Key #2 -Start with the easy stuff
When it comes to decluttering there are always those items that are easy to part with and items that for one reason or another you feel more attached to. My advice is to start with the easy stuff. Things you know for sure that you no longer want or need. Once you start to see and feel the benefits of your decluttering I am sure you will become more ruthless at parting with stuff. By the time you are done, you will wonder why you were ever so attached to those “hard to get rid of†items.
Item 358 of 365 less things
I wasn’t planning to get rid of this bag but it has hung in the back of my closet for the whole year unused so that speaks for itself.
5 Reflections of gratefulness and sanity this year
- Finally seeing sense and quitting my thankless job.
- Finally feeling at home in Australia again – It took a while
- Having good friends that stick by me through thick and thin –I do the same for them.
- Learning how to say no more often to things I don’t want to do or believe in – People really do respect your wishes and I haven’t lost any friends or loved ones over it.
- Managing to stay sane through all the ups and down of this year – It sure has been an interesting one. Dear Lord can I please place my order for a much less stressful one next year. Amen.
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.
For me the first step was giving myself permission to get rid of things. It was realising it was okay to let things go.
Hi Cathryn,
once you have come to terms with letting go you are well on the road to clutter freedom.
So true about getting to the point of wondering why you are holding onto stuff. When I started decluttering I took the easy option; I hired a storage space for things I don’t need day to day (eg christmas decorations) and anything in the hazy “I should get rid of it but I don’t want to” category. One of the things in there was a rug, that I “saved” from being thrown out by my mother. It was beige, which really is a colour I just don’t see the point of and I had no where to put it, but for some reason I liked the rug and wanted to keep it.
A couple of weeks ago I was putting some more things in the storage space and saw the rug. I immediately thought “why do I still have that?”. I was confused more than anything. It is now so obvious that I shouldn’t have taken it from my mother in the first place.
There is a Salvation Army store just around the corner from the storage place, so I immediately walked it around and put it in the donation box. Maybe I should start a 52 less things project on my blog and I will be able to get rid of my storage space altogether by this time next year.
Hi Isabella,
you said it all at the end of your comment, start a project to rid yourself of the necessity of that storage space. Putting stuff in a storage space is not decluttering it is actually just throwing good money after bad. First you have wasted money on stuff you don’t need if you can’t fit it in your house and then you waste even more money renting another space to store it in. Sorry if that sounded harsh but it is the stark reality of the situation. Storage companies must be one of the fastest growing industries in the Western World I think. I think you should make this your New Years Resolution.
You don’t sound harsh, Colleen – I’m well aware that I am throwing money away, but at the same time, I wouldn’t have got as far as I have today with my decluttering if I didn’t have the storage space.
I live in an apartment with only two wardrobes and the kitchen cupboards (in a tiny kitchen) for storage space. I think I will take up the challenge, but only to get down to a smaller locker (which would more than halve my bill), because paying for storage will stil be cheaper than buying a bigger home.
Hi Isabella,
well that puts things into a whole different perspective. Only 2 wardrobes and little kitchen storage wow I most likely have more clutter in my garage than you own. Maybe next year I should change my blog to 365lessthingsroundtwo.com. You are right about one thing a storage unit would be much cheaper than a larger apartment. I shall go now and eat my word. 😆