Declutter – 5 reasons why you should do it now

It seems as though everyone is talking about decluttering and downsizing these days….or maybe it’s just the company I keep. There is a lot in the media – from TV shows to magazines to articles in the newspaper. Everyone, for the most part, agrees that life is simpler when there is less ‘stuff.’

Sometimes the ‘stuff’ is of our own doing – taking care of others is making it difficult to maintain order at home, over-shopping, saying YES to relatives and friends who make offers that are difficult to refuse, resistance to letting go of sentimental items, lack of time or interest to do regular purging of items. Doesn’t matter the reason because the end result is the same. Too much stuff = too much stress!

Here are the Top 5 Reasons (IMHO) to Declutter:

If you are in a family setting, the volume of stuff can cause arguments and added stress – some family members are fine with the clutter but some family members are not. There can be endless searches for library books, keys, remotes, cell phones, checks… which can make family members late for school or work or appointments. If you have fewer items, you will spend less time figuring out how to manage them and more time with family and friends.

When you begin the decluttering process, you will notice the dramatic increase in trash and recycling. If you do a really good purge, this will hopefully be a ‘one time only’ event and the lessons learned will help to prevent you from relapsing into over-accumulating your possessions. Living more simply will help to reduce the number of bags (and their contents) you bring into the home and increase the available space in your home to live and breathe in peace.

The thought of getting started can be really, really overwhelming. My daughter is in the middle of decluttering her room and just brought me my old beehive purse (with reversible cover, given to me by my grandparents when I was in 5th grade). She doesn’t want it. I was happy to give it to her years ago, but now it’s back in my life. And I can’t let it go – yet. I love the feel of it and it’s probably the only gift I can actually associate with my grandparents. So I’m keeping it. But then she just gave me back a white hat that I wore in 1999. The hat was too small then and it’s too small now. And it looks so cute on her… but we don’t even have a place to store it. So guess what? It’s going. Making these kinds of decisions can be scary, but once you get started, it DOES get easier. We have to practice making decisions about this stuff, and the more decisions we make, the better we’ll feel. That’s a promise!

Imagine walking into your home and seeing countertops without clutter, sofas and chairs with nothing on them, bedroom floors that are clear, home offices and kitchens that didn’t have paper strewn about because they are neatly tucked in file cabinets that don’t have prehistoric papers in them… that’s the vision to hold as you attempt to declutter your spaces. Peace is the end goal for decluttering. And ease of moving when the time comes. Less is more. That can be your mantra as you downsize.

Seriously – it’s now ‘in’ to go minimalist. A neighbor of mine sold her home and is renting an apartment downtown. We caught up briefly by text and she said, “I’m so happy with my carefree life.” It’s hard to be carefree when you have a house full of stuff.

I hope this list will help you to get motivated to begin or to pick up where you left off! And if you’re not making the progress you want to make, it would be my pleasure to work with you as a virtual client or in person. Click here.

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  “Helping Baby Boomers and their Parents Lighten their Loads.”