making dinner if your pantry wasn’t overflowing and you didn’t need to hunt through three different drawers to find the right kitchen gadget for the job!
Decluttering can help you get YOUR life back! Not the one that makes you a slave to your stuff, but the one that really energizes you and makes you feel like yourself again!
Decluttering is not just about getting rid of stuff, it’s about reclaiming your spark in your own life!
The 10 in 10 decluttering game
So, for the summer, play this game every night!
Ahead of time sit down with the family and make a 10-minute playlist of songs on your favourite music app. Make sure there are songs that represent each person in the household and try to get it as close to 10 minutes as possible.
If you have A LOT of stuff to declutter then you, and everyone you live with, have to work together to find 10 things to donate, 10 things to recycle, and 10 things to toss!
If you just want to maintain or if you have a good handle on your stuff then you have to find 10 iems total that can either be donated, recycled or tossed.
The key is that you have to find all the items BEFORE the playlist ends!
This doesn’t give much time for thinking, but gives you lots of free time and free space by the end of the week!
You may need to remind everyone that they can only make decisions about their own things. We all know that there is that one thing you just wish your spouse would get rid of but focus on your own stuff instead!
Be gentle and kind, everyone is working together on the same goal! Everyone just wants peace, free space and more time and energy to do the things they love!
Embrace the decluttering process and have fun with the game!
Home Under Clutter 